We live in an out of tune world – a world out of balance with artificial clock-time, urban stress, wireless radiation and machine noise. The pure sonic emanations of the bowls bring us back to peace, quiet and simplicity. They are an immersion into pure beauty that help us remember that beauty is truth and truth is beauty.
The artist known as RadianceMatrix (née Paul Temple) creates beautiful, meditative music with specially tuned Tibetan healing bowls, flutes, and mantras. Over the years, he has had many musical incarnations — from classical musician to electronic DJ. His current chapter finds him traveling a new lane – carving sound with Tibetan bowls. “We live in an out of tune world – a world out of balance with artificial clock-time, urban stress, wireless radiation and machine noise. The pure sonic emanations of the bowls bring us back to peace, quiet and simplicity. They are an immersion into pure beauty that help us remember that beauty is truth and truth is beauty.” A longtime practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and other spiritual wisdom paths, for his new release the artist has teamed up seamlessly with the Mantra music superstar Deva Premal. Radiance Mixes: Tibetan Bowls with the Mantras of Deva Premal features nine celestial musical pieces. Looping existing Deva Premal tracks, RadianceMatrix edited them, and then laid his Tibetan bowl recordings underneath. In tuning the bowls to concert pitch, the artist has created luminous, harmonic architectures which gently bend around Deva’s ethereal voice. This signature process yields lush musical wanderings with one track folding into the next.
I happen to be a longtime fan of Deva Premal and Miten’s music. For many years their music has provided a soundtrack for both my own personal practice and for the group (yoga) classes I lead. I was pleasantly surprised by the manner in which Mr. Temple quietly, and respectfully, approached his alterations to a collection of much beloved music. The tracks feel strikingly new, yet the familiar shines – that sacred quality of Deva’s vocals. “The vibrations of the bowls are visceral—penetrating and calming in the most peaceful way,” reads the CD liner notes. It’s a pitch perfect assessment. The marriage of Deva Premal’s vocals to the vibrations softly checkering the soundscape truly elevates – taking the songbook well beyond the listener’s ears.
The tracks on Radiance Mixes both haunt and soothe inviting centering and stillness regardless of their incline. Enjoyed best dialed down, the collection makes for a fitting soundscape layer in savasana, while meditating or while carrying out creative pursuits such as writing or painting. It also makes for a lovely gift for anyone on an inward path. Given its lulling nature, Radiance Mixes is probably not the music for that long run or extended road trip. While Radiance Mixes merits repeated listens in its entirety, the tracks that beckoned me back for their stripped down wide open feel were the openers, Gayatri Mantra and Gaté Gaté.
RadianceMatrix’s first album blending the Tibetan bowls and mantras was Deep Peace Experience. That release sported a similar mission of spreading ease and tranquility. Mr. Temple has given experiential, meditative concerts in churches, concert halls, yoga studios and performed at music festivals and conferences around the US, including the Arise Music Festival, Global Gathering Conference, and Kyron Gatherings. In addition to concerts with the bowls, he also offers group workshops — or immersion retreats — with meditation, mantra chanting and other integrative practices. The sessions are experiential and participative. To learn about booking a concert or immersion or to keep current with RadianceMatrix’s touring schedule, visit the artist’s website.
Author Susan Currie is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA magazine. Her words and images have been featured in the Boston Globe, Elephant Journal, Yogi Times, the Tishman Review, the Huffington Post, Spirit of St. Bart’s and on the cover of the book Moving into Meditation (Shambala) by Anne Cushman.
Susan is also the creator of the Daily Inhale and an RYT 200 registered yoga instructor. She unpacks her various professional experiences through the creative and yoga workshops she leads throughout the country. Her new book, GRACENOTES (Shanti Arts 2017), a blend of words and images, is now available in wide release.