What is New Age Music?

Music has always been considered “food for the soul” either with instruments, vocals, or lyrics. With the addition of New Age Music (music which is solely based on a spiritual connection), the music industry expanded into more than just the beats to dance or lyrics to feel. New Age Music intends to create or develop a peaceful, stress-free, and meditating environment for listeners. This is particularly true for when they do yoga or massage, during meditation, and some people opt for this option while reading as well.

New Age Music is music that is supposed to reduce distractions, attract positive energy, and create a positive atmosphere. Some people also believe that by listening to New Age Music, they can eliminate negativity from life.

During the 1970s, the concept of New Age Spirituality was booming in western nations. This was because people were in search of ways of harnessing spiritual connections to create a better and more peaceful life. The term mind/body/spirit connection was used long before the words new age were put together.

Listeners of New Age Music became labeled as “hippies” because they were not into the materialism or the hustle-bustle of the world. Instead, they sought inner peace.

New Age Music was one such method of attaining this inner peace.

The New Age Music genre is a distinctive genre that some critics do not even consider to be music. It is a genre that usually does not involve trance or dance music, but there are some exceptions, such as with tribal fusion.

New Age Music does, however, include both acoustic and electronic forms of instruments such as flutes, the piano, the acoustic guitar, and a wide variety of folk instruments.

Vocals do not usually work in this musical genre as they can be distracting from the relaxing nature of the music. Despite this, they have become more common over time. This is especially true of music that features Native-American, Sanskrit or Tibetan chants. Additionally, lyrics that have a spiritual message or Celtic influence can also be found from time to time.

The sounds of nature are perhaps the most soothing sounds and they also have a gentle and calming effect on the soul. It goes without saying that the inclusion of nature sounds such as waterfalls, chirping birds, and running water can be found among some New Age songs.

Wellness and massage centers use New Age Music more than any other genre of music because of its relaxing tones and the use of nature sounds.

It should also be noted that there is a significant overlap of New Age Music with other forms of music such as classical, jazz, pop, space, experimental, and others.

There is no such thing as a traditional New Age Music artist. These artists are influenced by various other music genres.

Initially, New Age Music was not considered popular. Instead, these records could only be found at unusual places such as spiritual book stores and eccentric gift stores.

The distinctive style of the New Age genre gained popularity in the 1980s and the early 1990s. The numbers of records sold were now staggering. It was realized that this music was not just for spas, but that people were in fact in awe of the New Age Music genre and its unique sounds.

It was in the late 1980s that major recording companies started to see the potential of and began promoting New Age Music artists with other top artists of the time.

New Age Music has many subgenres that involve more than just the spiritual and stress-free elements of relaxation. Other subgenres include those meant to arouse sexuality and be sensual in design and those intended to produce healing effects on the mind, body, or soul.

Noticeable early contributions to the genre include:

Tony Scott. In 1964, he released “Music for Zen Meditation,” which is assumed to be the first New Age Music recording.
Paul Horn. In 1968, he released “Inside.” It was released again in the 1980s as “Inside The Taj Mahal.”
Irv Teibel. He produced his “Environments” series from 1969 to 1979. These were the first recordings to include natural soundscapes, tintinnabulation, and aum chants.
Steven Halpern. His “Spectrum Suite” came out in 1975.
The meditation music of Rajneesh, who would later go by the name Osho, began in the 1970s.
Deuter released “D” in 1971. It included a fusion of the calming sounds of the sea mixed with acoustic and electronic instruments.
Kay Gardner is perhaps one of the most popular New Age Music artists. Her 1975 sensual “Lunamuse” from “Mooncircles” appeared in 1975. “A Rainbow Path,” in 1984, combines healing music with women’s spirituality.

The rat race of life has caused people to be stressful without them realizing the negative impacts it is having on their health.

People use various methods for relaxing. Activities such as massages, going to the spa, performing yoga, and meditation are all popular means of relaxing. All of these methods for seeking peace, however, have one thing in common. That is New Age Music.

The following are some top New Age Albums you can enjoy.