Chant: Spirit In Sound (1999)
At first I figured it was going to be a syrupy, New Age kind of thing but was pleasantly surprised. This double disc set is filled with various chant styles from around the world. There is some of the cheesy stuff but for the most part it doesn’t sink to that level.
Chant is a powerful thing and modern music is not free from this idea. If you’ve wondered about the strange appeal of a lot of dub techno music, Stephen Hitchell (aka Intrusion, half of Echospace, etc.), makes reference to Rod Modell’s experience with the Hari Krishnas and the mantra-like essence of the music he makes. Hitchell notes that a “hypnotic state is induced” and that they “bring some of that philosophy through the music.” (Source)
I’ve noticed this at the place of worship I attend and the similarity of the appeal with certain kinds of “secular” music. Those heightened moments during a service often come during the musical portion where the music takes on a “mantra like” vibe, stripped down to a basic rhythm, a simple phrase repeated, even chanted, over and over again, inducing a certain state where the mind is receptive to things of a “spiritual” nature.
If anyone has been into the trance/techno (or even Grateful Dead) scene, you know exactly what I mean. Ecstasy, release, the highs that come while engaged in the moment, carried on by the power of the music.
If you like this kind of thing, check out Music for the Native Americans by Robbie Robertson, Night Song by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (a track of his is featured on this disc), the Baraka soundtracks or recitations from the Qur’an.
