("Lifeforce" by poligraf)

« Lifeforce » is the story of a personal catastrophe, an individual end of the world, beginning from a state of inspiration and hyperactivity, through doubt, destabilization, failure, consternation, collapse, and then on to relativisation, assessment, the return of hope, and renewal.

The story is told in non-linear time, beginning just after the collapse, and its various stages are presented as objects of an introspection which will lead to appraisal and peace and will allow the protagonist to determine their next direction.

The clip presents the introduction along with « Forsaken, » the first section of the suite, which consists in the lament of the protagonist being confronted to the sad turn of events. Here are the lyrics :

The goal was so near, yet there was no reaching it
The prize was so dear, yet there was no tasting it
Inches away, promise of a better day
Fading away, only agony remains

Nowhere to find, such elusive peace of mind
Nowhere to go, left abandoned to the flow
Endeavors over the years, disregarded in a day
Seeds of hope and fruits of tears, so high a price to pay

("The path to enlightenment" by rohit gowaikar)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

After Simon tells his roshi the story of the man who waited at the door of the Law, he begs him to explain the dark parable. The teacher replies that he will explain it, if Simon follows him into the zendo. So the young American follows his roshi to the door of the meditation hall, and when they get there, the teacher steps inside quickly, turns around, and slams the door in his student's face. At that moment, Simon experiences Awakening.

The fifth part of the suite is entitled "Awakening" and is intended as an instrumental illustration of the process Simon goes through when the door is shut in his face.

(Blue Morpho Butterfly by Martin Johnson Heade)

The third part of “The Idler” is entitled “Upward.”

The idea behind the movement is quite simple : once the necessity of evolution has been recognized and accepted, there’s only one way to go and its up.

To convey the feeling of somebody who is reinventing themselves, the music reintroduces some of the themes already presented earlier in the suite, but gives them new forms or turns them completely inside out.

There are no vocals in his section. Here's the associated poetry :

I only have myself to blame
As the mirror reflects my shame
I've seen the past and it was lame
Yet it defined a better aim

Walked on and on along this route
I know the place inside and out
So long a time spent in circles
I know by heart all the cycles

Exhausted of repetition
I'm ready for evolution
I recognize elevation
Essential to perennation

Pick me the flower yet ungrown
Map me the location unknown

Tell me the joke that's not absurd
Build me the floor undiscovered

Lead me up steps I never took
Fry me the fish I'll never hook

Reveal the cards as yet undealt
Evoke the sentiment unfelt

Write me the story yet untold
Warp me in time yet to unfold

Push me further than my intent
Touch me farther than my extent

Sanctify sinner yet absolved
Ask me the riddle left unsolved

Draw me the shadow of a doubt
Situate me outside of out

Tailor the skin that's yet unshed
Summon the spirit yet undead

Revive the man who never died
Mix me the color never eyed

Paint me the canvas yet unframed
Attain the goal yet to be aimed

Grant me the reward yet unearned
Teach me the lesson yet unlearned

Upward bent and forward headed
Purposeful until upgraded
Unending magic carpet ride
On winds of change unfazed I glide

And here’s what it sounds like when we perform it. Again, the live version is very different from the working version :

("Informaëlstrom" by poligraf)

1000 Radios is a two-part piece which explores the relationship between an individual and their reality, a subject and their objective world.

The second part, "Informaëlstrom," aims to depict this reality gone awry, a maelstrom of information as it were, and the struggle of the individual endeavouring to escape the chaos and finally break through the confusion to revel in understanding and effortlessness.

The piece is an instrumental, but I thought I'd write some related poetry to it, if just for the fun of it :

It started as a feel
And turned into an urge
A persistent appeal
To evolve on the verge

This I could not abide
Without means of living
Seemed safer to divide
Sustenance and calling

At first it was pleasance
As the streams were shallow
But with time turbulence
Got the best of the flow

Between who I could be
And what I was doing
Was a man lost at sea
And tides were conflicting

Thus was born this whirlpool
Against which I'm fighting
Subjected to its rule
Perpetually straining

At once be everywhere
Steady multitasking
Everlasting affair
At once be everything

Vortex unrelenting
Sensory overload
Incessant processing
Get me out of this mode

How on Earth could this be
The place that's right for me
Tell me when will I see
The time of your mercy

Chaos may be the bulk
Of my experience
But I won't end a hulk
I still feel transcendence

And in this simple fact
There is enough I find
Motivation to act
And tolerate the grind

From these thoughts appeasing
Though the pressure remains
My revel is stemming
As I unbind the chains

Until there is calmness
This passion will not fade
And in effortlessness
I pursue the crusade

And here's an idea of what it sounds like when performed live by Poligraf :

("Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji Meditation Hall" by Michael Dougan)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The 4th part is entitled "Pedagogue" and tells the story of the roshi's response to his student's plight.

Now I see
Dear Simon why you looked so weary

Don't worry
I will explain the allegory
And from its bind you will be free

Come with me
I know just the thing needed for thee
Follow me

The meditation hall holds the key
But the answer is one you must see

("Mainspring on a Sea-Gull ST16 movement" by Hustvedt)

"Chronoscope" is the second movement of "The Idler." In the storyline of the suite, this section is a reflection on the passage of time that culminates when the protagonist realizes the repetitiveness of his experiences, decides to stop going through the motions, and aims instead for evolution. The lyrics presents the internal dialog as follows :

- Idler tell me, do you feel free?
- Idler’s not free, clock ticks for me

- Idler tell me, are you sorry?
- Idler’s sorry, clock ticks for me

God have mercy, clock ticks for me
Why do I keep repeating the same old I ?

The music is essentially composed of simple, repetitive parts, and the intention here is to evoke the pieces of a clockwork mechanism.

The orchestrations which we put together for the live version are very different, to say the least, from the working version. The most obvious change probably being the absence of drums, which came about when Christian suggested that he play the piano part on the vibraphone. Miguel's response was to use synths to add sound effects, and the arrangements eventually evolved to convey an entirely different, more personal mood, which is very appropriate for the piece.

("Radio Station from the German Federal Archive" by Unknown Author)

1000 Radios is a two-part piece which explores the relationship between an individual and their reality, a subject and their objective world.

The first part, "Countless Questions," illustrates the evolution of the thought processes of the individual who, immersed in an overwhelming and chaotic world oversaturated with information, vacillates between confusion and clarity.

There’s a thousand radios playing in my mind – Radio’s
And I can’t tell which wave is mine – Wave
Should I turn them off if they have me bound? – Bound
Or were they meant to make me sound? – Sound

A thousand pictures moving in my head – Moving
Remains of stories unsaid – Stories
Should I paint them all for you to see – You
Or were they meant just for me? – Meant, just for me

There’s a billion providers with access to my mind
Uploading the reflections of futures left behind
Should I deny the requests? Could they set me free?
Disconnect them once again or let them alter me?

Radio why are you here, why do you play for me?
Is there something I should see?
Provider it isn’t clear, what do you want from me?
Show the place for me to be

Flow through my eyes, the dreams of another
Flood in my mind, the views of another
Flow through my eyes, the needs of another
Throughout my life, our lives altogether

Countless questions behind those eyes
Burning while I analyse
The design of the line between the world and I
An existence to justify

Too many references enfolded in my head
Who’s to blame for silences? Who’s to blame for what is said?
Redirect me into truth, I’ll strive with all my might
The path is clear yet undefined and there’s no end in sight

Radio why are you here, why do you play for me?
Is there something I should see?
Provider it isn’t clear, what do you want from me?
Show the place for me to be

Flow through my eyes, the dreams of another
Flood in my mind, the views of another
Flow through my eyes, the needs of another
Throughout my life, our lives altogether

("Upward" - detail from an old kindergarten painting)

The Idler was born of a combination of concepts discovered while exploring various domains of knowledge during the second half of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s.

« The idler who does not arise when it is time to arise, who is full of sloth though young and strong, who is lazy and weak in thought and mind, does not find the path to insight. » – The Dhammapada

I was developing an interest in Buddhism, and from the works of Jung, in the concepts of synchronicity, and the collective and individual unconscious, in particular in their various manifestations as guide to personal evolution :

« L’exigence de l’inconscient serait donc l’exigence de cette évolution, l’inconscient se rappelle à nous pour réaliser ce processus d’individuation, ce processus d’éveil. – C.G. Jung »

I wondered what would happen to an individual utterly oblivious to signs, or intentionally inertial. So I imagined a confrontation between a fictional character, The Idler, and their unconscious. Frustrated by the indifference of its protégé when facing dreams, somatic troubles, preoccupations, and other such signs, the unconscious takes human form in order to convince The Idler of the necessity of evolution, not only on the material plane, but also with respect with his emotive, affective, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions.

Here are the lyrics :

("Ganjoji in Izushi" by 663highland)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The 3rd part is entitled "Parable" and presents a reading of the story by which Simon, the Zen student, is bewildered.

Once was a man who had made it
Up all the way to the Door of the Law
No obstacle had made him quit
No one burden had caused him to withdraw

There was a guard at the summit
Right on the path leading to the entrance
Duty was his to keep the wall
And greet the man who would seek admittance

The sentry said "I cannot let you in
At this moment but in time you might see
The day when your prize you're allowed to win
Permission to move onward and past me"

Thus the man sat and waited on and on
Day after day hopefully restlessly
Staying up late and waking before dawn
Struggling to retain his sanity

Out of patience the man would take his chance
And his way in he would attempt to buy
But the other would not alter his stance
No matter how often the first one would try

"It is no use giving your properties"
The sentinel responded politely
"I only consent to your briberies
So you do not give up hope entirely"

Then came a day when the man felt too old
Fearful that death was about to claim him
Resigned himself having spent all his gold
Took one deep breath and expelled one last whim

"Pray tell me whom else might this door enthrall
So many years flew by in mystery
I have been told that the Law is for all
How come no one made it here but just me ?"

"I will explain" said the guard in return
"This door was made for no one but for thee
As you now die your last spark I thus spurn
The door I close and complete my duty"