“Capturing the natural world in its purest form, from babbling brooks to schools of flying insects, East Forest melds the natural world with the technological realm of looping and splicing and cutting. And he can do this all on the fly, pulling these gorgeous worlds out of thin air and painting this delicate masterpiece in front of your eyes with the flick of a switch or a masterful chord progression. Utilizing his own voice as an instrument, Trevor Oswalt balances the harshness of 1's and 0's in the electronic music sphere with light, serpentine loops of organic, buzzing, vibrant life. It's not just for the transformational set, either. East Forest has performed at the mainest of mainstream events, like Mysteryland, and even brought his marvel to the semi-corporate world of a TED talk in Bend, Oregon.” - Anand Harsh, The Untz
Trevor Oswalt, AKA East Forest creates electro-acoustic dreamscapes influenced by classical, electronic and avant pop backgrounds. His immersive live looping sessions span a range that leads people from deep introspection to sweaty dancefloors on stages and festivals internationally. Forging a deliberate balance between music as a sonic technology and its use as an instrument of healing, he harnesses the restorative power of sound of as a way of bridging the disconnect that's often felt between the frayed and weakened worlds of the spiritual and the physical. Called “magnificent” (Huffington Post) and “blissful” (NPR) his broad appeal is reflected from his touring with artists ranging from the deep electronic Bluetech to the heartlands American Idol’s, Crystal Bowersox, with performances from SXSW, Lightning In A Bottle to Grace Cathedral, and Gillette Stadium.
Taking his musical moniker, East Forest, from the German translation of his last name, Oswalt has created more than just an avenue for his musical endeavours -- he's carefully constructed an entire worldview that positions music, spirituality and natural experience in sharp relief to the all too common cluttered and stress filled lifestyle. With his work as an innovator within the fields of yoga, meditation and the healing arts, he has maneuvered his abilities as a musician to facilitate the integration and exploration of mind, body and soul through the "technology" of his aural compositions, aiming to build extraordinary holistic experiences that engender personal change. He regularly collaborates with a number of internationally recognized teachers such as, Elena Brower, and creates commissions for luminaries including Deepak Chopra.
An eerie “double” bicycle accident that badly broke Oswalt’s left arm threatened to end his career — he had seriously broken the exact same two bones as in a prior accident five years earlier — the mishap catalyzed a winding quest for recovery that took him around the world. Orbits, the 7th full length release from East Forest, is a musical healing salve for a world gone “busy”. The fluid mix of downtempo beats, inspiring melodies, chamber-esque strings, and original field recordings from around the globe all combine to form a musical voyage that invites presence, patience, and inner peace. The album took shape after the A-wol dance company commissioned East Forest to compose the score for their 10th anniversary Art In The Dark aerial dance performance. The commission offered the opportunity for Oswalt to create a dynamic album of both new and old reworked and remixed material that synthesizes a musical catalogue spanning over seven years since the inception of the project. The resulting album, Orbits, is an aggregate of work that is both prescient and timeless, and reflects an evolution of artistic style and an adroitness of compositional skill sharpened through years of experimentation.
From his home base in the Pacific Northwest of Portland Oregon, and from his travels around the world, he's come to understand and explore a connection between sound and spiritual replenishment, between making healthy lifestyle choices and developing an emotional well-being. Each aspect of this philosophy finds Oswalt building a comprehensive guide for developing a sustained equilibrium with the world. His music is infused with diverse sounds which reflect an approach to life that prioritizes experience and harmony over consumption and conflict. Through this he offers listeners an internal doorway, in the words of Charles Eisenstein, to a more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible.
East Forest is offered as a gesture of cooperation and in the spirit of the gift.
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