Between Two Skies | Towards the Night

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Ilyas Ahmed is incredible. Born in Pakistan and raised in New Jersey, he now plies his trade in Portland, Oregon. Between Two Skies and Towards The Night is where it all began. Released in criminally limited editions of 50 copies each, both albums are now fully remastered by Pete Swanson and repackaged in beautiful gatefold jackets from Stumptown Printers. Also included are extended liner notes from David Keenan. I think he sums up both these albums best: 'Call it abandon, a facility for letting go, for moving on; either way Ahmed's music is *gone*. And all we have are the recordings, scattered notes to prove that he once existed and felt it all as deeply and miraculously as any of us. And right now, from where I'm calling from, I wouldn't ask for anything more.' Ahmed's original voice is a welcome addition to an oversaturated aural world. He has gone on to put out numerous self-released CD-Rs as well as a new CD/LP on Time-Lag. But in the beginning there were these. What Between Two Skies and Towards The Night make crystal clear is that his vision and his voice were there from the very beginning.