The shock and tragedy of Michael Jackson's death are still very much in the news as I write this. As reports continue to disclose additional contributory factors to the continual stress and pain that Michael lived with, one of the key factors is his difficulty with falling asleep. It may turn out that he had an array of uppers and downers that rivaled the original King, Elvis himself.

     I'm wondering if you noticed, however, a possible source of irritating noise that certainly didn't make it any easier to fall sleep. According the live footage shot from overhead, his rented mansion appeared to be right next to a small freeway. While it doesn't seem to bother some folks, many others find that freeway traffic noise is linked to many forms of stress, such as high blood pressure, irritation, fatigue, ulcers, migraine and inability to sleep.

     If nothing else, it may give one cause to pause for moment and consider the soundscape where you live. If you’re in a noisy environment, what steps have you taken to balance out the sound, either with another form of white noise, such as a table top fountain, fan, air conditioner, etc?

     I should mention at this point that not all road noise is created equal. There have been times when I've been able to transform the sound into the sound of the ocean. But depending on the kind of pavement (some roads are designed to be quieter) and the presence or lack of loud, big-rig diesels or motorcycles, this mental game may or may not be useful to you.

     When I travel and have to stay in a hotel, I used to ask for a room away from traffic. The problem was, however, that the other side of the hall faced a row of industrial-strength air conditioning exhaust fans. It was 99 degrees the other day in Denver, and those suckas were on 24/7. I called the front desk, but the hotel was already sold out for the Subtle Energy conference I was attending. Oh, how I would have gladly traded for a traffic-side room!

     Life is often a series of choices. Whenever possible, I travel with my own portable mini-stereo, so I can play a sleep-inducing soundtrack to counteract the noise from the air conditioning, which I have on to counteract the exhaust fans ten stories below the window.

Cycles of Time, and My Own “Golden Oldies”

     It always fascinates me when, all of a sudden, I get several emails in one week, all asking for one of my first albums. Recently, Ancient Echoes came up several times. I found this an especially joyful “celestine prophecy” moment, because I had just been in the recording studio creating a new audio-video experience using the title song as the soundtrack.

     I've just posted this on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9eKAQDxWQ and I invite you to be uplifted by the ancient Egyptian-inspired choreography by an extraordinary dancer who went by the name of Butterfly before and after she and I performed several ceremonial concerts together in 1984-85.

Starborn Suite

     I also enjoyed the synchronicity of receiving several request for the third release in my Soundscape series, which began with Spectrum Suite in 1975 and continued with Zodiac Suite in 1977. Back in the day, the less than stellar recording quality took a back seat to the vibe of the moment. Some of the tracks were recorded live in London. The entire first side was recorded live as the soundtrack for a guided meditation by Rose Gladden, Britain's leading psychic of that time.

     When anyone produces a spoken word and music program, each element is first polished before blending the two together. When I listened to the music on its own, however, it was clear that an entire side of an album had been born without my even being aware of it as it was happening!

     These remarkable sorts of synchronicities have been common throughout my entire recording career. But since this was still early on, the magic of the moment was magnified by its newness.

     The bottom line is that the only existing copy of the original master tape had degraded a bit over the years, but we were still able to resurrect enough to allow us to re-master it with the latest sound technology. In a few weeks, I'll have samples and soundfiles available exclusively on my website.

     I'll also be posting samples of the latest soundscapes I'm currently working on, which include a special sonic brainwave entrainment matrix to promote sound sleep.

Contest of the Month, Silver Anniversaries ... and Beyond

     While I'm on the subject, I'll also be posting on YouTube soon a video that has up to now exclusively been on my own website. This month’s Golden Oldie contest is actually two contests:

     1. What was especially significant about the timing of Ancient Echoes, i.e., what time of the month? The first person to correctly answer this question will receive a newly remastered thirtieth anniversary edition of this CD that I recorded with harpist Georgia Kelly.

     2. In 1987 I took part in a historic non-political conference in Moscow. What was the name of the event, and what kind of individuals were involved? In what bastion of Russian music orthodoxy did I perform in concert, preceding Paul Horn and Dianna Reeves? Hint: Video will be posted to YouTube in the near future. The winner of this contest will receive a free CD of their choice.

     Until next time, keep some fine music in your life and stay tuned.

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Steven Halpern is an internationally-renowned composer, recording artist and pioneering sound healer. His latest albums expand upon his earlier work, incorporating the primordial mantra (In the Om Zone 2.0) and the soulful sounds of the cello, (Relaxation Suite) featuring the remarkable David Darling. Listen to samples of Relaxation Suite here: www.innerpeacemusic.com/albumdetail.asp?pid=91. Listen to samples of In the Om Zone 2.0 here: www.innerpeacemusic.com/albumdetail.asp?pid=92.

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