"To me soft, spiritual music is music that conveys timelessness, the infinite, the oneness of the Cosmos....," - music-maker Remo Fernandes tells Daijiworld's special correspondent, 'Ares' in Goa.

March 5, 2006

Remo Fernandes, the talented and individualistic music-maker, keeps shuttling between ciites. Music is an eternal journey for him, which takes him around, always keeping him on the move.  

For example, It was an inspiring night for Goa's own contribution to international musical world - Remo Fernandes... Away from buzzing Goa, Remo performed at Isha Foundation Ashram near Coimbatore on Mahashivaratri Night where 4,00,000 people gathered. It was a night full of meditation and music and dance for the devotees.

Remo spoke about the soft spiritual music and his wonderful experience during the concert. The excerpts:

 Can soft spiritual music help in meditation?

I personally prefer complete silence in meditation. Or sounds of nature, such as the sea, the trees, the birds. But if you live in a big city, which only has traffic noise to offer, soft contemplative music can certainly help a lot in de-stressing, in relaxing, and even in meditating.

Is soft spiritual music a blending of normal music and spiritual tunes?

To me, soft spiritual music is music that conveys timelessness, the infinite, the oneness of the cosmos. Each artist has his or her own interpretation of these things, and whatever interpretation touches you is the right one for you.

You already have `symphonic chants' and `India beyond' to your credit, do you want to add more to your albums.

Not at the moment. I have just completed an album, which is a return to pop, though this one has quite a bit of electronica in it. It is titled "Muchacha Latina", and is due for release in April. But who knows, I might do another soft contemplative album one day... I don't plan these things too much in advance.

What is the composition of soft spiritual music -- is it traditional or western or something much different.

Spirituality itself is neither Eastern nor Western! Therefore the music that inspires spirituality cannot be restricted to one hemisphere either. Music from everywhere in the world can take you on a spiritual journey, whether it is Chinese, African, Indian, European... It finally depends on the listener. Sadhguru at Isha Foundation told me today that he has been using my "Jalwa" for the last 20 years in his sessions; while simultaneously; people have been rocking to this track in clubs across the country. Music is a knife: you can use it for surgery, for cooking, for gardening... or for killing!

Can we say that Remo, who rocked the world with his songs which can be listened to better with loud music, will now opt for soft and smooth tunes.... is it a new trend that you are setting? 

No way, I will not quit one type of music for another! The beauty of it all is to express and celebrate variety, as many different types of music as possible in this life. At Isha Foundation I performed extremely high voltage music, interspersed with very soft meditative passages... weaving seamlessly from one state to another... because that's what life is all about, that's what we are all about: body and soul!