Deuter
Encyclopedia
Deuter is a German New Age
instrumentalist and recording artist known for his meditative style that blends Eastern and Western musical styles.
Germany
in the town of Falkenhagen
, he taught himself the guitar
, flute
, harmonica
and "just about every instrument I could get my hands on," though it wasn’t until after a near-fatal car crash in his early twenties that he decided to pursue a career in music. His first release in 1970, entitled D, is widely acknowledged as a Krautrock
classic. D marked the beginning of Deuter’s spiritual and musical journey, ostensibly paving the way for a new genre of music known as New Age, which combined acoustic and electronic elements with ethnic instrumentation and nature sounds, such as whale
and bird song, the open sea, wind in the trees, etc.
During the 1970s and 1980s Deuter, after travelling extensively in Asia
in search of spiritual and creative inspiration, settled for a long time in Pune
, India
, where under the name Chaitanya Hari he became a neo-sannyasin — a disciple of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who later changed his name to Osho. With the aid of a multitrack tape machine, living in the neo-sannyas ashram, he produced a series of music tapes to be used in "active meditations", consisting of several "stages" of ten or fifteen minutes each, which range between, and often merge, Indian classical
motifs, fiery drums, loops
, synthesisers, bells, musique concrète
and pastoral acoustic passages. These works, constructed to the master's instructions in consultation with a team of disciples testing the meditation methods, deserve recognition for their purely functional or objective origination as well as for their originality, power and sometimes beauty.
In the early 1990s, Deuter — who always retained his professional name — ended his long standing relationship with Kuckuck, the small record label that had released nearly 20 original Deuter albums in as many years, and relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico
where he signed a deal with New Earth Records
, an independent label founded by fellow sannyasin Bhikkhu Schober and Waduda Paradiso. This proved to be a lucrative move for all involved, as Deuter's New Earth Records releases, the majority of them intended to accompany various healing and spiritual practices such as Reiki
, massage
and meditation
or, in the case of Earth Blue (2003), a collaboration with the Autostadt
Volkswagen
factory in Wolfsburg
, Germany, have sold well over half a million copies.
Deuter continues to learn and master an ever-expanding array of instruments, including the drums
, the shakuhachi flute
, the koto
, sitar
, Tibetan singing bowls, santoor
, bouzouki
, piano
and keyboard
. He has recorded and released over 60 albums and claims to have sold more than he can count during the course of his career.
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
instrumentalist and recording artist known for his meditative style that blends Eastern and Western musical styles.
Biography
Born Georg Deuter in 1945 in post-warPost-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the town of Falkenhagen
Falkenhagen
Falkenhagen is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany.-External links:...
, he taught himself the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
and "just about every instrument I could get my hands on," though it wasn’t until after a near-fatal car crash in his early twenties that he decided to pursue a career in music. His first release in 1970, entitled D, is widely acknowledged as a Krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
classic. D marked the beginning of Deuter’s spiritual and musical journey, ostensibly paving the way for a new genre of music known as New Age, which combined acoustic and electronic elements with ethnic instrumentation and nature sounds, such as whale
Whale song
Whale sounds are the sounds made by whales and which are used for different kinds of communication.The word "song" is used to describe the pattern of regular and predictable sounds made by some species of whales, notably the Humpback Whale...
and bird song, the open sea, wind in the trees, etc.
During the 1970s and 1980s Deuter, after travelling extensively in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in search of spiritual and creative inspiration, settled for a long time in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where under the name Chaitanya Hari he became a neo-sannyasin — a disciple of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who later changed his name to Osho. With the aid of a multitrack tape machine, living in the neo-sannyas ashram, he produced a series of music tapes to be used in "active meditations", consisting of several "stages" of ten or fifteen minutes each, which range between, and often merge, Indian classical
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
motifs, fiery drums, loops
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
, synthesisers, bells, musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
and pastoral acoustic passages. These works, constructed to the master's instructions in consultation with a team of disciples testing the meditation methods, deserve recognition for their purely functional or objective origination as well as for their originality, power and sometimes beauty.
In the early 1990s, Deuter — who always retained his professional name — ended his long standing relationship with Kuckuck, the small record label that had released nearly 20 original Deuter albums in as many years, and relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
where he signed a deal with New Earth Records
New Earth Records
New Earth Records is an independent record label focusing primarily on New Age Music and World Music. It was founded in 1990 in Munich, Germany, by European entrepreneurs Bhikkhu Schober and Waduda Paradiso under the auspices of the spiritual teacher known as Osho...
, an independent label founded by fellow sannyasin Bhikkhu Schober and Waduda Paradiso. This proved to be a lucrative move for all involved, as Deuter's New Earth Records releases, the majority of them intended to accompany various healing and spiritual practices such as Reiki
Reiki
is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. The teaching was continued and adapted by various teachers. It uses a technique commonly called palm healing as a form of complementary and alternative medicine and is sometimes classified as oriental medicine by some...
, massage
Massage
Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
or, in the case of Earth Blue (2003), a collaboration with the Autostadt
Autostadt
The Autostadt is a visitor attraction adjacent to the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, with a prime focus on automobiles. It features a museum, feature pavilions for the principal automobile brands in the Volkswagen Group, a customer centre where customers can pick up new cars, and take a...
Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
factory in Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
, Germany, have sold well over half a million copies.
Deuter continues to learn and master an ever-expanding array of instruments, including the drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, the shakuhachi flute
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...
, the koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
, sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, Tibetan singing bowls, santoor
Santoor
The santoor is an ancient stringed musical instrument, native to Kashmir and Iran. It is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer often made of walnut, with seventy two strings. The special-shaped mallets are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers...
, bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. He has recorded and released over 60 albums and claims to have sold more than he can count during the course of his career.
Discography
Presented by year of actual recording- D (1971)
- Aum (1972)
- Kundalini Meditation Music (1975)
- Nadabrahma Meditation Music (1975)
- Nataraj Meditation Music (1975)
- Tea from an empty Cup (1975)
- Riding the Bull (1976)
- Celebration (1976)
- Dynamic Meditation Music (1976)
- Haleakala (1978)
- Ecstasy (1978)
- Silence Is the Answer (1980)
- Cicada (1982)
- Nirvana Road (1984)
- Phantasiereisen (1984)
- San (1984)
- Call of the Unknown (1985)
- Phantasiereisen (1987)
- Land of Enchantment (1988)
- Healing Hypno Trances (1990)
- Bashos Pond (1990)
- Petrified Forest (1990)
- Sands of Time (1991)
- Henon (1992)
- Tao Te King Music & Words (1992)
- Relax (1993)
- Inside Hypno Relaxation (1994)
- Terra magica: Planet of Light (1994)
- Klänge der Liebe Relaxation (1995)
- Wind & Mountain (1995)
- In Trance Hypno (1995)
- Chakras (1995)
- Tu dir gut (1996)
- Nada Himalaya Tibetan Bells (1997)
- Reiki Hands of Light (1998)
- Die Blaue Blume (1998)
- Chakra (1998)
- Garden of the Gods (1999)
- Männerrituale Music & Words (2000)
- Frauenrituale Music & Words (2000)
- Sun Spirit (2000)
- Buddha Nature (2001)
- Wind & Mountain (2001)
- Like the Wind in the Trees (2002)
- Sea & Silence (2003)
- Earth Blue (2004)
- Tibet: Nada Himalaya, Vol. 2 (2005)
- East of the Full Moon (2005)
- Koyasan: Reiki Sound Healing (2007)
- Spiritual Healing (2008)
- Atmospheres (2009)
- Notes From a Planet (2009)
- Eternity (2009)
- Celebration of Light: Music for Winter and the Christmas Season (2009)
- Mystery of Light (2010)
- Empty Sky (2011)
External links
- New Earth Records
- Deuter page at Artist Direct, includes selected discography, biography, and links
- Deuter links and discography at Google Music
- Celestial Harmonies biography of Deuter and Deuter discography at Blacksun.com