Sutras is a recording of a very special set I played at this past Integral Spiritual Experience: Kosmic Creativity event, which accompanied a live painting presentation by Alex and Allyson Grey (see the videos below, including a really cool time-lapse recorded by our good friend Mathias Weitbrecht).
Alex has been a tremendous inspiration and influence for me for over fifteen years, so the opportunity to share a stage with him—and making even a tiny imprint upon his creative flow and upon this extraordinary piece (which will most likely be titled "Cosmic Creativity")—was one of the greatest and most meaningful experiences I've ever had. I send deep gratitude to Alex and Allyson Grey, to the ISE design team for allowing me to offer this gift, and to everyone who was able to be there that night. I hope y'all had as much fun as I did.
I am very happy to now be able to share the first part of the soundtrack to that spectacular evening with you all. This is the entire first half of the set I played that night (with a few new wrinkles thrown in), and includes spoken word pieces by Alex Grey, Ken Wilber, Lama Surya Das, Sally Kempton, and Alan Watts. Some elements may be familiar to those who have hear my previous Empty Spaces and Dark Matter mixes. I hope you enjoy!
THE DJ MIX: AN INTEGRAL ART FORM
To some, a DJ mix might seem like little more than an iTunes playlist, a mix tape you made for your boyfriend in middle school, or the product of wedding DJs who are contractually obligated to play "Mony Mony", "The Chicken Dance", and the Black Eyed Peas everywhere they go. But to others, the DJ mix is something much more extraordinary. When done right, it can be a truly integrative art form—taking bits and pieces of our shared cultural reference points, and using technology as an instrument to transpose, transform, and recontextualize those pieces until something genuinely and unmistakably new emerges.
The DJ is so much more than a human jukebox who puts together a compilation of catchy tracks. It's about knowing how to fit those tracks together into greater and greater wholes—matching, manipulating, looping, and layering individual songs into a single seamless experience. At his or her best, the DJ is a musical maven, turning people on to new sounds and new genres while fighting the growing tides of cultural homogenization. It's an art of sonic ninjitsu, learning how to use turntables, MIDI players, or laptops to mix and match beats, keys, and melodies. And like any performance art, DJing can be a sort of 21st century shamanism, conjuring and shaping the states and experiences of entire groups of people by crafting the most unbelievably satisfying breakdowns, bardos, and transitions—creating a space for all of us to dance ourselves into oblivion.
Now to be perfectly clear, the DJ mix is still a subversive art form, and is often perceived as a threat to the status quo of the music industry—which, come on, kind of makes it a little bit cooler doesn't it? Although no small-time DJs like me have ever been harassed or sued for sharing their mixes for free on the internet, I have to admit the fact that this all exists in something of a grey area in copyright law. I do believe I am morally justified in sharing my art with you all, but there are some who would disagree. For more on this, check out this friendly debate I had with Ottmar Liebert a few years ago.
If you would like to connect with me on Facebook and receive updates on future mixes, here is a link to my dj rekluse fan page.
An 80-minute musical meditation on silence, featuring Sally Kempton, Alan Watts, Alex Grey, and Ken Wilber. This is what my Dark Night of the Soul sounds like.
This one of the more experimental mixes I've put together, playing with the tension between soothing and menacing, soft and jagged, glossy and glitchy.
Featuring over three hours of love songs spanning seven decades of pop culture, this is an expanded version of the set i played on New Years Eve at the second Integral Spiritual Experience event.
Sutras: an hour long synaesthetic journey through gross, subtle, causal, and nondual realms. Sonic tonic for your aching body, mind, and soul. Liberation upon hearing.
Here is a comprehensive track list for the Dark Matter mix, complete with time-codes and purchasing links. If you like anything you hear in this mix, please support the artists by PURCHASING THE ALBUMS!
Corey deVos is Editor, Writer, and Producer of Integral Life, as well as the Managing Editor of KenWilber.com. He has worked for Integral Institute since Spring of 2003, and has been a student of integral theory and practice since 1996. A collection of Corey's writings and "trans-genre" DJ mixes can be found on www.CoreyWdeVos.com.
It was awesome to be there, and now it is awesome to see you, in this new perspective, at times, with your arms dancing around Alex's head, and then springing free from him as he goes to reload his paint brush. then back into his head.... Now this is multi-dimensional art.....art in the we-space.... I am a happy witness.... Thanks!
Jane
The fabric of my life is the cloth with which it is my task to polish the lens of my own perception.
I love Alison's presence as well...... there is a kind of role reversal, with you two men dancing art, and her containment.... what an inspiring couple they are to experience...... --
The fabric of my life is the cloth with which it is my task to polish the lens of my own perception.
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Thanks for the FANTASTIC post! This information is really good and thanks a lot for sharing it :) I m looking forward desperately for the next post of yours.
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Part 1: The Vast Expanse 
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'Love the words
Posted February 1st, 2012 by Mark EvansI love how you wove the spoken words into the music. It was like calligraphy and painting.