Despite the chaos of his music and his famously combative reputation, Lou Reed was an avid practitioner of yoga, meditation, and martial arts. As the 1970s drew to a close, he quit speed and alcohol and began learning Tai Chi as part of his efforts to strengthen his broken body. Early teachers recall that Reid’s hands were shaking so much that he could barely maintain his position, but he persisted. On his tours, he brought his sword and instructional VHS tapes and practiced in hotel gyms and conference rooms. Upon returning home, he was known to take a taxi directly from the airport to class. For the last six years of his life, he continued to do Tai Chi for his six days, followed by yoga for his day every week to improve his concentration. “He’s looking for magic,” said Laurie Anderson, his partner of 21 years. In fact, when he died, he was in Anderson’s arms, his eyes wide and his hands in a tai chi position, doing breathing exercises.
Newly remastered and reissued with extensive liner notes by Light in the Attic. Hudson River Wind Meditation It was first released in 2007 on a small Louisville, Colorado label specializing in self-help and spirituality. However, it was not originally intended for general consumption. According to Anderson, Reed created early versions of these pieces to accompany guided meditations read by herbalist and acupuncturist Shelley Penn. Although not all of his classmates participated, this music eventually became the soundtrack for his tai chi practice. Some students liked the traditional Chinese music that their teacher, Mr. Ren Guangyi, often played, and asked him to cut the reed tape. One student walked out the door and never came back. (Reed’s drone music always had a polarizing effect on listeners.)
But Reed and Len continued to play the tape, and according to Anderson, some of his classmates came up anyway and said it was the best Tai Chi music they had ever heard. One wonders how much Reed’s fame, or simply his legendary stubbornness, oiled the wheels. In a funny anecdote in the liner notes, yoga instructor Eddie Stern says that when he was working with Reed: Hudson River Wind Meditation I’m a silent meditator and normally don’t recommend listening to music while meditating, but I’ll ignore it for Lou’s sake. ”
The bulk of the release is dominated by two long tracks that offer markedly different visions of what ambient music can be. The opening song, “Move Your Heart,” is the more minimal of her two songs. It consists of a single vibrating tone, or cluster of sounds, that opens and closes repeatedly for almost 29 minutes, with little apparent change. Rooted in a bass pulse, a growling, high-resonance filter begins to spark as it probes frequencies. For a split second, it’s a soft, reassuring major triad, but then the filter tightens again, pulverizing everything into rumbling mud. The cycle moves like a wave or a breath, seemingly steady, but its repetition is never precise and its power is enhanced by an almost imperceptible sense of uncertainty. You never really know what music will do next. do anything. It is mild, but not completely sedating. The piece seems to have a life of its own, its raw, unpolished sound feeling far removed from the platitudes of gentler relaxation music. At times, the bass becomes thick and congealed and feels downright unmanageable.
