WED., NOVEMBER 15, 2006
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Enter the Now Age
by Robert Phoenix
The term "New Age" was coined by the notorious Russian mystic Madame Blavatsky. Blavatsky and her fellow theosophers foresaw a golden age of humanity, in which people would have direct contact with supra-human spirits that informed humanity about how to live on a higher plane while still occupying this one. Krishnamurti was supposed to be the terrestrial avatar who would lead this "new age." But the young Hindu scholar had other plans — and, needless to say, Blavatsky's vision didn't pan out. Yet the term has stuck, gaining livelihood and deeper definition in the '60s when some thought that something resembling Blavatsky's vision might soon come to fruition. We may not have catapulted into the fourth dimension where we communicate with angels and ascended masters as a result of the '60s, but we did embrace and integrate a lot of the values and practices that took root at the time, from commune to festival.
We now take it for granted that we can get organic meats and vegetables, sophisticated supplements and other "alternative" products at a plethora of healthy "green" grocery chains. The idea of the local food co-op has exploded into a multi-billion dollar retail industry. We go to yoga, tai-chi or even Pilates to exercise. We see acupuncturists, massage therapists and holistic healers to soothe our aches and pains. We go to body workers and spas to feed our spirit. Many of the ideals that were so deeply ensconced and woven into the fabric of the '60s counterculture, the herald of "our" new age, have been commodified and co-opted. In a practical sense, the new age is already here.
Music, like other components of an alternative lifestyle, has changed as well. New age music as we know it has become both more sophisticated and broader. The late '80s and early '90s were the launching pads of the rave movement — a new revolution of the psyche was propelled by MDMA and other powerful entheogens such as ayahausca, DMT and ketamine. Terrence McKenna became the Leary/Huxley of the times and a new type of music was born. Hybrids of ambient and ethno streamed together as artists like Mixmaster Morris, Future Sound Of London, Robert Rich, Pete Namlook, Bill Laswell and Jorge Reyes created music that was deep, atmospheric, ritualistic, cosmic and dark. Unafraid of embracing their shadows or emerging technologies to explore the multi-dimensional nature of spirits and sound, these artists blurred the line between new age and chill-out, isolationism and ethno-techno. Deep Forest became a massive hit and Enigma impersonators were everywhere. Even old industrial rockers like Front Line Assembly, cult figures at best, cashed in when they transformed themselves into the platinum-selling Delerium.
While artists like Yanni, John Tesh and Enya remain the archetypal face of new age, a new breed of musicians and labels offers a more contemporary and sophisticated blend of musical offerings. New Earth, New World (particularly their more recent releases) and Farfield are home to artists like Rasa, Cyber Tribe, Honeyroot, Brannan Lane, Deuter Dino Pacifici and others. The Triloka and Karuna labels tastefully blend Eastern music with grooves from artists such as M Path, Bhagavan Das, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das and Tulku.
Many of the aforementioned artists and their music can be heard in yoga studios, spas, cafes and bodywork studios around the world. When examined in a broader cultural sense, embracing music as part of a holistic lifestyle that includes diet, exercise, health care and relaxation, it can be argued that we're living participants in the new age and ideals once considered "out there" are, in fact, right here, right now — in the "now age."
We now take it for granted that we can get organic meats and vegetables, sophisticated supplements and other "alternative" products at a plethora of healthy "green" grocery chains. The idea of the local food co-op has exploded into a multi-billion dollar retail industry. We go to yoga, tai-chi or even Pilates to exercise. We see acupuncturists, massage therapists and holistic healers to soothe our aches and pains. We go to body workers and spas to feed our spirit. Many of the ideals that were so deeply ensconced and woven into the fabric of the '60s counterculture, the herald of "our" new age, have been commodified and co-opted. In a practical sense, the new age is already here.
Music, like other components of an alternative lifestyle, has changed as well. New age music as we know it has become both more sophisticated and broader. The late '80s and early '90s were the launching pads of the rave movement — a new revolution of the psyche was propelled by MDMA and other powerful entheogens such as ayahausca, DMT and ketamine. Terrence McKenna became the Leary/Huxley of the times and a new type of music was born. Hybrids of ambient and ethno streamed together as artists like Mixmaster Morris, Future Sound Of London, Robert Rich, Pete Namlook, Bill Laswell and Jorge Reyes created music that was deep, atmospheric, ritualistic, cosmic and dark. Unafraid of embracing their shadows or emerging technologies to explore the multi-dimensional nature of spirits and sound, these artists blurred the line between new age and chill-out, isolationism and ethno-techno. Deep Forest became a massive hit and Enigma impersonators were everywhere. Even old industrial rockers like Front Line Assembly, cult figures at best, cashed in when they transformed themselves into the platinum-selling Delerium.
While artists like Yanni, John Tesh and Enya remain the archetypal face of new age, a new breed of musicians and labels offers a more contemporary and sophisticated blend of musical offerings. New Earth, New World (particularly their more recent releases) and Farfield are home to artists like Rasa, Cyber Tribe, Honeyroot, Brannan Lane, Deuter Dino Pacifici and others. The Triloka and Karuna labels tastefully blend Eastern music with grooves from artists such as M Path, Bhagavan Das, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das and Tulku.
Many of the aforementioned artists and their music can be heard in yoga studios, spas, cafes and bodywork studios around the world. When examined in a broader cultural sense, embracing music as part of a holistic lifestyle that includes diet, exercise, health care and relaxation, it can be argued that we're living participants in the new age and ideals once considered "out there" are, in fact, right here, right now — in the "now age."
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