SUBTLE MOVEMENTS by SURYA BOTOFASINA / NATE MERCEREAU /CARLOS NINO

This Trio is very Californian, even though Surya is based on the East Coast . . .We swim together in the Pacific Ocean, Vibing, bonding, talking, listening, riding the Waves . . .as often as we can. -Carlos Niño

Together these three adventurously creative Musical Artists have played in Portland, Oregon, Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, London, England, Amsterdam and Zaandam, NL, Köln, Germany, San Diego and Ojai, California, and many times throughout Los Angeles County, since February 2022. They first came together in July 2021 at the Glendale, California Home Recording Studio of Jesse Peterson and Mia Doi Todd.

Nate was invited by Carlos to meet Surya and to possibly play. No specific plans were set other than to explore with Surya. (Multi-Reedsman Randal Fisher was also there.) That Session turned out to be Day 1 of what became Surya's debut album Everyone's Children released by Spiritmuse Records on November 4, 2022. Suyra and Nate were both featured extensively on the Carlos Niño & Friends album (I'm just) Chillin', on Fire released by International Anthem on September 15, 2023, though not together on any of the same pieces.

The first in-depth representation of the Trio was in collaboration with André 3000 on his album New Blue Sun released by Epic Records on November 17, 2023, where they are featured as co-writers and co-creators of 5 of the 8 album pieces. Niño also Produced that album in collaboration with André. Nate enthusiastically took it upon himself to be the Trio's Archivist and would get to Mixing and playlisting the group's recordings as soon as he received them from Live and Studio recordists. He took the lead on Producing and Mixing this album, Subtle Movements.

His unique perspectives, thoughts, feelings and intense heart energy went into telling the story of how these pieces, recorded in different settings, with a wide range of gear, by an array of characters, all flow together. "It is a blessed opportunity and Cosmic Gift to be at the keyboards with Nate and Carlos," Surya gleams. "In appearance, I play a few keyboards at a time: a MIDI controller that I use in tandem with music studio software, my absolute FAVORITE analog sensibility synth Roland SH-201 (although it is digital), and typically another 88key board (the Roland SV-1).

If there is a piano available, I will also use that with us for a total of 4 keyboards at my station, (that my cousin Georgia Anne Muldrow has forever deemed “Praise Console no.3”), Surya enthuses. "My instruments and sound are the last thing I consider about this Trio. For me, it is about us as human beings first; as members of our respective families and soul tribes before anything else. I think whatever sound that comes forth is a result of that inner connected soul conversation. That, at least in my view, is the Sound."

"I play guitar, guitar synthesizer, and midi-guitar sampler," writes Nate Mercereau of his Instruments on Subtle Movements. "In addition to my main GR300 guitar synthesizer sound, I am sampling the band live as we perform and using the sound . . .It takes many different shapes, but I am often playing something like the sound of Carlos's percussion from 30 seconds earlier in a new key and tempo, or as a chord — or a quick slice of a pad from Surya’s keyboard pitched down into sub frequencies, anything can happen," Nate details.

"I live-sample and expand, magnify, permutate, repeat, live-remix, live-edit, and reframe moments of our sound within our sound while it's happening. Worlds Within Worlds and Worlds Upon Worlds, Currents Within Currents. I also use previously recorded and created samples from my library in this context, allowing my guitar to be anything." Nate also offers: "I consider what I do in this trio to be a part of and extension of the greater sound of this group, which is often oceanic (which represents everything to me), waves, it's full communication. Love and support in sonic form. Going beyond together in all ways."

Carlos Niño plays everything that you hear in the Aerophone, Drum, Percussion and Plant realms . . . He was the group's "Connector" and its first advocate. Depending on who received and accepted the opportunity to present the Trio their names have appeared in different orders. Hear, on Subtle Movements the order is Alphabetical by last name: Botofasina, Mercereau, Niño

"In the spirit of expansive expression; deep connection to the Sea as it furthers the Sound. The rumination of consideration put forth thru a profound triumvirate of Beings, Fathers, Sons, Family Members, Loved Ones. The Most Powerful Movements of Love are Subtle. They are sublime. They are felt before and after any note is played by the three of us. We are supportive of each other as people, in the true spirit of a Trio. Equilateral in the degrees of consideration towards each portion of our human experience. Every Subtle Movement evolving towards the places beyond Spaces." Peace and joy,

-Surya Botofasina (taken from the album liner notes)

P.S. When asked the question: What are some of your greatest Inspirations Musical and non-Musical, from early in your life to now?

Suyra wrote,

My greatest musical inspirations are Swamini Turiyasangitananda, and my mother Radha Botofasina. It truly begins with the Mother, and Divine Mother. Due to the joy of the glory years in 90s hip-hop and R&B, I am also a huge fan and student of Jodeci and their region/creative branches the music they created. Being a native Californian, I was absolutely beholden my everything Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Snoop, 2Pac, DJ Quik, and many more of the contemporaries of theirs. However, my expansion of the music forever changed when I first heard ATLiens, and then Aquemini. I have listened to different songs from those two albums every week of my life for the last 27 years.

All of this truly goes back to Sri Gurudev John Coltrane and Swamini. It is A Love Supreme that is the definitive album of my lifetime (that is not from my own mother's extensive catalog). A Love Supreme told me that anything is possible. However, I did not find that album until my teens.

The biggest influence I will ever musically have, is the chanting on Sai Anantam Ashram that Swamini led on a weekly (sometimes more) basis. There is no sound that will ever compare to Her organ and the exalted chanting She was allowed to lead us in. The more I have tried to describe it, the less able I have been to truly put words on the feeling, emotion, shakti, and any verbal language forth to convey what it was.

My non-musical influences are thru my sports heroes (my affinity for my Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, are a known easy conversation starter for me no matter the mood I am in.)

Nate wrote,

Some of my greatest interest and inspiration in music in the beginning of my life was about being immersed in a world — surprised, awestruck, and totally energized by the power of sound. Once I started really searching for more music, I loved hearing things where I didn't know what was going to happen next. I still do. That's been a thread through all of the music that inspires me through life -- a feeling that anything could happen at any moment. It's also how I feel most alive in general, when I'm tapped into that reality in the most present way possible. A reminder that anything is possible at all times.

Carlos wrote,

Everything is Everything and I feel deeply the Inspiration, its Life, its living, Life is very alive . . . Our whole lives in a moment, eternally now. Everything that we think, feel, imagine, have encoded, it's all happening. Stilnesses, contemplations, memories, blisses, raptures, Love, inonforwithof all levels of our experience and consciousness, it's all humming, spinning, buzzzing, vibrating, swirling . . . In this life I feel most drawn to the work and example of these Magical Beings: Iasos, Laraaji, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, Adam Rudolph, Luis Peréz Ixoneztli, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Trees, Oceans, Waters, the Planet Earth, Stars, Albert Ayler, John Tchicai, Paul Horn, Instruments, my Family, Friends, Guides, Visions . . . __

Surya Botofasina - Keyboard Synthesizers, Piano, Vocals, "Praise Console no. 3" Nate Mercereau - Guitar Synthesizer, Midi-Guitar Sampler, Additional Instrumentation on ‘Exploration (Sincerely)’

Carlos Niño - Bells, Chimes, Cymbals, Drums, Gongs, Percussion, Plants, Voice, Whistles . . .

Produced and Mixed by Nate Mercereau

Mastered by Kevin Marques Moo aka Daddy Kev

All songs composed in the moment by Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau and Carlos Niño

Cover photograph Grace Oh

Graphic design Jordan Rundle