Bali Agung and the Balinese Sessions of Eberhard Schöner

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Eberhard Schöner is a German composer and electronic music pioneer known for blending classical traditions with synthesizers. In the mid 1970s he traveled to Bali, where he met dancer and musician Anak Agung Raka of the Saba and Pinda gamelan tradition. He was drawn to what he called “empirical music.”

Schöner spent weeks in Bali at the Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur with his Moog synthesiser and recording gear. He worked with traditional Balinese gamelan musicians including metallophones, gongs, and drums. He also collaborated with Western players including drummer Pete York.

Bali Agung is an immersive meeting of two musical worlds. Traditional Balinese gamelan and chanting sit alongside Moog synths, Mellotron flutes, and live percussion. The flow feels hypnotic and unpredictable. Some moments surge with drum kit energy and spacey electronics. Others settle into low droning pulses that form a proto Fourth World sound.

The album is not dense in ideas, but it is rich in atmosphere and mood. It is a rare blend of world music, electronic experimentation, and meditative trance.

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