John Flomer's Primal Cinema

New Age composer and self-described "visual musician" John Flomer was born and raised in New York City, picking up his first instrument -- the accordion -- to teach himself themes from films like Exodus, King of Kings, and Never on Sunday. After his family relocated to Minnesota, Flomer and his brother Robert each began playing guitar, influenced primarily by the Ventures; during the early 1970s, the siblings joined forces in the band U.S. Pipe, later rechristened Archangel. Increasingly disenchanted with rock & roll, however, in 1981 Flomer sold all of his guitars, bought a synthesizer, and began writing music in conjunction with the video projects he mounted as a student in the Minneapolis College of Art & Design's media arts program, again drawing inspiration from the film scores he loved as a child. He finally turned away from multimedia pursuits to return to music full-time in 1989, releasing his debut solo album One in 1991. Ocean Dragons followed a year later, and -- now supported by backing ensemble Primal Cinema -- Flomer returned in 1996 with Mysterious Motions of Memory, his first release for new label Spotted Peccary. Night in the Vapor Jungle appeared three years later. ~ Jason Ankeny