La Venus de la Pileta – Cave Recordings, Maxence des Oiseaux & Max Brumberg

Feel invited to join us on this sound-journey into the depths of the inner earth, where the nourishing qualities of stillness and the intimacy created by the darkness of the cave are a call to remember and honor our connection with the divine.

The Story of the Cave Recordings
In the early spring of 2015 Max Brumberg and Maxence des Oiseaux started a series of recordings in the famous Cueva de la Pileta in Andalucia. Guided by Tomas Bullon and Karmit Evenzur we entered the cave with a sentiment of deep humility.

Here we would not be musicians playing music, but individuals played by the music through our instruments of wood, bone and horn… Music in the moment, outside of time; the notes flowing in ceremony as the space awakens and memories flood our sight in the form of mental images.

The Pileta is a temple dedicated to, and with evident symbolism of, the Feminine: by way of the geothermic conditions which evoke the maternal womb; by pictorial representations of the vulval form; and most notably by the initial painting which greets us at the entrance of the cave: that of the Venus (our cover), one of the oldest of such paintings known in Europe.

There are strong indications of a connection between these paintings which decorate the cave and the acoustic properties brought to life there in the cave while playing music: Archeological research has found fragments of bones encrusted in stalagmitic accretions demonstrating that humans have long since beat upon these natural lithophones, utilizing this sanctuary for over 30,000 years to the purpose of auditory sensation.

...we were allowed to play them!

On this album we welcome you along on an evocative journey, a peaceful voyage beyond time to bring you to these memories of humanity.

The Pileta Cave is preserved by the Bullon Family, who have done us the honor of granting access to the sanctuary for these recordings.