In Current Circulation, David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir expand beyond the scope of the traditional tantric Tibetan Buddhist chant, in which the singer holds one steady note and one unmoving harmonic. They also expand beyond the traditional Mongolian Hoomi singing, in which the singer projects soaring harmonic melodies from the overtone series of the steady fundamental.

In Current Circulation, the singers create new melodies and chords by simultaneously moving both the harmonic and fundamental notes, sometimes in converging directions, or by holding the high harmonic while varying the fundamental. This kind of harmonic chanting is very demanding for the singers, and can be for the listener as well. The listener may choose to focus on the complicated tunings between harmonics and fundamentals, and the chords between the singers as they move among the notes of the inverted harmonic scale. Or, the listener may choose to let his mind soar through the architectural spaces created by the intangible energies emanating from the Harmonic Choir. The vibrations both define the space and inhabit it, shimmering through the air in a timeless dimension.

the artist

David Hykes is a seeker, searching for the relationship between music, silence, listening and the Creation. Says Hykes, "In relation to the reverberating whole which is the Creation, man is a kind of instrument that receives and transforms impressions—a living antenna. We must find a silence that will sensitize us to the signals which are the most essential to our growth, and we must learn to listen for them.-"; Hykes finds that serenity through his harmonic chanting and that of his Harmonic Choir, the "singing listeners".

Hykes bases his music on the observations of Pythagoras, who twenty–five centuries ago, related note to number and sensed musical values as central to the Creation. Hykes studied the timeless geometry of the harmonic series, relating harmony in music to ordered states within oneself and the universe. But unlike many musicians who have been likewise fascinated, Hykes has explored harmonies through the most direct means, the human voice.

The harmonic chanting of David Hykes springs from the tradition of the Mongolian nomads and Tibetan monks who sing "prismatically", each singer projecting harmonic overtone melodies while maintaining a steady fundamental tone. They accomplish this by an extremely precise modulation of the abdominal muscles, chest and vocal apparatus. David Hykes and members of his choir can articulate from one to seven harmonics simultaneously, duplicating the precise mathematical order which underlies all sound phenomena.

David Hykes has been refining his artistry for 20 years, focusing his work at the International Center for Harmonic Studies in France. His music appears in the scores of major motion pictures such as Ghost, Dead Poets Society, Jacob's Ladder, and a film about the life of philosopher and mystic Georges Gurdjieff, Meetings With Remarkable Men. Hykes has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia.

The music of David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir is a dichotomy; mystical while mathematical, meditative while intellectual. In all its complexities, it is beautiful music that flows over us and into us, freeing the soul to reach new heights of peace and understanding.

discography

tracklist