Yoga Music Blog

"Epic" is a term that has become hyperbole for the most part lately. I hear it used so often and for things that aren't even close to "epic" that it has all but lost it's meaning to me.

It does, however, appear to be an entirely appropriate adjective for the Symbiosis Gathering that will be taking place in at Pyramid Lake in Nevada from May 17th - 22nd, 2012.

The first thing that caught my attention was the lineup. It's virtually a who's who of today's stellar performers in  electronic, world and other genres. I can't recall another festival that has come even close to gathering so many of the leading edge music creators in one venue.

Once I fully digested the depth of the Symbiosis lineup (see list below), then some of the other unique and very special aspects of the festival begin to make their way into my awareness, such as the location (Pyramid Lake) and the fact that an annular eclipse of the sun will take place from 5:14 pm - 7:36 pm on Sunday, May 20th.

The location for the event is on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribes' Reservation which is thirty five miles northeast of Reno, Nevada in a remote desert area. The Paiute hosts have opened up lands precious to them for the first time in over 25 years so that we may have an opportunity to participate and celebrate in the midst of this awesome celestial event.

Pyramid Lake covers 125,000 acres, making it one of the largest natural lakes in the state of Nevada. The scenery is spectacular, and the color of Pyramid Lake changes from shades of blue or gray, depending on the skies above. Pyramid Lake is also surrounded by unusual rock formations, including the Stone Mother. Pyramid Lake’s significant role in the history of the Paiute Indian tribe also adds to its mystique and many myths and tales surrounding it.

The path of the annular solar eclipse trails directly over the location for the festival, and special viewing glasses will be supplied to all attendees.

An annular solar eclipse will take place on May 20, 2012. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun, causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring), blocking most of the Sun's light. An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region thousands of kilometres wide.

I'm imagining myself being one of around 5,000 participants, eyes all to the skies, watching this natural spectacle taking place in the heavens above us.

The Symbiosis organization was founded on strong principles of environmental consciousness and ecological sustainability and each event has continued to advance this vision through the implementation of both time-tested and innovative eco-action initiatives. This vision is expressed clearly in a statement posted on the Web site.

THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION

We believe in the healing, transformative potential of intentional gatherings. We have dedicated our lives to facilitating these opportunities for collective evolution. This eclipse is the culmination of all we have learned along the way.

From the dark side of the moon, we are called to gather, to bring the unique gifts we have each been cultivating in order to enter together into this time of reckoning. Within this great shadow of the eclipse we have the opportunity to engage with our own shadows: personal, ancestral and cultural, and work together to transform these challenges into the blessings of a new day.

Symbiosis Gathering's origins were humble with a small (it's all relative) event held in the mountains of Santa Cruz, that included a diverse lineup of music, art, visuals, community vendors offering their creations, and a colorful array of attendees.

Over the years it has grown into one of the premier events of it's type in the world, whose stage design and atmospheric style (see pics) is copied by many, so much so, that Symbiosis Creations was formed to handle requests for atmospheres for other festivals and events.

People travel from all over the world to attend Symbiosis Gatherings. No matter where you are, you owe it to yourself to consider attending this year's Symbiosis Gathering At Pyramid Lake… it promises to be truly epic.

FEATURING

MUSIC
[a]pendics.shuffle - Adham Shaikh - Adrian Blackhurst - Aima the Dreamer w/ Jazz Mafia - Akara Project - An-Ten-Nae - Androcell - Antix - Austero - Barisone - Barrakuda - Barton - Bass Science - Beats Antique - Big Daddy Joe - Bird of Prey - Birds of Paradise - Birdseye - Bluetech - Bogl - Brass Menazeri - Brian Sentient - Campfire Songs w/ Micha & Leighton - Captain Hook - Cheb i Sabbah - Chlorophil - Christian Martin - Claude VonStroke - Craig Kuna - Cumulus - Damian Lazarus - Danny Corn - David Starfire - Delachaux - Desert Dwellers - Dials - Dickster - Diego's Umbrella - Digital Honey - Dirt Wire - DJ Dima - DJ Three - Dogon Lights - Dov - Dragonfly - Drez - Droog - Drumspyder - Dub Kirtan All Stars - Eenor's Mus Mezmer - El Circo - El Papa Chango - El Radio Fantastique - Elephant and Castle - Emancipator - Entheogenic - Fanna-Fi-Allah - Fiord - Foobz & Question - Fou Fou Ha! - FreQ Nasty - Fungineers - Galen & Solar - Gang Gang Dance - Gatto Matto - GAUDI - Gladkill - Govinda - Green Nuns of the Revolution - Headroom - Heavyweight Dub Champion - Hedflux - Heyoka - Hiatus - Hobotech - Hopscotch - ill Gates - J BOOGIE'S DUBTRONIC SCIENCE - J Phlip - James Blake - Jamie Janover - Jeff Stott - Jeno - Justin Martin - Kalya Scintilla - Kaminanda - Kasey Taylor - Klown Korps - Knowa Knowone - Kontrol SF - Liam Shy - Liberation Movement - Lila Rose - Little Dragon - Little John - LoCura - Love & Light - LowRiderZ - Lushbunny - LYNX - Lyrics Born - Mad Maxx - Majitope - Malarkey - Manny - Matt Xavier- Max Ulis - Mekkanikka - Merkaba - Metal Mother - Mikael Palner - Mikhal - Milosh - Minilogue - Moombahton Massive (Nadastrom & Sabo) - Mortar and Pestle - Mozaic - Mr. C - Mt Wolf - Nasty Ways (EPROM & Boreta) - NastyNasty - Natasha Kmeto - Nikita- Nikola Baytala - Of Porcelian - Omer - Oonaslim - OPIUO - Outersect - PaNTy RAiD - Paper Diamond - Perfect Stranger - Photek - Psynthetic - Pyronauts - Radio Devi - Random Rab - Rena Jones - Rigzin - Rupa & the April Fishes - Russ Liquid - Rustie - Salva - Sasha Rose - Satya Yuga Band! - Sebastian - Shawna - Shef - Shigeto - Shlohmo - Shotgun Wedding - Shovelman - Shura - SimonB - Smash & Grab - Son Kite - SORNE - Stellamara - Sufi Soul Electronica - Sun Control Species - Sun Monx - Sweet Anomaly - Symphonix - Terrakroma - Tetrameth - Thankyou City - The Dolomites - The Human Experience - The Tailor and the Sea - Thriftworks - Thugfucker - Thumbprint - Tinker - Tipper - Tony Inorbit - Tornado Rider - Treavor Moontribe - Trifonic - Tripswitch - Tron - Uone - Vagabond OPERA - Vajrasa - Vau de Vire Society - Vibesquad - Vitamin Devo - Welder - Who Cares - Willy Electronarcosis - Worthy - Yuli

WORKSHOPS
Ayah Buonaugurio - Bhairavi Devi - Bobby Page - Body Magicians - Cain Carroll - Craig Kohland- Deb Ruben - Eric Wallace - Johnathan Wolf - Juli Hell - KK Ledford - Kristi Parson - Lauren Dubois - Madeleina Buldoc - Marcela Castillo - Monique Trinity Rose - Nikelle Khan - Revital Carroll - Serena Scalione - Shifra Blumenthal - Sita Devi- Tahir Qawwal - Tenley Wallace - Tom Bright - Wren La Feet- Yoga Slakers - Yogi Prataedo

YOGA + MOVEMENT
Alina Konvissar - Amelia - Andrea Vecchione - Brock Dolman - Chief Golden Eagle - Chris Paine - Chris Reeve - Chris Richards - Claire Thompson - Darina Joy - David Miller - Dr. Dream - Drew Dellinger - Emily Kistner - FreQ Nasty - Harlan Emil Gruber - James Oroc - James Stark - Jamie Janover Jeffrey Kroop - John Major Jenkins - Karl Baba Bralich - Katrina Zavalney - Kerry Brady - Kim Marks - Lux Moderna Mandrella Wood - Manu Butterworth - Marcia Lopez - Mia Rose Muse Amoon - Dr. Newton Konvadetti - Nolan Hapeman - Parul Devi - Raymond Naeyaert - Shifra Blumenthal - Soluntra King Starhawk - Tati Alberto - Tim Granzotti - Verdarluz - Wahkeena Sitka

Photos courtesy of Manifest Media, Luiza Leite Photography and Coil Lighting

I was watching Living in the Material World, the Martin Scorsese HBO documentary on George Harrison the other night, and it reminded me how strongly I responded to the sitar when I first heard it on the early Beatles tune, Norwegian Wood. (And George Harrison didn't even really know how to play the sitar at that point) There was an instant knowingness that there was something special about this instrument, and also something that seemed to resonate out of a deep inner recognition. It was new to me, yet there was something timeless there as well.

If I was given the opportunity to choose my musical path over again, the sitar would be my first instrument of choice, followed by the sarod.

I recently became aware of someone who was able to change musical paths, and take up the sitar, after starting as a singer songwriter and guitarist. His name is Prosad (pronounded pro-sahd), and we talked recently about his musical journey and the passion he brings to both classical and what he calls trance sitar music.

Prosad has recorded classical sitar ragas on his 2006 album Mystical Sitar, but it's the Trance Sitar world fusion album that got my attention. Prosad's sitar on this album is downright tasty, melodic and heartful. I appreciate artists who are confident enough realize that it's not how many notes they play, or how fast, but that playing the right notes in the right timing are what makes for music that can speak to the soul. (Prosad's musical sensibilities remind me a lot of the Yoga music created by Chinmaya Dunster, a long time favorite of the Yoga Music Blog.)

Tance Sitar is full of great music for Yoga, dance, movement and just listening to as you go about your day. It ranges from the downtempo (but lively) Byron Bay to more danceable, tracks such as my favorites, Om Namah Shivaya and Jungle Sitar, but all the tracks maintain a coherant musicality and heart.

Prosad was a guitarist in high school and college rock bands that toured Canada. Little did he know when he was given a sitar in 2001 that it would alter his musical direction in such a huge way.

He was instantly attracted to the hypnotic sound of the sitar and began to study faithfully. At first he believed it would remain a hobby, but as time went on it became clear that he had an affinity for sitar and people began to take notice when he played.

Prosad’s first sitar teacher was Shambhu Das, a life long student of Ravi Shankar. "It was an amazing experience to study with Mr. Das as he had taught sitar to George Harrison while the Beatles were in India in the late 1960’s," he said. Prosad later went on to study classical sitar with the great sitarist Ustad Irshad Khan.

Currently Prosad is studying Indian music with Alam Khan, son of the legendary Ali Akbar Khan Sahib. He is also studying how music can affect consciousness and aid in meditation with his spiritual teacher, Maestro Tulshi Sen. He is now seeking to create music that will not be only for the purpose of entertainment, but will also uplift and raise the consciousness of the listener.

I spoke to Prosad recently from his studio in Toronto, Canada.

Bram: Thanks for taking the time to speak to the Yoga Music Blog. Tell us a little about the upcoming album. (release date is December 2011)

Prosad: I'm really excited about the new album. It will be more upbeat, more dancy, with a world music/reggae influence... a lot more vocals and a lot more song driven.

I think the difference between my music and some electronic artists is that I play almost all of the instruments myself. So the only things that are electronic are the samples and some of the beats. Real tamboura, real sitar, real didgeridoo, and vocals.

Bram: What do you mean by song driven?

Prosad: If I have a theme, or a motif, or some feeling in my heart that I'm trying to express, and instead of grabbing some random samples that repeat and sound good together, I'm actually writing melodies and choosing instruments based on getting across a message or a theme… it's a feeling that I have in my heart rather than just trying to be clever putting cool samples together.

Bram: How will this differ from say, your Trance Sitar release?

Prosad: This will take everything I've been studying for the last 15 years of my life and make it into one unique sound.

I think with this album I've captured the sound that I've wanted to find. I think every musician throughout their life is always searching for their [unique] sound. And I feel like that with this album I've found it.

Bram: You mentioned earlier that the study of the Sitar is spiritual for you, are you able to put that into words?

Prosad: Indian music is an incredibly spiritual pursuit. One of the quotes on your Homore page, I loved it, you say that music itself is a form of Yoga for Indian musicians, and it's a form of Sahdana where they try to become one with the vibration of music. Doing the sahdana of music is completely and totally a form of Yoga. They say nada brahma… sound is God, sound is the creator.

The purpose of meditation is a way to quiet the thoughts of the mind, and Nirvana actually means "no wave," so there's no wave in your mind.

When you're studying these ancient ragas that have been passed down for hundreds of years, and really the origin of the music is three thousand years old, from Vedic times… and it's been passed from master to master to master for three thousand years, you're not only playing the music, but you're actually, in a way, tuning into the thoughts of all of those masters.

Because the tradition is oral/aural they never wrote it down. So each master had to memorize the music, internalize it, make it part of his being, and then transfer that music to his disciples, who would then internalize it, become a master and transfer it to the next generation.

So when your'e playing these compositions that are sometimes 500 years old, and the actual music itself is three thousand years old, you're inheriting not only the music, but the vibration of the master that held that music. Every master that held it and passed it on is passing some of his essence along to you through those melodies. And if you practice long enough and hard enough, you can imbibe that spiritual aspect into your own being.

Ultimately, they say that you can't have music without silence, and if you follow the note as it fades into the drone you actually follow it into the silence, and when you go deep enough into music you reach silence, and silence is God. It's the same place that you can reach when you meditate. So the fact that Indian music is a spiritual path, a sahdana is absolutely true.

* * * *

Give a listen to Prosad's music, including his newest release, Infinite Ocean, which is more of an ambient, meditative kind of experience with Prosad on bansuri. It's excellent World Fusion that would find a welcome place in anyone's Yoga Music collection.

More info on Prosad can be found at: BeyondBordersMusic.com

Recommended Tracks: Jungle Sitar and Om Namah Shivaya

The Yoga Music Blog wants to take this opportunity to let you know that YogiTunes.com was unveiled at Wanderlust Yoga Festival recently. YogiTunes is a new Web based concept with downloadable music in many genres, including a unique feature, downloadable Yoga teacher playlists. The site will also offer Yoga clothing, mats and other products to support the Yoga lifestyle.

I've watched my friend Alex King-Harris (performing solo and with Desert Dwellers as Rara Avis) work his butt off over the past couple of years helping to get all the pieces in place for this great Yoga music Web destination. It's off to a great start, and promises to continue to evolve into a place we can all count on for some of the best Yoga music tunes available anywhere.

The Press notice below layous out the details better then I could.

Alex King-Harris, Craig Kohland, and Amani Friend, three of the nation’s most prominent yoga music composers and performers, announced today the launch of YogiTunes, a digital download store featuring US and world music specifically selected to complement yoga, dance, meditation, massage, and a wellness-based lifestyle.

“Yoga has seen such explosive growth over the past few years, and so there is a real need for a service like YogiTunes that provides the curated focus that we do”

The co-founders bring over 15 years of industry leading experience in creating and recommending music for top yoga instructors. Their custom designed digital music store will appeal to health and sustainability enthusiasts who want specifically filtered content to complement and enhance their lifestyle needs.

With thousands of handpicked albums and artists, YogiTunes launches with a huge pool of music that will be constantly evolving with fresh deliveries from a wide array of record labels. YogiTunes fairly compensates artists and record labels with prevailing rates in the digital download industry – encouraging news for music fans who want to sustain a broad based wealth of great music.

One of the highlights of YogiTunes is the Yoga Teacher Playlist – a selection of songs picked by yoga instructors for use in their classes. What makes a good yoga playlist is its ability to follow and support the various intensities of a yoga routine. Health and sustainability enthusiasts are typically first exposed to the music attending classes or workshops, but often don’t know where to buy the compilations of their instructors.

YogiTunes solves this by featuring the playlists of certified yoga instructors across the country for students and other teachers to purchase and download. A broad group of the most highly respected teachers in the country and around the world have signed up and will be creating playlists on a regular basis. Shiva Rea, Sadie Nardini, and Hemalayaa Behl are just a few of the world-renowned instructors featured on the site.

“Yoga has seen such explosive growth over the past few years, and so there is a real need for a service like YogiTunes that provides the curated focus that we do,” said Alex King-Harris, CEO and co-founder of YogiTunes. “The value we bring is our seasoned ability to both create and recommend contextually specific songs for teachers. As well, YogiTunes is run and supported entirely by active members of the yoga community who are dedicated to fostering community and positive social change through the power of music and yoga.”

The founders have collectively produced, contributed to, and recorded over 70 releases under various names including Rara Avis, Shaman’s Dream, and Desert Dwellers. They frequently are featured at major yoga retreats and gatherings. YogiTunes was unveiled at Wanderlust California in Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, among the nation’s premier yoga and music festivals.

"Total treat – we now have an actual music headquarters for the yoga community, where we can all share and listen to what's inspiring our colleagues,” said Elena Brower, founder and co-owner of ViraYoga in New York City and the 2010 Global Yoga Ambassador for Addidas. “YogiTunes will undoubtedly create more cohesiveness and creativity in the yoga and wellness space. It really is a privilege to be here at the inception of this incredible concept."

In addition to yoga-inspired music, YogiTunes offers unique, music-inspired merchandise and yoga apparel with a focus on eco-friendly, competitively priced products. Their goal is to infuse the creative energy of the music community into products that blend the essence of both yoga and music into an on-going YogiTunes signature series of goods.

The site was created with the support from some of the leading developers and strategists in the music and yoga industry, who have collectively been behind successes such as Earthdance International, eMusic.com, WhiteSwan Records, Six Degrees Records, YAMA Talent, LA Yoga Magazine, Wanderlust, and other leading niche music services.

This video came my way recently and it's very impressive endeavor from one of my favorite World Fusion live bands, and great source of Yoga Music. I first became aware of them at EarthDance a while back, and they rocked the house when they played in Ashland, OR a few months back.

Since the group’s inception from the eclectic underground of San Francisco’s performance art scene, Beats Antique has been notorious for making it nearly impossible to sit still. They meld their mediums as attentively as they fuse the cultures that inspire their sound. All self produced and composed, the trio creates a unique collage: an animalistic, raw musical event that blurs the lines between the provocative, the spiritual, and the artistic, while still maintaining an allegiance to the muses of class and beauty.

David Satori and Tommy Cappel both trained classically before venturing to locations such as Bali, West Africa, Serbia and beyond. With extensive backgrounds in multicultural music production, and the passports to prove it, Satori and Cappel command the spectrum of live and digital instrumentation, born from Hip Hop and old school jazz.

Zoe Jakes adds a third dimension as the multi –cultural and –disciplinary dance counterpart to Beats Antique’s sound. Jakes has worked with 2 major dance troupes, Miles Copeland’s Bellydance Superstars and Rachel Brice’s Indigo Belly Dance Company, a student of ballet and contemporary techniques. Jake’s additional history with Cappel in the Extra Action Marching Band and the Yard Dogs Road Show grants some insight into the caliber of performance that is Beats Antique’s standard.

All of this sets the scene for Beats Antique’s overtly ambitious stage show, a sensory overload conquest of the festival circuit’s most riotous events, such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits festival, and Outside Lands, as well as a catalog of proper tours that include Bassnectar and a recent run with Les Claypool of PRIMUS in early 2010. According to Satori, the trio is excited by their ability to create a huge sound from their relatively small setup. “It gives us this whole new world of musical opportunities that we’re just starting to scratch the surface of.”

Director | Ivan Landau
Music | Beats Antique - "REVIVAL"
Director of Photography | Austin Rhodes
Illustrator | Leighton Kelly

One of my favorite local DJs, Stephen (Ujjayi) Brown, is also a musician and producer. He is raising funds on Kickstarter.com to produce an ambitious album of world fusion music using electronica, as well as the sounds of physical instruments played by himself and some of the world's finest musicians. In addition to pledging a cash contribution, I wanted to let the you all to know how you can support this project. (Pledges of $10 or more receive a digital download of the album prior to the release of the CD)

For those of you who don't know, Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects.

They believe that:

• A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide.
• A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.

Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.

Now that we live in a world where major labels don't control everything we hear, it's our responsibility to support independent artists when we can.

I think Stephen describes the project best himself in the description found on Kickstarter.com

* * *

Ujjayi Soundsystem means: “victorious breathing sound system” and is a vast and textured sound-scape I’ve woven together using a blend of electronic music I’ve composed and live instruments played by amazing talents and finished off with stellar vocals.

My name is Stephen Brown:

I have a rich background in electronic music production as well as percussion and live dj work and love what I do! You might see me in a town or city near you soon dj’n under the name Dj Ujjayi or find me with another passion, teaching a Yoga workshop. I’m so excited have found Kickstarter! This will be my first album under Ujjayi Soundsystem!!!

I have been working with many world-class musicians from multi cultural backgrounds including such talents as: Riffat Sultana Ali Khan, MC Rai (singer featured in the soundtrack to “Babel”), Deva Priyo (guitarist and sarodist from the band “Lost at Last”), and Lev Polyakin (violinist from The Cleveland Orchestra) to name a few.

To finish the album I will need to pay artists, mix in a studio, master the music, higher a graphic designer, pay for copyright, legal fees, and finish with production/duplication. To achieve this goal and put out this amazing album it will cost an additional $8,000 and with your help this dream can finally come true!

I have a dream of sharing the positive vibes of music with the world, please help me achieve my dream.

“this album will live longer than I will, I want it to be amazing!”

* * *

We trust that this album will be amazing too.

To find out more about this project, and to watch a compelling, short video about it click here.

Asudha, is translated as Bliss, and the title is more than appropriate for this musical yogic journey.

Temple rhythms, trip hop and downtempo beats, angelic melodies and open, trance-based arrangements provide an excellent bed for yoga and other wellness practices, or for just simply chilling out to as a soundtrack to your daily existence.

Everything on this release is great, but track highlights for me are:

Bhodi Tree Dub (Visions Mix) by Desert Dwellers - evocative flutes, tanpura, tabla, chanting voices and electronica create an exotic aural tapestry for yoga or movement.

Temple Gateway by Shaman's Dream - rich pads, tasty percussion, sensuous flutes, perfectly placed electronica and female voices echoing throughout the mix.

Waves of Reflection by Desert Dwellers - this is classic Desert Dwellers with slow hypnotic arpeggios weaving in and around percussion, flutes and synth motifs.

In Asudha, music producer Amani Friend (Desert Dwellers) has woven together a yantric tapestry of pranic elements, along with fellow Yogitunes collaborators Craig Kohland (Shaman's Dream) and Rara Avis (Desert Dwellers). Cave Dwellings, a track by Liquid Bloom is also included.

On the track, Misty Mountain from the album DownTemple Dub: Waves by Desert Dwellers, they push the boundaries of Yoga music into a new realm of musical fusion they call “Yoga Dub”.

This track is a prime example of their electronic devotional music blending rhythmic ambience with traditional instruments such as subahar, tabla, udu, erhu, cello and voice. To give a listen to this and other tracks from the album on iTunes, simply click the button below.