09/14/2024
Cyclical Dreams, a label out of Argentina just released their latest compilation album called Gemstones 5 for which I had the honor and pleasure of creating a piece!
Each and every track on the album is so unique and beautiful- the album certainly lives up to its name. You can follow this link to check it out💎:
https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/gemstones-v-cyd-0115
Forest of Treasures is the name of the piece I offered to the project💖
Here is its story :
There is a temple in Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, India called Nidhivan which in English translates to Forest of Treasures. Nidhivan Temple is in a forest of sacred Tulsi trees. There is a legend that at night, the Tulsi trees turn into Gopis who are the lovers of Krishna, and they dance with Krishna the celestial Ras Leela - a dance of divine love and eternal devotion. It is said that nobody may gaze upon this sacred dance or they will lose their vision or might even go mad. To make sure this rule is followed, the gates to the forest and temple are locked at sunset.
I wanted to visit this special temple when in Vrindavan and I was not alone. Many pilgrims travel to this site. I found myself in a wide and extremely long, shoulder to shoulder line of jubilant devotees. The excitement was palpable and the sounds of their joyful conversations, prayers and songs filled the air. I had to capture this feeling somehow ! I decided to record while slowly moving through the Tulsi with the crowd.
In creating this piece, Forest of Treasures, I wanted to honor these Nidhivan recordings and, through the use of additional sonic elements, express how it felt to be there. I used various acoustic (including flute and gong) and electronic instruments (synths and samplers) as well as layers of vocals to create an audio memory of this precious moment in time .
I hope you enjoy it and perhaps are also able to sense this magical place when you listen.✨🙏
