EP 24: Greg Ellis: Off the Clicktrack

Rewilding Love

World-renowned musician, Greg Ellis discusses the symbiosis between organic music and rewilding. Rewilding anything means we're allowing its natural process to take over. And this is what Greg has done with his music, creating pure instrumental tonics in a sea of synthetic, mechanized sounds.
In the music studio, musicians are bound to a click track (digital metronome), which actively measures the time/tempo of the track. This device stifles the drummer's natural rhythmic sensibilities and requires they focus on synthetic time vs. playing in harmony with the other instruments. Greg works off the click track, developing musical tonics he dubbed Rhythmpharm to symbolize the healing power of organic sound. Music, when played with pure honesty, can impact the listener instantly on the cellular level.
Unlike in the studio, and on our phones and tablets, nature doesn't adhere to a standardized, mechanical time. Humans have developed a toxic relationship with time and our creativity and sense of peace are diminished as a result. But when we tune ourselves to the frequency of our true nature, we can flourish naturally. This is why being fully present is so powerful, our true nature knows no time.

This episode also explores:

• Evolving from self-help to self-discovery; we don't need help, we need to know who we are
• Adversity shows us our capacity for resilience
• Every disaster brings out the best in people
• The optimism of humanity
• Adhering to a complementary frequency of understanding with our partners
• Acknowledging the darkness we inhabit so we can be in balance with it

Show Notes
Smorgasbord: Rohini was right, it is spelled with a "d" and it is Swedish, not German.
Click track: digital metronome and metaphor for the clock controlling us all
Farm-to-table music: music before it became overly processed
Odd time signature: an odd amount of beats per measure, can be simplified into a righteous groove.
Trance: a tempo between 135–150 bpm that can lead to a state of hypnotism and heightened consciousness
Greg Ellis is one of the more innovative and versatile drummers in the world. Able to cross multiple genres of music from Indian classical to rock and roll, he has performed and recorded with musical artists from over 30 countries including Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart, Kodo, Billy Idol, and Juno Reactor. As a passionate advocate of the healing and therapeutic properties of rhythm and drumming, he founded a project called RhythmPharm as a way to encourage the importance of organic rhythm and frequency through recordings and live sessions. Learn more about Greg and his incredible work here.
Angus & Rohini Ross are “The Rewilders.” They love working with couples and helping them to reduce conflict and discord in their relationships. They co-facilitate individualized couples' intensives that rewild relationships back to their natural state of love. Rohini is the author of the ebook Marriage, and they are co-founders of The 29-Day Rewilding Experience and The Rewilding Community. You can also follow Angus and Rohini Ross on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To learn more about their work visit: therewilders.org.
Episode 24 features the music of RhythmPharm with Los Angeles-based composer Greg Ellis.