Talk:Sw Shivam Sanjiva
Here is a personal account by Sanjiva which was on the 96 Sounds website before it closed down…
"Even before I touched an instrument, at the age of 5, I realized that music would be the way for me to communicate with the world; even at that age I was thinking in terms of sound structures. I started to learn piano, guitar and flute, and as the years passed by I noticed how certain harmonies could create a state of well-being, peace and joy: music could be a tool; sounds could carry a power that not only reaches the ears, but other places in the body more subtle. As a teenager, while reading "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" and other works on Tibetan Mysticism, as well as books by Gurdjieff, I understood the direction that my work with sound and music would take: music can be healing if structured in a certain way - and I had to learn the way. The journey started when I was just 18.
The deep experiences I had had while reading all these books on Mysticism made me search for something alive - not a tradition, but a living Master. My productions in Montreal - music, theatre, dance and performance - were not what I was looking for.
The music business, as I experienced it in the late 70's, didn´t fit with what I wanted to do. I knew I had to learn music to be a musician; I also knew I had to learn meditation, so that the music could have a certain fragrance. Intellectually I wanted to understand the structure of sound: how and why sounds and vibrations affect moods and touch the body. The seeds were sown in different gardens; meditation was the soil and music the flowers. But I needed a master gardener; I'd been reading books by Osho, a modern Zen Master, for several years, and in 1986 I went to India to visit his Ashram. As soon as I arrived opportunities to play and explore came like a tidal wave. I had found my master and a place to express myself.
I remained there for 10 years. People are there for Osho, they are there to meditate. Music is used as a vehicle for celebration, meditation and healing. I played live with international musicians, playing anything from Raga to Reggae; in meditation workshops I started to experiment with trance-inducing sound patterns; I realized that I could not play from a purely mental point of view - I had to be spontaneous. This music induced a state of no-mind where meditation, silence of the mind, was easier to experience. I just had not to think about it.
In 1988 I discovered another way to play - sound-engineering live: this was a revelation. The Midi came into my life; before, I could only play with acoustic instruments in real time - now I could layer tracks and produce what I wanted in an easier way. I was so excited with this new development that I worked 7 days a week and there never seemed to be enough time to do everything I wanted.
On January 19th 1990, Osho left his body and I left India to tour through Europe alone with my Flute and a Lexicon LXP-5. After 4 years living in India, Europe was a shock and I returned very soon to Osho's Ashram. There, a surprise was waiting for me: "Osho Tibetan Pulsing Healing". Now I had a full-scale playground for my sound experiments.
With the support and guidance of Dheeraj, the creator of Tibetan Pulsing, I developed a new project: ŒOsho Tibetan Tones'- music tuned to the ninety-six frequencies of the human body and consciousness. I produced music to stimulate specific circuits in the nervous system; I used a Midi set-up and played electric guitar, flutes and other acoustic instruments live, with running sequences on top. In this manner I played over 100 different live sets of about 50 minutes each, recorded on DAT.
During this time I was realising a lot about music, and about myself. I felt completely empty; I´d had enough of electronics and went back to acoustic music. Together with some friends I toured Europe playing live and recording a few albums, using guitar, flute, santoor, voice and percussion. In between tours I went back to India - and did nothing.
In 1995, on a tour break in London, I was asked to record a CD for a well-known english label. I agreed, and locked myself for three days and nights in one of their studios. However, not wanting to go along with the publishing offer they proposed to me, I decided to go back to India, and took the mastertape along with me. A friend of mine, Vartan, who was taking care of the ŒOsho Tibetan Tones' production listened to "The Journey" (that´s what I called my composition) and loved it. He'd had an idea for some time of creating a label for music that goes along with our tibetan experience. Our friend Socrates, a painter, agreed to contribute his paintings for the covers, and I would compose and produce the music. Ninetysix Sounds was born. With the support of another friend we released "The Journey" from India. I went back to Montreal and started recording.
In late 1997 after finishing 8 albums I decided to go and live in the countryside and just do nothing. Now the pendulum swings back again to acoustic music - and meditating: the journey continues."
