David Arkenstone
David Arkenstone |
|---|
David Arkenstone is an American New Age musician. His music is primarily instrumental, with occasional vocalizations. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 1 1952 and is married to Diane Arkenstone, who is also a musician. They have three children - Quillon, Dashiell and Valinor.[1]
Biography
After moving from Chicago to California at the age of ten[2], he was involved in various high school bands playing guitars and keyboards, whilst also playing baseball in his spare time. He studied music in college and started a progressive rock band named after himself, but he soon discovered the music of Kitaro and was influenced by it. Arkenstone was influenced by writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming, and grew up listening to bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Deep Purple and Yes, as well as listening to classical music.[1]
Arkenstone went solo and found his own sound in New Age music. Arkenstone says that has been greatly aided by technology: "Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them."[3] His music is primarily instrumental. His albums, often fantasy themed, often come packaged with literature and art. He worked with science fiction writer Mercedes Lackey on a few of his albums.[4] Arkenstone and his wife, Diane, created their own record label called Neo Pacifica. In addition to releasing their own music on the label, they have included other bands such as Earth Trybe, Enaid, and the Marquis Ensemble.[1]
He has also composed music for television; channels such as the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and NBC Sports include his music. He has also written music for trailers and some of his works were used as film soundtracks. His music also features on computer games such as World of Warcraft, Lands of Lore 2 and 3, Blade Runner and Emperor: Battle for Dune; he also features on 20 Years of Narada Piano. He also wrote the original score for the independent film PRISM.[5]
Arkenstone earned three Grammy nominations for his work: In the Wake of the Wind in 1992[6], Citizen of the World in 2000[7], and Atlantis in 2004.[8]
Arkenstone has learned to play a large variety of musical instruments including the bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, harp, cello, flute, electronic keyboards, piano, Turkish saz, pennywhistle, melodica and pan pipes. He also plays drums percussion and has performed some vocalizations on his albums.[1]
Arkenstone is also involved in the band Troika; their sound is similar to his solo work. The band members like to remain anonymous, although the compositions are credited to Arkenstone.
Discography
| Album | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Valley in the Clouds | 1987 | Narada |
| Island (with Andrew White) | 1989 | Narada |
| Citizen of Time | 1990 | Narada |
| In the Wake of the Wind | 1991 | Narada |
| The Spirit of Olympia (with Kostia) | 1992 | Narada |
| Robot Wars | 1993 | Moonstone |
| Another Star in the Sky | 1994 | Narada |
| Quest of the Dream Warrior | 1995 | Narada |
| Return of the Guardians | October 1996 | Narada |
| Convergence (with David Lanz) | November 1996 | Narada |
| Spirit Wind | March 1997 | Windham Hill |
| Enchantment: A Magical Christmas | September 1997 | Narada |
| The Celtic Book of Days | 1998 | Windham Hill |
| Citizen of the World (album) | 1999 | Windham Hill |
| Caravan of Light | 2000 | Narada |
| Frontier | January 2001 | Paras Recording |
| Music Inspired by Middle Earth | 2001 | Neo Pacifica Recordings |
| Spirit of Tibet: A Musical Odyssey | June 2002 | Green Hill Productions |
| Sketches from an American Journey | June 2002 | Paras Recording |
| Spirit of Ireland | January 2003 | Green Hill Productions |
| Christmas Pan Pipes | March 2003 | Green Hill Productions |
| Oddysea....A Musical Voyage | May 2003 | Neo Pacifica Recordings |
| Spirit of the Rain Forest | July 2003 | Green Hill Productions |
| African Skies (with Diane Arkenstone) | August 2003 | Neo Pacifica Recordings |
| Christmas Spirit | November 2003 | Village Square |
| Echoes of Egypt (with Diane Arkenstone) | February 2004 | Neo Pacifica Recordings |
| Caribbean Dreams | May 2004 | Village Square |
| Atlantis: A Symphonic Journey | September 2004 | Narada Records |
| Myths & Legends | May 2007 | Gemini Sun Records |
| Avalon - A Celtic Legend | February 19, 2002 | Paras Group International |
| Echoes of Light and Shadow | June 24, 2008 | Gemini Sun Records |
| Christmas Lounge | October 28, 2008[9] | Green Hill |
Troika series
| Album | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Goddess (album) | 1996 | Narada |
| Troika II: Dream Palace | 1997 | Narada |
| Faeries: A Realm of Magic and Enchantment | 1999 | Narada |
| Shaman (Troika album) | 2000 | Narada |
| Kingdom of the Sun (album) | 2003 | Narada |
Compilation albums
| Album | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Chronicles | 1993 | Narada |
| Eternal Champion | 1998 | Narada |
| Visionary | 2002 | Narada |
| Best of David Arkenstone | 2005 | Narada |
References
- ^ a b c d "David Arkenstone Biography". Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ "Ambient Visions Presents an Interview with David Arkenstone". Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ "About David Arkenstone". Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ "Mercedes Lackey - The Official Website". Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ "PRISM BLOG: Setting the tone". 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Other Grammy Nominees". LA Times. 1992-01-10. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Nominees for the Grammy Awards". SFGate. 2000-01-05. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Grammys edge toward hipness". Journal Sentinel. 2004-12-07. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "allmusic - christmas lounge". 2008-11-02. Retrieved 2008-11-02.