“Meditations, Volume 2” is out today (March 28) under the name “Black Hole Zion.”
The 60-minute album combines electronic music with the concept of binaural beats to create a soundscape suited to meditation, yoga, creating art and other mindful activities.
Mark A. Benincosa II, recording engineer and Music Technology instructor in the School of Music, wrote, performed, recorded and mixed the entire album himself.
The album balances synthesizers and bass drum pulses with thoughtful piano and other melodic elements. The album was designed to play seamlessly from start to finish, but can also be played as an infinite loop.
“The entire process was tough, but very rewarding,” Benincosa said. “Not only was I trying to write an hour’s worth of music that flowed and was enjoyable to listen to, but I also had to make sure that I wrote in such a way that the end of the work mirrors the beginning,” Benincosa said.
“Depending on their listening platform, someone could listen to this album for an entire day on repeat and not hear a gap. Crazy, right?”
On the subject of binaural beats, Benincosa is cautiously optimistic.
“There’s this idea that playing two slightly different tones in different ears can put your mind in a different state, make you more creative, relaxed or whatever. I think that’s cool, and I am obviously interested in it. That said, the science on it all isn’t that strong. As a person of science, I would love to see more research done on the subject. As an artist, I think the best thing I can do on that end is ask questions. At the end of the day, I know I’ve written something with the intention of helping people in other activities. If someone likes it and finds it useful, that matters to me more than anything else,” he said.
Benincosa has been recognized for his work on the video game “Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition” and the Grammy-nominated “Mademoiselle: Premiere Audience,” an album he worked on with fellow School of Music faculty member Lucy Mauro.
He is also a registered yoga teacher at Main Street Yoga in Fairmont.