Monday Love to your Emotional Body & Shout Out to Miten's new double LP

Is “emotional intelligence” high on your list of priorities for your family environment or in the space you hold for your conscious movement or dance classes? Does it seem like more people you know are feeling more sadness and fear and having trouble simply being calm and happy? What if there was something we take for granted in our surroundings that was causing these effects—something that can easily be adjusted for the better?

When we think about our environment, we typically consider things like the air we breath, the water we drink, or the food we eat. If you’re like me, you might use a filter for your drinking water, buy organic groceries and support local farmers, and vote for leaders who promise to protect our air. It’s all part and parcel for those of us who have kids and anyone who is in touch with the needs of their inner child.

One could easily extend the concept of environment to include other energies we surround ourselves with. In the social realm, there can be “toxic relationships” that are better let go of. And then of course there is music. Almost as ubiquitous as oxygen, it envelopes nearly our every activity. From the earbuds on your phone to the inside of your car to the sound system in your home or studio to the speakers in the ceiling of the coffee shop where I’m writing this, music is our constant companion.

So what to make of this recent research study entitled The Effects of MP3 Compression on Perceived Emotional Characteristics in Musical Instruments? The research team at the University of Hong Kong found that “MP3 compression strengthened the emotional characteristics Sad, Scary, Shy, and Mysterious, and weakenedHappy, Heroic, Romantic, Comic, and Calm. Interestingly, Angry was relatively unaffected by MP3 compression.”

This means that music, the most refined of human artistic expressions, something we have long taken for granted as essential for our emotional and spiritual well being, is now almost always played in a format that is actually detrimental to our emotional health. Streaming services such as Pandora or Spotify rely on the lowest quality MP3 compression. Let’s not underestimate the importance of these findings. MP3s amplify our negative emotions, and suppressour positive ones. What’s this doing to our individual health, and to the tone of our society at large?

And most importantly, what can we do about it? For those of you who have been following me for long, you know that I teach kids, parents, teachers, and movement leaders about analog music, typically in the form of vinyl records. I’m also the host of the weekly Dance Jam in Berkeley, one of the world’s only primarily vinyl conscious dances. I’m often faced with the argument for ease and convenience, why on earth would anyone want to carry around turntables and a box of records when they could simply have a thousand songs in their pocket?

This research scientifically shows what many of us have intuitively felt all along.  And I’m not a lone voice crying in the wilderness. What’s old is new again, and coming back stronger than ever. Last week in the news sales of vinyl globally generated more revenue than digital downloads for the first time since digital sales have been tracked.  The number one selling consumer electronics item on Amazon during last year’s holiday season was the turntable.

People I know generally fall into one of three categories. Folks who came of age in the 90s or later often have no experience with vinyl at all. Then there’s all the people who had a collection back in the day, but got rid of them at some point. And then there’s the lucky ones who held on their records, and maybe just need to pull them out of storage and get a new turntable.

There’s actually a somatic learning curve for people who have never experienced recorded music as a foreground activity. It’s worth re-sensitizing yourself, and making the extra effort to upgrade the audio atmosphere in your home.

With the holiday season upon us, it’s a good time to “Give the Gift of Music” and make a modest investment in a turntable. Changing your relationship with music with your emotional health in mind may be one of the wisest things you can do for yourself and your family.

If you’d like to know more, or want some help getting started, just reply and let me know. I’m happy to answer your questions or give you some tips. May you have a bright and beautiful holiday season!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine

Dance First Music Spotlight:Temple at Midnight by Miten

Midnight by Miten

I’m really pleased to be able to spotlight a new album by Miten this week! White Swan has released the latest recording by this well-known artist in a beautiful double gatefold vinyl record album, doing justice to the rich vocals and lush instrumentals he and his partner Deva Premal are famous for.

One of the hesitations people sometimes have about analog music is that not everything new gets released on vinyl, especially in the ‘spiritual’ or ‘conscious’ music categories. I salute this landmark release on White Swan as a milestone in the field, recognizing the demand for full dimension audio with all of the emotional nuances intact.

“Temple at Midnight” is a gorgeous collection of devotional music dedicated to Guruji Osho produced by recording wizard Joby Baker. Recorded in a country setting in Byron Bay Australia and featuring local creatures such as cicadas, cockatoos, kookaburras, and cows to enhance the musical landscape, this LP is a snapshot into the spiritual life of this dynamic couple and the loving musicians that surround them.

Ranging from evocative ballads to reggae-infused chants, you’ll be transported to a world of mystery with this magical record album. A great way to start your record collection with a new turntable for the holidays!

Miten – Temple at Midnight on White Swan Records