“Peace Rock” is Steve Targo’s second outing as Nimbudala, following last year’s “Universal Compassion”. He carries on with the intentions that inspired the Nimbudala project: looking less towards the natural world and more toward the human experience, widening the instrumental palette, and embracing a more diverse array of sonic influences. This work comes from a love and appreciation of Jazz, Kosmiche, Psychedelic, and New Age musics. And while one can hear those touchstones, these pieces still manage to sound like no other work besides the endeavors of Steve Targo. These tracks diverge from those on “Universal Compassion” in that they are much looser and less cyclical. They have a meandering and dynamic quality that is enhanced by their duration, allowing the listener to settle in and become absorbed in these meditations and freak outs. The album opens with the relatively mellow ebbs and flows of “Radical Expansions of Love”, setting the scene and inviting us into the space: an ever-growing fanfare of percussion playing call and response with spaced out synth melodies. “Peace Rock I” takes us to the other end of the spectrum with an insistent groove, layers of weaving synths, and a constant shimmer of bells, which all cohere into an ecstatic blend. “Peace Rock II” finds itself resting upon more relaxed rhythms with adventurous interpretations of repeating melodic figures, bending and warping around the beat for a hazy ride. “Nan Midol” closes the album with fiery drumming that steadily calms into a more sedate rhythm against an assemblage of interlocking synth lines to gently guide us to the conclusion of the journey.

Nimbudala - “Peace Rock”

“Peace Rock” is Steve Targo’s second outing as Nimbudala, following last year’s “Universal Compassion”. He carries on with the intentions that inspired the Nimbudala project: looking less towards the natural world and more toward the human experience, widening the instrumental palette, and embracing a more diverse array of sonic influences. This work comes from a love and appreciation of Jazz, Kosmiche, Psychedelic, and New Age musics. And while one can hear those touchstones, these pieces still manage to sound like no other work besides the endeavors of Steve Targo. These tracks diverge from those on “Universal Compassion” in that they are much looser and less cyclical. They have a meandering and dynamic quality that is enhanced by their duration, allowing the listener to settle in and become absorbed in these meditations and freak outs. The album opens with the relatively mellow ebbs and flows of “Radical Expansions of Love”, setting the scene and inviting us into the space: an ever-growing fanfare of percussion playing call and response with spaced out synth melodies. “Peace Rock I” takes us to the other end of the spectrum with an insistent groove, layers of weaving synths, and a constant shimmer of bells, which all cohere into an ecstatic blend. “Peace Rock II” finds itself resting upon more relaxed rhythms with adventurous interpretations of repeating melodic figures, bending and warping around the beat for a hazy ride. “Nan Midol” closes the album with fiery drumming that steadily calms into a more sedate rhythm against an assemblage of interlocking synth lines to gently guide us to the conclusion of the journey. creditsreleased September 23, 2022 All music by Steve Targo. Artwork by Sean Conrad.

Album artwork and cassette layout for “Peace Rock” by Nimbudala (Inner Islands, 2022)

Nimbudala is the work of Steve Targo. He recently released Universal Compassion on Inner Islands on October 22nd on cassette and digital formats. The album is available from our Bandcamp page.

Album artwork and cassette layout for “Universal Compassion” by Nimbudala (Inner Islands, 2021)

"Universal Compassion" is Steve Targo’s first offering under the name of Nimbudala. A composite of “nimbu” — lemon in English — and “mandala,” Targo says lemons have cleansing properties and can be healthy. “A mandala can represent a spiritual journey. Why I chose to put those two words together I leave for you to decide.” Targo previously recorded as Inner Travels, establishing a discography of 16 releases under that banner since 2014. He notes on the change, “despite the similarities [between the projects] this is not Inner Travels music. I hear a more communal sound in Nimbudala. The music of Inner Travels came from a more solitary place.” Indeed, it is easy to notice some of the same touchstones in the sound, from the uniquely melodic yet sprawling synthscapes, to the openhearted tone of the compositions. But Nimbudala takes some decidedly different approaches, roping in a wider variety of inspirations from jazz to folk and psychedelia, to Indian classical and beyond. The pieces on "Universal Compassion" utilize an expanded palette of sounds, including flutes, drums, xylophone, kalimba, and singing bowls in addition to Targo’s impressive collection of keyboards and synthesizers. It’s easy to feel this work as having a more collectivist and humanist spirit. Targo reflects, “I have and will always find artistic inspiration in nature, but now I am looking more toward the human spirit and beyond the electronic for sounds that bring peace.” The album took over four years to complete. On that process, Targo says, “A lot happened in that span of time — personally, spiritually, artistically. A lot of that time was spent simply listening to the music & living with it. These songs demanded careful consideration. I had to help them grow.” And thanks to that long period of maturation, we are gifted with one of Targo’s strongest collections to date and the promise of more sounds on this new path.

Pre-orders are now available. Albums are officially out on October 22!