Laraaji, an Icon of Ambient and New Age Music, Brings His Sounds to the Production Music Universe

New age Icon, Laraaji

For Edward Larry Gordon of Philadelphia, the transformation began in Washington Square Park in New York City's Greenwich Village in the late 1970s. He recently got into Eastern mysticism and mastered using several ethnic Asian instruments, like the zither, which he started playing in the park whenever he was free. One day, as he was improvising on the instrument and creating astonishing ambient sounds, he intrigued one audience member, who also happened to be a master of ambient music: Brian Eno. 

Eno had released two critically acclaimed ambient albums, Music for Airports and The Plateaux of Mirror, and now he wanted the sounds created by this busker to be part of the third installment, Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, which would be released in 1980. It was on this album that Edward Larry Gordon changed his name to "Laraaji," a name that went on to become one of the giants of meditative music. 

Laraaji released over seventy recordings throughout the years, and now, for the first time, his music is available for sync licensing through APM Music with the release of "Lucid Dreaming," a five-track EP released by Shape, a sub-label of the London-based music library FOLD. 

"Lucid Dreaming" contains some of Laraaji's best work to date. Highlights include "Adrift Glowing," Sky Visitor," and "Floating Timeless," tracks that highlight his genius in mixing various organic instruments like harp, mbira, and zither with hypnotic electronic drones and dreamy synth pads to create music that elevates the mind and spirit to limitless space. 

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Listen to Laraaji's "Lucid Dreaming" EP. 

More About Laraaji 

Laraaji (Gordon) studied music at Howard University and majored in piano and composition. He moved to New York City and tried a career in stand-up comedy. He also played keyboards for the Jazz-Rock group called Winds of Change. The exposure he received from the project with Brian Eno established him as a proponent of ambient music. 

In 2022, he established the Laughter Meditation Workshops, where he teaches about the interconnectedness of music, meditation, and laughter through fifteen-minute exercises accompanied by his trademark sounds. He recently collaborated with Grace Wales-Bonner in her performative exhibition entitled Devotional Sound alongside Solange Knowles. 

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Watch Laraaji's Tiny Desk Performance