Valley of the Sun
was established as a publishing company in the 1960s by Scottsdale, Arizona resident
Dick Sutphen
, who was referred to as America's leading past-life therapist. He started releasing self-hypnosis tapes during the 1970s, and by the beginning of the '80s, his imprint was also producing meditative, synthesizer-based music free of narration. The label was still active well into the 2010s, but its golden era was approximately 1977 to 1990, and
Numero
's
Valley of the Sun: Field Guide to Inner Harmony
focuses on this fertile period. The remarkably well-sequenced compilation is heavy on fade segues which make the transitions between tracks feel like portals to different zones.
David Naegele
's "Temple in the Forest" is a serene piece filled with romantic piano melodies set to a backdrop of babbling water and birdsong. One might expect the rest of the compilation to follow suit, but the mood changes up entirely with the next selection. "Sex Drive" by
Robert Slap
(a name that earns a ton of coolness points in 2022) and
Steve Powell
sets atmospheric new wave guitars to a racing triplet beat and eerie, whistling synths that would be more fitting for a song about extraterrestrials. Sure enough, another one of the
Slap
tunes on the collection is titled "UFO." The release ends up being far more beat-driven than one might expect at first, making it of equal interest to synthwave fans as well as new age devotees.
David Storrs
' self-explanatory "Aerobic Exercise Music (Driving Beat II)" could just as easily function as a perky soundtrack for a racing-themed video game, and it's practically begging to be mashed up with a hi-NRG club anthem. The same artist's "Channel for the Light (Part II)" is a mesmerizing meteor shower of interlocked sequences, and one of several tracks which make excellent usage of soothing synth arpeggios.
Steven Cooper
's "Crystal Garden I," with its chimes and melodic bells set to sparkling synth patterns, is one of the more relaxing pieces, and
's "Search for Utopia II" merges drifting guitar melodies with a
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
sort of vibe.
Gloria Thomas
(
B.J.
's wife) narrates a guided meditation about being one with God, and
Storrs
' truly pleasant "Sedona Sunrise" ends with an echo-enhanced hypnotist speech. The collection covers a broad range of stylistic ground, and for those who were unfamiliar with the label before listening to this release, it truly feels like stumbling into an undiscovered utopia. ~ Paul Simpson