Sleep Song9 Jul 2022

This humble machine

Our composer, Ryan Holladay, writes: On a recent Sunday drive in East Los Angeles, I came upon an estate sale in my neighborhood of Mount Washington. As I rummaged through the items throughout the rooms, it became clear that this home had belonged to a meditation teacher as the house was full of Ram Dass LPs, bells, even a singing bowl. One item stuck out: a Magnus Electric Organ, which looked to be built in the 50's or 60's. It essentially pumps air like an electric accordion and allows you to play the notes like a keyboard. I purchased it for $30, brought it home, and set it up to record, running it through chorus and phaser pedals.

But as I was recording it, the machine began to fade — certain notes became unreliable, even disappearing altogether and melting into the sound of the fan. The organ was failing. And as I played it, it struggled to maintain the integrity of the tones. At the end of the recording, I turned it off for the last time. It wouldn’t turn on again. This is a recording of this humble machine, at the end of its life, offering its peaceful sounds one last time.

Original music from composer Ryan Holladay.

Meditative Story combines extraordinary human stories with meditation prompts embedded into the storylines — all surrounded by breathtaking music. Think of it as an alternative way into a mindfulness practice, through vivid stories and cinematic music and production values. Find Meditative Story wherever you listen to podcasts.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(56)

Sweater weather

For today's Sleep Song, composer Eduardo Rivera ran computerized string pads through an old tape recorder, resulting in the airy sound heard throughout, reminiscent of a gusty breeze alighting falling...

29 Sep 202326min

King David's Wind Chime

After hearing the sound of a wind chime floating through his neighborhood, composer Eduardo Rivera is reminded of a stay in the mountain town of Idyllwild. "The house had these huge wind chimes, that ...

25 Aug 202327min

We are not alone

Created using a new musical software called Collage, today's Sleep Song begins with a chord like a question, as if asking whether it's alone in the universe. The response is soothing and celestial, el...

11 Aug 202332min

Welcoming change

Today's Sleep Song is all about movement. Almost every track in this piece is constantly shifting with panning or through the use of an LFO (low frequency oscillator), creating a sense of undulation, ...

14 Jul 202330min

A sky full of waves

Inspired by surfer Garrett McNamara's episode of Meditative Story and his reflections on staring up at the clouds or, as he puts it, "waves in the sky", this piece reimagines the sounds of surf guitar...

30 Jun 202333min

Starting from C

Composer Eduardo Rivera shares, "I've been using a wonderful felt piano lately that sounds incredibly intimate. It's been my main instrument for our sister podcast Spark & Fire these last few months. ...

16 Jun 202330min

A world of voices

Music adapted from Varshini Prakash’s Meditative Story, "Together, we move from fear to hope."Taken from the musical world of Varshini Prakash’s Meditative Story, this sleep song is built around a wor...

24 Mar 202359min

Endless summer

Like the best part of an ’80s pop song, this Sleep Song celebrates the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, and answers the question: What would happen if a song like "Boys of Summer" was stretched like taffy and ...

10 Mar 202329min