Daily OM

Can planets speak? They can and do constantly, but perhaps only a very few of us know the language – running water, chirping birds, frogs and insects, the gentle rustle of wind through the willows. German New Age composer Deuter probably comes as close as anyone finding the music in this mysterious language; he began his recording career working under the meditation teacher Osho, recording music for use with the master’s dynamic meditations. One of the first to do field recordings of nature sounds for release as new age albums, Deuter records all his ambient nature sounds himself via his sojourns into the wilderness. Notes from a Planet is an example of his prowess with a field recording kit and his ear for the beauty in a running stream or field of singing crickets.
Consisting of three tracks that sound similar enough to play uninterrupted, perhaps even on endless repeat for decades, Notes from a Planet is ideal for meditation, soothing background ambiance to drown out the neighbor’s stomping or outside car alarms, helping infants drift into nap land, and an array of other uses. Bring it outside on the outdoor speakers if you want to wake up the crickets and make your neighbors think you built a massive Zen pond/garden behind your picket fence. Keep it in the bedroom to help you sleep and spend a slow Saturday morning going in and out of sleep with eyes closed, the sounds keeping your body and soul believing you’re cozily nested in a beautiful mountain paradise. “Wald (Forest)” coasts along with the sound of a running stream and comforting pulse of crickets; listen close and deep and you can hear the distant birds and the burbling of the water.
“Wiese (Meadow)” has a larger but gentler presence of water, frogs, and chirping insects. Water appears in all three of the tracks, for example, as do crickets and bird noises. This approach works for Notes from a Planet however, for when approaching something this precious and real, a thousand listens can’t begin to divulge the earth’s sweet unknowable mysteries, but it sure can relax and attune you to listen in anyway, and find the symphonic undertones that dwell in the heart of nature as she sings her endless song of creation, letting you tune deep into the sounds of a pond at night, without having to suffer the mosquitoes.