Volume 8 in the ongoing FRKWYS series on RVNG Intl. is a double album-length collaboration between Blues Control and Laraaji. Following the 'fodder first' tradition of previous FRKWYS installments, Vol. 8 was birthed over e-mail dialogue between RVNG and Russ Waterhouse and Lea Cho of Blues Control. Blues Control's evolved output gracefully arcs with influence and innovation that gleams electronic, New Age, and hard rock terrains. Laraaji's name came up early in that conversation and felt intrinsic to Waterhouse and Cho's own musical calling. After learning various instruments in his formative years and studying composition at Howard University, Laraaji eventually found his musical conduit in an electronically-modified zither. Laraaji's 1979 album Celestial Vibration (recorded as Edward Larry Gordon) places the stringed instrument at the forefront on two side-length excursions in rhythmic ambiance. The 1980 album Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, produced by Brian Eno for his ambient record series, further documented Laraaji's zither explorations alongside Eno's soundscaping. Laraaji continues to pursue music both in its recorded form and as a healing tool. Over two album sides, the listener is transported from the urban sound garden of 'Awakening Day,' through the soulful yow of 'Light Ships,' into the texture bliss of 'City of Love,' and finally the reflective pool of 'Freeflow'. The first bonus track 'Somebody Scream' demonstrates Laraaji's dexterous zither-playing over thirty-five minutes of music, while the second, 'Astral Jam,' starts with a Wu-like beat (courtesy of Laraaji) and warps into a rolling snare trance." Includes a download code for the entire album, plus "almost an hour of bonus material.