This page is Michael's “fold-down mix” created in 2012 from the 35mm 6 track surround film master. As such, it is not a discrete stereo mix but a rebalancing of the 6 channel print master folded-down into stereo. It is not the original mix used for the 1985 CD and LP. It is here for Archival purposes, for those of you who like hearing all possible options.

🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶 🔺 🔶

A soundtrack tuned to the timescales and rhythms of human life on earth

In Greek mythology “Chronos” is the personification of time. On composer and electronic musical visionary Michael Stearns’ 1985 album, CHRONOS serves as the tempo of a cascade of celestial movements, terrestrial sonic luminance, and morphic electronic harmonies.

Composed as the soundtrack for the IMAX film by cinematographer Ron Fricke (previously of Koyaanisqatsi), these 8 tracks combine to form a continuous 43-minute pandimensional experience, a sensual sound voyage with stops throughout the ancient and modern worlds.

Scored as the film was shot, Stearns’ CHRONOS leads us through earthbound and aerial spaces, the long plains, the cosmos, the big cities and the tracing of the spiritual and corporeal lights which inform each movement. The symphonic and majestic main theme in “Corridors of Time” hints at vast spaces and soulful longing flowing with cosmic poetry. The track reaches a powerful crescendo resolving in ghostly atmospheres, driving escalator steps and whispered voices. It returns half an hour later weaving into the themes of the swelling incandescent tapestry of the final two movements.

════════════ ╰☆╮════════════
Stephen Hill, Hearts of Space:

Working seamlessly with director-cinematographer Ron Fricke, composer Michael Stearns embraced the roles of soundtrack producer, music supervisor, sound editor, and sound effects producer — effectively creating the sonic and emotional context for every scene in CHRONOS. This rare unity of music, sound, and image elevated the film from an unusual documentary to a classic work of art.

In the tumultuous years since the 1985 release of CHRONOS, it’s been easy to forget how innovative this film was. Its subject matter, motion-controlled time-lapse visuals, and powerful wordless soundtrack all broke new ground — redefining what was possible in the immersive / giant screen / surround sound format.
════════════ ╰☆╮════════════
Sylvain Lupari, Synth & Sequences:

One cannot be closer to the cosmos and life on earth than listening to CHRONOS, a deep cosmic symphony. That was (when) I realized that EM could definitely have a soul.
════════════ ╰☆╮════════════