Chakra Study I from Lexi Bass on Vimeo.
The chakras, in Hindu and Qigong mysticism are force centers; wheel-like vortices of subtle matter corresponding with seven points on the physical body which are believed to be focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. Beginning at the base of the spine, the lower chakras deal with basic human needs and pleasures working up the spine to the genitals, the solar plexus, heart, the throat, the third eye, and eventually concluding in the ethereal extra-sensory crown chakra. Each chakra is associated with a color and natural element, connecting it's body to its physical home on Earth. I wanted to create with my piece, Chakra Study 1, a sense of movement up these spiritual centers of the body, a sanctuary or generic religious space one could find within oneself in our electronic Western society. I chose to include subtle references to religious musical imagery, both Eastern and Western, to evoke a feeling of religion or spiritual connection without labeling a god or belief system. These references are not explicit. The droning introduction is achieved electronically, while the choral movement in the latter half is an emotive improvisation in pure phonetics. For me the process of connecting to my own energy was integral to the cohesive result.
I originally composed the music for this piece in 5.1 Surround. This version for web is in Mono.