Customer Reviews

Harmonic Meditations: Music from the Heart of the Cosmos

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a number of CDs from David Hykes. He has evolved his own overtone chanting. Unlike Tibetan overtoning, he uses pure vowel sound and pure toning of primordial sounds, rather than specific mantras and seed syllables. He chooses, if possible, like this CD, a resonant natural environment that deepens the overtone harmonics. This latest creation shows a maturing and deepening of his work, though it is very similar to all his other creations. They are more of a sonic meditation than "music". It is less structured and free form. It is meant to be chanted with, especially with overtoning. I give this CD, and all his CDs four stars rather than five because the recording quality and presenting quality could use some engineering and refining. The tones push many speakers over their capacity. The sounds will often vibrate things in the room and more than one speaker grille. I do not know if this can be avoided, but I have had some trouble finding a speaker system that ideally supports the kind of tones he creates. Lowering the volume always helps and sometimes putting some foam under the speakers. I have had similar challenges with Tibetan chanting, but even more so with his. All in all, I have used his CDs often for meditation and chant along with them. It invokes a potent silence and a natural release from "thinking".

The recordings on David Hykes's CD Harmonic Meditations capture some incredible performances of improvised vocal music in acoustically rich spaces including a cistern in Seattle and the atrium of the World Financial Center in New York. The vocal trio pieces are stunningly beautiful and harmonically rich, and the larger group ensemble pieces incorporating sparse middle-eastern instrumentation express a searching, yearning or longing that characterises the very best in art.

Great stuff.

Having read about Harmonic choirs I was intrigued by what they actually sound like. This CD felt like I was being gently washed with love and having my auras cleansed. The music gently wraps itself around you without penetrating your physical body. I have never experienced anything like this before. It was a wonderful experience. Even my daughter liked the CD and we don't often like the same music.

Interesting music and sounds....portions are featured in the excellent movie "Jacob's Ladder" soundtrack.