Seconds Magazine #34

You may not realize it, but you've heard ATOI before. Whether or not you've purchased a CD by Richard Sun's project of that name, it is a part of your consciousness. Listening to the "music" of ATOI is a bit like slipping into a parallel universe -- the one inside your own head. Sure, there are other ways to access such a place (take a hit of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, or simpler still, just close your eyes and float into the vast, undulating electricity of your mind's eye), but this is a damn convenient one...

Look for a fascinating (but too lengthy to reproduce here) interview with Richard Sun in this issue of Seconds!

Resonance Magazine Issue 4

Reaching for this disc means taking a ride into the mystical. The material presented here elicits many states of consciousness, each with its own flavor yet distinctly similar, like 12 tribesmen experiencing different visions while sitting around the same fire.

The sounds change on "Sonic Acupuncture" but the purpose remains pure: to enlighten. There are plenty of albums with this same pretense, but what ATOI has accomplished is humility. And that is where self-promotion ceases and direct contact is established.

Winding thourgh space, ducking the slo-mo whiplash rhythms -- these are not songs, they are movements. They sweep into -- and underneath -- each other. Spiritual references abound, coaxing you into submission. When you finally hit the last two tracks, you will understand what it means to hear electronic music that possesses warmth. A beautiful thing.