Released: 21/06/2024
Originally recorded live in Berlin in 1975 and released by Kuckuck in 1982, Beacon Sound reissued the album in 2016 to widespread acclaim. Remastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri in 2016.
Using just intonation and a modified organ, Riley conjures forth a rich and layered sound that challenges the Western ear, reflecting his associations with Indian classical singer Pandit Pran Nath and La Monte Young, whose 'Well Tuned Piano' was well underway. 'Descending Moonshine Dervishes' is a virtuosic and kaleidoscopic performance, standing as one of the finest works of a revolutionary composer and musician at the height of his powers.
"'Descending Moonshine Dervishes' dates from 1975 and it belongs to a larger Dervish series of compositions whose origins predate Riley’s two signature works of minimalism, 'In C' (1968) and 'A Rainbow In Curved Air' (1969)… (the piece is) structured around just intonation, which stretches the listening experience into new areas. Played on a Yamaha organ with a bit of tape delay that allows Riley to duet with himself, the music of 'Descending Moonshine Dervishes' is an ear expansion that goes through skittering arpeggios and long, droning notes that indicate something of the many levels that it operates on."
– Louise Gray, The Wire Magazine (2017).