Release Date: September 18th, 2020
Label: myndstream
Websites: https://www.michaelwhalen.com
https://www.realmusic.com/artists/bluemonk-rasull-soon
Sometimes the best and worst things in life are unexpected or spontaneous. For musician Michael Whalen getting Covid19 was unexpected and not welcome. On the other side of that was his music and another door to healing. To all things in life, there is the ying and yang. Sometimes it takes another person to make things happen and that is exactly what happened when Blue Monk came into the picture.
Blue Monk (Rasull), is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist on the Japanese shakuhachi, piano, synthesizer keyboards, acoustic guitar as well as concert flute and erhu. The multitude of world instruments you will hear on his collaboration with Michael Whalen is titled Karmic Dreams.
This will be Michael’s second release this year after the March release of Sacred Spaces. This is what got him back on his feet and healed him from the virus. I have always believed and supported the use of music for healing purposes. In this case, it was the first level of the musical experience, creating it. Michael received the music from Blue Monk then added and mixed his parts in and what you will get to hear in September is the result of that amazing collaboration titled Karmic Dreams.
From the first track “The Secret Garden” I was relaxed and entranced by the instrumentation and atmosphere it created. From that point forward, for my listening viewpoint and experience, it was all linked together. So, for this listener, it was an all-encompassing experience that is easy to convey in words. First, I look at my state of mind and being before listening. I am heading into a week long vacation and have quite a struggle clearing my head and changing my energy, in other words, knocking it down a few levels to enjoy getting some rest and doing things I enjoy more like listening to music, reading, or watching one of my favorite series on TV or Netflix. My strong sense of responsibility to my day job, my role, and contributions there daily keep my energy flow extremely high and one of my main releases is exercise, meditation, or new age instrumental music and sitting down and getting my thoughts down for potential readers and listeners. That is not a chore it is my way of meditating and getting another frame or space where there is no clutter of thoughts or resistance.
The beauty of the instruments that Blue Monk plays gives this recording an ancient worldly feel. He demonstrates exceptional command of the tools of meditation and spirituality. He found what he sought and is now sharing with us, the listeners and seekers of the same. It works very well indeed! All you have to do is prepare the mind, body, and spirit for the transition the music brings and in seconds you can be in another frame of reference where healing and joy exist. It is that simple if you open that invisible portal.
I have to personally relate to this music to give an honest overview with the hope that all of those people that happen to come across my review or listen to samples and eventually buy the music to support these incredible artists, find what I find waiting inside the music.
The flutes are what makes this music so special and feel so mystical. Then as Michael adds all of his production values and synthesizers, electronics, and percussion, what you get is the beautiful combination of the old world meets the new world. This is the kind of mixture you find happening a lot in the new age genre, and I love it.
Michael Whalen and Blue Monk have created a new age world masterpiece that will be a tool for all those seeking comfort, healing, and solace in this very difficult time we are all experiencing on some level.
Your karma and dreams do converge and send very important messages to your soul. Karmic Dreams can be the gateway to where you need to go right now. Give it a listen and let it work its magic, you will not regret it.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
July 19, 2020
Track List:
1. The Secret Garden (4:52)
2. The Way of the Samurai (7:21)
3. Cherry Blossom Heart (5:50)
4. Moonscape (5:30)
5. The Trance (3:52)
6. Boundless Love (7:02)
7. Karmic Dreams (4:29)