In the very beginning, 6 million square miles of rain forests exist worldwide but because of relatively recent deforestation, only 2.6 million square miles remain. What is really alarming is that this major deforestation took place within the past 50 years. It is estimated that over  85 % of the species of animals, plants, and microorganisms now remaining in these vital ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020, with increasing timber losses of 56,000 square miles each year.

Oscar Aguayo is the musician with the artist title of Australis. Oscar is one among many persons who has first hand knowledge and shares this environmental concern about the rain forests, having been born and raised in a tropical rain forest region of the Amazonian Basin in Peru, South America. While Oscar presently resides in America, his 2005 electronic album Lifegiving makes reference to this complex political and social question involving our rain forests around the world.

Australis first album Lifegiving is a New Age music endeavor that steps into a lush undergrowth in the mysterious sub-genre land of Ambient, World, Electronica, and Classical, with Ethnic music pathways.

The electronic music of Australis finds deep emotional expression, where each discovery blends into an intricate canopy filled with rich colorful instrumentation. The 10 songs on Lifegiving which represent his personal insight, are portrayed on this album using careful craftsmanship that in turn introduces a strong emotive content that exists beyond any cultural, political, or geographical limitations.

This unique excursion begins with the title song Lifegiving, where faint chirping of jungle soundscapes ascend slowly into the lush surroundings. The single key piano notes then sketch an image of dew drops from the jungle canopy, falling onto dense tropical vegetation below. The deep recesses of secluded terrain are soon lit by violin and string interlude that together emerge to install thoughts of dusk like visibility. While glancing upward, small fragments of sun beams penetrate the full tree tops above, changing your perspective on the time of day. Slowly as the song starts to fade, total darkness begins to descend around you, bringing with it soft audible animal chants while they return to their nightly song ritual.

The Enchantment is a song rich in orchestral diversity with lively strings and woodwinds engaging in a native dance full of tempo and key changes that both excite and captivate those who have entered this mysterious land of musical enchantment.

Sacred Earth is an upbeat Ethnic song that explores the inner boundaries of this earthly sanctuary largely responsible for our life giving resources of medicine, water and air that we breath. While woodwind, flute, and piano play a colorful fragrant harmony, exotic instruments lend their perspective sovereignty, giving this song a unique essence. The bongo drums, woodblock, and abundant percussion claves enhance this song by an indirect border, giving it a deep tribal influence without overriding the primary melody.

Oscar Aguayo’s brother Alvaro lends his talent by playing an exotic 10 string Charango in this song, adding refinement and warmth to the experience. The song ends by fading into a soft forest rainfall, leaving you with a collective memory of your musical excursion filled with creativity and interest on this album, and our life giving rain forests worth saving.

In a conservative estimate, over 6000 life giving trees in our rain forests around the world were lost during the short amount of time it took you to read my Lifegiving album review.

An interview with Oscar Aguayo of Australis will be published soon, so that you may get the facts behind this amazing artist. You may read about the latest Australis album – The Gates of Reality review and visit AustralisMusic.com. Sample the album at  CDBaby. Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – gtrmtt84.

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