Showing posts with label free music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free music. Show all posts

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Music Born of the Cold

Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq won the Polaris Prize in 2014 for Canada's best album of the year. Animism contained sounds never heard before in Canadian pop music: breathy throat singing, screeches, roars and other human sounds for which the English language has no names. Tagaq's music was ambiguous. She seemed a shamanic figure. 
 
Suddenly, she and other throat singers were everywhere. Indigenous artist Caroline Monnet incorporated Tagaq soundtracks into her hypnotic art videos. Some touring rock groups hired throat singers as opening acts. For a time, no television variety program was complete without a guest spot for throat singers.  
 
Tagaq may have seemed like a new and unique voice. But she had basically jazzed up a genre of Inuit music that has been performed on the land we now call Canada for thousands of years. Inuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a distinct type of throat singing uniquely found among the Inuit. It is a form of musical performance, traditionally consisting of two women who sing duets in a close face-to-face formation with no instrumental accompaniment, in an entertaining contest to see who can outlast the other. One singer leads by setting a short rhythmic pattern, which she repeats leaving brief silent intervals between each repetition. The other singer fills in the gap with another rhythmic pattern.
 
The sounds used include voiced sounds as well as unvoiced ones, both through inhalation or exhalation. The first to run out of breath or be unable to maintain the pace of the other singer will start to laugh or simply stop and will thus be eliminated from the game. It generally lasts between one and three minutes. The winner is the singer who beats the largest number of people.
 
Originally, katajjaq was a form of entertainment among Inuit women while men were away on hunting trips, and it was regarded more as a type of vocal or breathing game in the Inuit culture rather than a form of music. Katajjiniq sound can create an impression of rhythmic and harmonious panting. Inuit throat singing can also imitate wind, water, animal sounds and other everyday sounds.
 
Notable traditional performers include Qaunak Mikkigak, Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt, as well as Alacie Tullaugaq and Lucy Amarualik who perform in the katajjaq style. Several groups, including Tudjaat, The Jerry Cans, Quantum Tangle and Silla + Rise, also now blend traditional throat singing with mainstream musical genres such as pop, folk, rock and dance music.
 
Tudjaat (Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk) performed on the song "Rattlebone" from Robbie Robertson's 1998 album Contact from the Underworld of Red Boy. The album is composed of music inspired by Aboriginal Canadian music (including traditional Aboriginal Canadian songs and chants), as well as modern rock, trip hop, and electronica, with the various styles often integrated together in the same song.
 
To learn more, watch this video of Inuit throat-singing sisters Karin and Kathy Kettler from Canada. The sisters carry on the traditions of the elders from their mothers' village in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, which is located in northern Quebec.

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Free Shamanic Songs and Chants

I recorded a collection of multicultural songs and chants in 2011 and made them freely available for download at Archive.org. I learned these songs and chants from shamanic mentors and spirit guides. When a spirit is invoked, there is often an accompanying rhythm and chant that evolves. Shamanic practitioners often use specific rhythms and chants to "call" their spirit helpers for the work at hand. Each practitioner has his or her own song. It announces the shaman to the spirits and proclaims, "this is me…please help me." The song is usually sung near the beginning of the ritual and is often accompanied by drumming. The drum opens portals to the spirit world and summons the helping spirits.
 
Sacred or shamanic music is traditionally performed as part of a ritual, however it is not a musical performance in the normal sense. The music is directed more to the spirit world than to an audience. The practitioner's attention is directed inwards towards communication with the spirits, rather than outwards to any listeners who might be present. The practitioner is focused on the healing intention or spiritual energy of what he or she is playing, to the point that musical considerations are minimal.
 
Singing and drumming are extremely powerful tools for restoring the vibrational integrity of body, mind, and spirit. When coupled together, they move us to a level of awareness beyond form, a place where we discover our own divinity. Each song and chant on this recording has a specific purpose for invoking or paying homage to helping spirits and deities. Each one creates a vibratory resonance that allows these forces to be called forth. You can download Sacred Songs and Chants at: https://archive.org/details/SacredSongsAndChants.

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Drumming in the New Year 2022

Season's Greetings! I wish to thank all of my Spotify listeners for making 2021 a standout musical year! We made it through another wild year together. I had a lot of firsts this year. I had over 7,000 listeners. My music was added to 2937 playlists this year and was streamed nearly 35,000 times in 89 countries. I am looking forward to another year of creating and sharing my music.
 
As 2021 comes to a close, I will be celebrating New Year's Eve by drumming out the old year and drumming in the New Year. Drumming in the New Year is a great way to set the tone and intention for 2022. It is also a good time to reflect on the year ending to see where you have erred and reform those beliefs, attitudes, and strategies no longer applicable to the New Year unfolding. It is an opportunity to feel gratitude for all that has been received and accomplished throughout the past year. Such a fresh open-minded approach will broaden your perspective and start you out on the right track. What will you be "drumming" into your life for 2022?

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

New Music: "Lift Me Up"

I invite you to listen to my latest release on Spotify. This song came to me as I was hiking the North Crestone Creek Trail near my home in Crestone, Colorado. I am amazed by how deeply nature speaks to me when I am prepared to listen. Mother nature is my divine muse and inspiration. The God that so many down through the ages have humanized and worshiped is really nature herself. She lifts me up and frees my soul. Listen to "Lift Me Up."

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Samadhi: Free Meditation Music Download

The Barcelona-based magazine La Senda del Corazón (The Path of the Heart) interviewed me in September 2019. You can read the entire interview by clicking here. They asked me to contribute one of my songs to Samadhi,  a meditation music compilation they are releasing for charity that features eleven artists from around the world. In Hindu yoga, Samadhi is a state of intense concentration attained by the practice of Dharana (focused attention) and Dhyana (effortless meditation) when the True Essential Nature is known without the distortion of the mind. It is considered to be the culmination of the meditation process. Please listen to the album on Bandcamp Radio and consider donating to some of the following charities:

The Koala Hospital
Animal Welfare Institute
Native American Rights Fund
The Nature Conservancy
Action Against Hunger-USA
Animal Nepal

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Insight Timer: Best Free Meditation App

Insight Timer is a free smartphone app and online community with seven million meditators, making it the most active meditation community on the planet. The meditation app made Womens Health and Time magazine's list of best apps. Three thousand meditation teachers publish free guided meditations, music and talks on the app. With 15,000 free guided meditations you can meditate on Insight Timer for as long as you want without ever paying a cent. The app offers a variety of topics to choose from (stress, sleep, self-love, loss, forgiveness, etc.), along with personal customization, meditation Timer, and the ability to track your progress with your meditation practice. Download the Insight Timer app.

To support your shamanic journeys, I have published "Shamanic Journey Drumming with Callback" on Insight Timer. Shamanic drumming awakens your ability to commune with your inner self and retrieve information. You need only journey within to find answers to any question. For a journey to the Lower World, visualize an opening into the earth that you remember from sometime in your life. The entrance could be an animal burrow, hollow tree stump, cave and so on. When the journey begins, you'll go down the hole and a tunnel will appear. The tunnel often appears ribbed and may spiral around. This tunnel-like imagery is related to the central axis that links the three inner planes of consciousness. Enter the tunnel and you will emerge into the Lower World, the realm of power animals, spirit guides and ancestral spirits. When you hear the sound of the callback, begin your return journey. Try to retrace the same route back; otherwise you might have trouble remembering the details of your journey. Step-by-step instructions for making shamanic journeys are explained in my book, "The Shamanic Drum." Try a shamanic journey.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Experience a Shamanic Journey

Shamanic drumming is drumming for the purpose of shamanic journeying. Researchers have found that when a drum is played at an even tempo of three to four beats per second, most people can journey successfully even on their first attempt. Shamanic journey drumming awakens your innate ability to commune with your inner self and retrieve information. Your inner self is in constant communication with all aspects of your environment, seen and unseen. You need only journey within to find answers to your questions. Click on the following video to experience a shamanic journey.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

New Release: "Song for the Whales"

Listen to the soundtrack to my new video "Song for the Whales." "Song for the Whales" is a musical tribute to the whales. Listen to all of my albums on Spotify.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Free Shamanic Music Download

This track is from the album Power Animal Drumming. Badger medicine includes courage, cunning, endurance, grounding, perseverance, root and herbal remedies, and the magic of storytelling. From her den below the ground, Badger connects us to the Earth mother, her stories, and the healing properties of medicinal roots. Badger helps us see below the surface of things and boldly express ourselves with the clarity of inner knowing. Flutes, like the one heard on "Badger Medicine," are instruments connecting the seen and unseen worlds. Click here to download Badger Medicine. Listen to all of my albums on SoundCloud.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Free Shamanic Songs Download

Sacred Songs & Chants by Michael Drake

A collection of 14 multicultural and original songs and chants sung by Michael Drake. Singing and drumming are extremely powerful tools for restoring the vibrational integrity of body, mind, and spirit. When coupled together, they move us to a level of awareness beyond form, a place where we discover our own divinity. Each song and chant on this recording has a specific purpose for invoking or paying homage to spirit beings and deities. Each one creates a vibratory resonance that allows these forces to be called forth. Tracks: Introduction, Eagle Chant, Hummingbird Chant, Coyote Chant, Bear Chant, Buffalo Chant, Horse Chant, Earth Chant, Rainbow Fire Chant, Raven Song, Forest Song, Cherokee Morning Song, Wolf Chant, Song to the West, Sedna Song. Download Sacred Songs & Chants at Archive.org. See more of our Free Downloads

Monday, March 7, 2011

Free Shamanic Music Download

Shamanic Journey Rhythms Volume 2
by Michael Drake

This recording uses primitive instruments to support the listener in making shamanic journeys. The berimbau and rain stick provide sonic driving for the journey as an alternative to drumming. The berimbau is a gourd-resonated, trance droning musical bow of African origin. The rain stick is a percussion instrument that originated in Chile. Made from a dried cactus branch, it produces the sound of gentle rain. The rain stick produces high frequencies that complement the low frequency droning, thereby boosting the total sonic effect. This journey ends with a callback. Click on the following link to play or download 15 Minute Berimbau and Rain Stick.mp3 at archive.org.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Free Shamanic Rhythms Download

Shamanic Journey Rhythms Volume 1
By Michael Drake


This unique recording uses primitive instruments to support the listener in making shamanic journeys. The bullroarer and rattle provide sonic driving for the journey as an alternative to drumming. The bullroarer is a flat elliptical shaped piece of wood attached to a cord that that produces a whirring trance inducing drone when whirled through the air. The rattle produces high frequencies that complement the low frequency droning, thereby boosting the total sonic effect. The 15 minute journey ends with a callback. Click on the above link to sample or download the recording.