SOLON - Music as Meditation
Matt Singmin aka SOLON has been taking people out of the Ashrams and leading them towards the dance floor since 2009. He’s one half of the Future Sound of Yoga, a deep/tech house DJ and has a Philosophy/Literature major from Oxford University in England. I got to catch up with him and preview the new Future Sound of Yoga II mix.
You’ve been DJing at yoga and meditation events for over 5 years, what was the catalyst for the new creative direction?
I’ve been writing music for nearly 10 years now and I’m only recently at the point where I’m happy to share some of the work in the public domain – so it’s been more of continual evolution than a sudden new creative direction. The reason I created the SOLON brand is that the music that I’m interested in goes beyond the music that I play at Future Sound of Yoga, and it gives me the flexibility to explore some of that stuff.
What’s your philosophy towards making music?
Music as meditation is probably one of the core themes that runs through the tracks I’m writing. That doesn’t mean that all the music I’m writing is going to be ambient in style – faster forms of electronica (deep house, tech house, progressive in the original sense of the term) can just as easily put you in a meditative state.
How does music positivity effect a meditation / yoga practise?
The simplest way that it helps is in eliminating thoughts by giving the mind something to focus on in the present. It can also help take you to a place in your practice that you might not otherwise get to – in the same way that people listen to music when they go to the gym…
The other thing is that if you practice in a space with a large enough sound system, you can feel the vibrations in your body – which definitely does something positive – I’m not sure what exactly – but it feels good.
What inspires you?
Anyone that is producing deeply crafted high quality creative work… and it can be in any form – not just music, but film, tv, the written word… some of the stuff that’s been inspiring me over the last few months includes: Aphex Twin, TS Eliot, Banksy, the documentaries of Errol Morri
What’s the biggest struggle as a producer vs DJ?
It’s more challenging to write music than to DJ… DJing is harder than it looks – but writing a track is like writing a poem, and writing an album is like putting a novel together, it can take a long time to craft.
What can we expect from SOLON in the coming 12 months?
I’m finishing a series of meditation tracks which started with Datta, as well as some remixes and the SOLON album. I’ve also been thinking of putting together a Future Sound of Yoga mix made up of some of the classic tracks we have played over the past 5 years – there have been some tracks that really became a special part of the event and it would be good to put together a mix that captures them together.
Tell me about the Future Sound of Yoga Mix II
The new mix is mostly made up of electronica that has been written very recently… in contrast to the first yoga mix which was very much drawing on the music of the 90s. The Yoga Mix II definitely reflects the sound of the events that we run today. It’s designed to fit the flow of a 60 minute practice, whether you’re a teacher teaching or someone looking for music for personal practice. I guess I’d describe the feel as dreamy / haunting with some gentle intensity in the middle to keep you flowing through.