Steven Halpern: "Music For Microdosing" (2025) CD Review

Music for microdosing, what a great idea! Back when we were dosing, music always played an incredibly important role. Mostly it was the music of the Grateful Dead that we turned to, always excellent music for some exploration. But certain albums by Talking Heads (Fear Of Music) and David Bowie (Lodger) also worked well. So it makes sense that music should play a role in microdosing as well. I'm not sure how much a microdose actually is, but we also didn't really know how much a dose was. Back in my acid-eating days, we used blotter paper, and I usually took between one and three tabs, sometimes up to five or six. A friend did thirty-two one time, so I suppose for him microdosing would be two or three tabs. Of course, none of this was very scientific. We had no idea how much LSD was on a single tab. And it was likely spread unevenly on the sheet anyway, so if you got a corner piece it might not be as potent as a tab from the center. I suspect it might be a bit more scientific these days, a bit more regulated. But who knows? What concerns us here is the music to go with it. And who better to take us on that journey than Steven Halpern, who has been recording music for inward journeys for five decades. All the music on this album was composed and arranged by Steven Halpern, who plays electric piano and keyboards on these tracks. He is joined by a few guests on certain tracks. By the way, you don't need a microdose (however much that might be) to enjoy the music on this CD, just as you certainly don't need a full dose or two to enjoy the music of the Grateful Dead. The music itself works to improve mood, relax you, and get those creative juices flowing.

The album opens with its title track, "Music For Microdosing," which eases in, like a world welcoming the morning sun. The light, the breeze, the movement of trees all become one thing, and that one thing surrounds us, gently lifts us or settles us, depending on what it is we need. And as we become immersed in it, letting go of whatever stressful things are on the outside, the music feels like it is communicating to us, guiding us. That's followed by "Music Is The Bridge," a title that I love. And indeed here the music is ready to take us from one place to another. A bridge, and also a hand to hold as we cross it. There is a sweet joy to this piece, and a readiness. As Hamlet said, "The readiness is all." This music is like stepping into a waking dream, one you'll be able to remember, one that opens and opens and opens. "Timeless Truths" has a slightly darker feel in its opening moment, like now we are on more solid ground, a more defined space. That doesn't mean there isn't an ethereal quality, for there is. But now there is something nearly tangible about it, as it begins to take form. Like a heaviness to the air, though light is still able to pass through. And we have the sense of a stream toward the end.

"Whisper On The Wind" takes us into a recognizable natural landscape, with tall trees and hills, birds flying from tree to tree. Part of what gives this track that vibe is the presence of guest Jorge Alfano on Shakuhachi bamboo flute. Jorge delivers some beautiful work, and at times there is a wonderful contrast with the more electronic elements of this one, putting us in mind of two worlds combined. Then "Receiving Insights" takes us into a delicate dream, which we float through, as through a tunnel of gently swirling colors, individual lights sometimes approaching us, checking in on us, on our progress, and perhaps subtly suggesting a slight shift in course. And that shift is effortless. And the lights then engage us in dreamlike dance, before easing us out. Michael Diamond then joins Steven Halpern on synth guitar and keyboards for "Mindful Microdosing," which has quite a different feel, more in the electronic realm. Winds across an electronic landscape, or electronic lifeforms taking on the wind. The action, the creatures become captivating. That's followed by "Time Being II," a piece that Steven Halpern included on an album titled Inner Peace (an album that also included "Time Being I") and later on Crystal Bowl Healing. It glides in, feeling like it moves above us, and then through us, until it overwhelms, and we and it are now part of some new entity. And it is then we perhaps feel most calm.

More than twenty years ago, Steven Halpern recorded a piece titled "Deep Journeys." On this new album, he gives us "Deeper Journeys." As it begins, it feels like it is ushering us into our own personal journey within. Elements of the outside are present, perhaps as guides or guideposts, but this is all about a personal inward journey. Sometimes your own image comes in from without. And sometimes a darkness crouches, prepared, and we look into that. "Inner Space Outer Space" is a perfect title, because it often feels these journeys take place in both simultaneously. Rich Horowitz in responsible for the space effects on this cool track. And there is the feel here that the farther out we go, inevitably the farther in we go as well. Michael Manring then plays bass on "Root Chakra Resonance," an interesting track with a hint of melancholy, seemingly overcome by letting go. We hear ripples in the pool, along with ghosts of the past, and the sound grows toward the end. That's followed by "Transformation," which begins with a light that approaches, breathes, affects everything below it. A calm overcomes us, and we slip into a state where we are both relaxed and prepared.

"Heart Mind Coherence" is like a relaxing oasis in the middle of a busy world, as it tries to push away sirens with ocean waves and focus all thought on that calm place. And the place becomes more welcoming, prettier, as we become more and more a part of it. Then "Sonic Elevation" begins in a gorgeous place that takes deep, sonorous breaths. As we drift along, it feels like we've reached a place of acceptance. And perhaps that was inevitable in the face of such ancient magic as the building blocks of life, the tiniest particle taking on a conscience of its own. And then it all settles together, one great being, the whole cosmos. The album concludes with "At Peace In The Present Moment." And perhaps that title states the goal of this entire enterprise, not just a calmness but an ability to remain in the moment. And the music itself gets us there, centers us and soothes us, and makes us ready.

CD Track List

1. Music For Microdosing
2. Music Is The Bridge
3. Timeless Truths
4. Whisper On The Wind
5. Receiving Insights
6. Mindful Microdosing
7. Time Being II
8. Deeper Journeys
9. Inner Space Outer Space
10. Root Chakra Resonance
11. Transformation
12. Heart Mind Coherence
13. Sonic Elevation
14. At Peace In The Present Moment

Music For Microdosing was released on July 11, 2025.