~ CLICK PLAY BELOW ~ …take a listen while you read…
About Becoming Light:
The album Becoming Light is the culmination of the past 7 years of my life..these past 7 years have brought about massive changes through experiences that have been at times quite intense, sometimes barely even believable...also through working with information that was at times well outside of my comfort zone.
The sound of this album is quite unique, I’m not aware of any other music that sounds quite like this. This sound was developed completely organically, through the act of listening to the sounds that wanted to arise, staying out of the way of that as much as I could, and singing it. My own personal practice every morning for quite awhile was singing with the quartz singing bowls and journeying on the sounds that came out. This would last anywhere from 20 minutes to over 3 hours on many days that I had no place to be. Time would just get away from me, I’d always be quite surprised when I realized how much time had actually passed. These morning sessions eventually morphed into the Sound Healing Journeywork events that I now regularly facilitate.
A lot of the music on this album comes from sounds repeatedly channeled during the many Sound Healing Journeywork events that have taken place, as this practice has quite synchronistically slipped into being my life's work. I really did not see this coming, but after 2 years of doing this full time, it turns out to be the most fulfilling thing that I have ever done.
As for the instrumentation, every track on Becoming Light features my voice and the Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls. Also featured on tracks varyingly are; native frame drum, bass, acoustic guitar, synth pads, a special shaker that my mom made, nature sounds, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things.
I wanted you to be able to see some of the instruments on Becoming Light. This pic is actually from the 2017 recording of Awakening the Chakras, but you get the idea. It’s hard to remember to take pics when you’re a 1 man show! =)
The voice and the quartz crystal singing bowls coming together is a magical combination. In this music’s simplest form, as it’s performed live, I play the singing bowls as drone and then sing over the top of that. Using the droning of the singing bowls I allow myself to get lulled into something of a trance state where, in the simplest sense, I just stay out of the way of what comes up.
Drones can be quite powerful. A drone is an extended harmonic or monophonic accompaniment where a note (or a chord) is continuously sounded throughout a piece of music. Crystal singing bowls function quite perfectly as drones when they are played in a way that allows their tones to ring out continuously, which is why I believe so many people love the sound of singing bowls and love the experience of a meditation accompanied by them. Drones are featured throughout this album, many of the tracks are built on drones that run the full duration.
Sound Journeying: The act of using sound as a mode of achieving altered states of consciousness and conscious transport is probably older than humanity itself. There is something familiar about entraining to the sound of a drone, as though it reminds us on some deeper level of forgotten parts of ourselves that are timeless and infinite, and reminds us of where we come from before we come into this physical reality, before we come here and are assimilated into whatever cultural beliefs we are born into and take on as our truths and our way of living...while forgetting the truth of our infinite nature.
I’ve head many different amazing accounts of the affect that this sound has had on people through the live events. The goal of this album is to translate the music of a Sound healing Journeywork event into recorded music, while at the same time taking full advantage of the fact that I’m not limited to playing just 1 instrument at a time, as I am at a live event. I think that I’ve achieved that goal. I am very proud of this album. I believe that the music stands for itself. I also feel that the recording classes that I’ve been taking have paid off quite a bit. This album, sonically speaking, is definitely (by far) the best sounding album that I have ever recorded and mixed myself. Hands down. You can tell me what you think.
If you do choose to pre-order, the full album will show up in your email inbox (and your mailbox if you purchased a CD,) on (or before) October 18th! I very much hope that you enjoy this music, and the Sound Healing Journeywork video. Please do share your thoughts! 💚
Pre-Orders ~ Why are they so important?
Pre-orders are so important because all pre-orders will count as album sales on the date the album released, not when the order is placed. This means that with enough pre-orders we can land this album a spot on the Billboard charts! This is why I've decided to do 12 weeks of pre-orders, to get as many as we possibly can. Every single pre-order helps immensely!
This isn't about selling a bunch of albums, this is about expanding. I’m doing this with the hopes of being able to garner enough momentum to bring my Sound Healing Journeywork events to new places around the world.
Becoming Light will be going out to many New Age radio stations around the world this fall. If a Billboard chart position is landed, that attention will greatly help to boost all attention on this album, which will help to get even more airplay around the world, which in turn creates more opportunity.
When you pre-order Becoming Light you will receive:
4 tracks off of the new album instantly, no waiting
70+ minute Sound Healing video emailed to you asap
my eternal gratitude!
Instantly download 4 tracks (over 22 minutes of music) with your pre-order. The rest of the album will be delivered to you immediately via email (USPS if you order a CD) upon its release on October 18th.
I'm also offering a SPECIAL GIFT for pre-ordering Becoming Light to really help this along. This special gift is a live video from a Sound Healing Journeywork event at The Light Center in Black Mountain, NC. The video lasts a total of 1 hour and 11 minutes. If you like my 1-2 minute Instagram & Facebook videos this is a VERY EXTENDED version of what you hear there. It is actually footage from a real event.
By pre-ordering Becoming Light you are greatly helping me (a completely independent artist) to get this consciousness expanding music to a wider audience, and for that I am truly grateful.
A digital album costs $12 of which, after fees, I make about $9. With thousands of dollars invested into this album; upgrading recording gear, taking classes to better my recording skills, artwork design (by the amazing Walter Craven), a worldwide New Age radio campaign launching on October 1st, as well as many other things, the truth is that it will take awhile to break even on this album…but it’s not about the money! This is about expanding. I’m doing this with the hopes of being able to garner enough momentum to bring my Sound Healing Journeywork events around the world.
If $12 is honestly too much for you, and want to help with the pre-orders, reach out to me and we’ll figure it out. 💚
Pre-order Becoming Light here:
https://innerselfsustained.bandcamp.com/album/becoming-light
iTunes pre-orders will start on Friday August 2nd for $9.99, when pre-ordering through iTunes there is only 1 pre-released track, and you won’t receive the video, that is just how it works with them…but an order through iTunes still helps me just as much! If you purchase through iTunes I will absolutely get you the video, just reach out and send a pic of the order receipt.
Other Ways to Help:
If you would like to help in other ways, that is also hugely appreciated. Here are some ideas:
Please sign up for my email list, opening and reading the emails helps as well! …adding innerselfsustained@gmail.com to your contacts helps make sure the emails don’t end up in your spam folder.
Email List: https://mailchi.mp/7b8d33bd48e1/414sje30ps
Please follow me on all of the social media platforms that you choose to use. Commenting on & sharing my posts helps quite a bit, it helps with the varying algorithms to make sure you actually see what I post.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innerselfsustained/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bencarrollmusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BenCarrollMusic
Help to spread the word on music streaming services; follow me, add the music to a playlist, give a thumbs up, or whatever that particular service does…
Music Services:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ubE1oPkBgTBctIiNxBFy2
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/70751686
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/ben-carroll-new-age/
Bandcamp: https://innerselfsustained.bandcamp.com/
Events:
I’m also always looking for new studios to bring Sound Healing Journeywork events into. If you own a studio please reach out, or know of a studio that would be interested in hosting an event, please tell them about me, and about how awesome an event in their space would be! =)
Most importantly, please tell others about this album, share the music, (use it in your yoga class, in your own projects, or in another way - you have my permission), watch the free gift Sound Healing Journeywork video that you’'ll receive with a pre-order with friends, and most of all, just enjoy the music! May it bring your day happiness and bliss. 💚
If I can do anything for you, of if you just want to say hi, always feel free to reach out!
http://www.innerselfsustained.com/contact/