Michael Allison (August 7, 1958 – January 9, 2020), who recorded under the name Darshan Ambient, was an American musician and vocalist known for his

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

Life and career

Allison attended

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

, and in his mid-teens became lead singer of a rock band, Brimstone. He then joined another band, Skyway, as bass player, and toured widely with them in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

and the South. When he was 18, he met musician Naux (Juan Maciel), who introduced him to the teachings of

Paramahansa Yogananda Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellows ...

. Allison later said that: "From that time on, musically, everything I wrote was geared towards a form of

Self-Realization Self-realization is an expression used in Western psychology, philosophy, and spirituality; and in Indian religions. In the Western understanding, it is the "fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality" (see ...

. It became cathartic for me to make music that actually produced something positive in people." With Naux, Allison played in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, in bands such as

Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady ...

's Zero Cool,

Richard Hell and the Voidoids Richard Hell and the Voidoids were an American punk rock band, formed in New York City in 1976 and fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television (band), Television and the Heartbreakers. History Kentucky-born Richard He ...

, and China Shop. In 1984, he formed his own band, Empty House, who played at

CBGB's CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

, TRAX, and the Pyramid Club, where they became the regular house band. "A Day Within Days: AV Talks with Michael Allison aka Darshan Ambient", ''Ambient Visions'', 2010
Retrieved 23 January 2020 Allison left New York in 1987 and moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, where – influenced by musicians such as

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

and

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flor ...

– he began to make ambient electronic music independently of major record labels. Using the name Darshan, from a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word meaning "divine vision", and later adding the word "Ambient" to distinguish his music from that of an existing band called Darshan, he started to record and release his own music in 1992. His albums included ''Providence'' (2002), ''The Zen Master’s Diary'' (2002), ''Autumn’s Apple'' (2004), ''From Pale Hands To Weary Skies'' (2008), ''A Day Within Days'' (2010), and ''Dream In Blue'' (2011). His music was used in several films, documentaries, and commercials. He joined the Lotuspike label in 2004, and Spotted Peccary Music in 2008, releasing a total of 14 albums with the labels over that period. A compilation of his work, ''Re: Karma'', was released in 2005. His 2008 album ''From Pale Hands To Weary Skies'' won Best Ambient Album at the 2008 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards.ZMR, "2008 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards"
Retrieved 23 January 2020 His final album, ''A Day Like Any Other'', was released in January 2020. Allison died in 2020, aged 61, from cancer.
Retrieved 23 January 2020 "Spotted Peccary Music and Fans Mourn the Passing of Michael Allison aka Darshan Ambient", ''Skopemag'', January 14, 2020
Retrieved 23 January 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Michael 1958 births 2020 deaths Ambient musicians 21st-century American musicians Deaths from cancer in the United States