Why subscribe?
I’m on a mission to help humans reconnect with nature through the practice of making music with the natural environment. My goal? To raise awareness and funds to protect the truly wild places that haven’t been altered by humans (yet!). And we can only do this by working together. That’s why I’m building a community, and a home, here on substack.
What is In The Field?
Imagine settling into a moss covered grove in a Pacific Northwestern rainforest. Devil’s club and salmonberry bushes surround us. Spring sunlight trickles through the Doug firs and red cedars overhead. The streams are full with snowmelt. Or maybe we’re in India. Under a giant banyan, finding respite under this sacred tree in the heat of the summer. Fresh marigolds strung from the branches around us. The air somehow cool in the shadows. Or maybe we’re in a quiet park just outside Stockholm in the fall. Mushrooms everywhere! Amanitas, chanterelles, boletes - vibrant fairy rings glowing in the afternoon light.
There are many of us - some plugging into plants and mushrooms and making music. Others discussing the newest scientific research in the field of bioelectricity. There are poets. And microscopes. Visual artists. And synthesizers. This gathering is a celebration, but also an evolving research project and an open air laboratory. It’s a place to meditate. Or have a nap. It is a place for questions and experimentation. Unabashed enthusiasm! And a fascination with nature. In biology, such active research in nature is called ‘field work’. So together, we’re ‘In The Field’
Who am I?
I’m Tarun. I make music with plants and mushrooms. When I first plugged a synth into a salmonberry bush 5 years ago, it changed my life. Took over my life! I could LISTEN to the world being alive. To trees, plants, mushrooms bubbling with electrical activity. The immediacy of this realization has not worn off. And as I’ve shared my experiments on the internet - and in mossy groves, under banyans, in public parks and churches - I’ve seen thousands of people have similar, almost transcendent experiences.
Oh how I have yearned for a place we could come together regularly and nerd out on nature, science, art and sound! That space is not on social media. It’s not on the music streaming platforms. It’s not really on an email list either. In person is obviously the best, but I can’t be everywhere, all the time. Almost a year ago a good friend suggested substack. And here we are.
What happens here?
What really happens here is community. I think these subjects and ideas are fascinating. And honestly, I think they’re important. In this age of disconnection, it’s my experience that reconnecting with nature, in community, is the real antidote. And there’s something very nice about doing that with music. So let’s explore together - under this virtual banyan tree 🙏🏽
Free subscribers get:
My monthly newsletter with upcoming tour dates, philosophical wonderings, book and music recommendations
An ever-updating list of resources to help your explorations
I’ll share other hardware and software projects I’m helping build - subscribers will hear about those and get first dibs!
Paid subscribers get:
A Field Guide to Making Plant and Mushroom Music. After years of being asked daily (!), I’ve put a detailed guide together. EVERYTHING you need to know about the history of this practice, the circuits, the practice, the gear, and where to go for support and further learning. I’ll keep on expanding this guide as we learn and grow.
Demos of my music compositions, live recordings and other sonic experimentations months or years before I share them elsewhere. Much will only be released here.
What’s to come? A chat to share your own experiments and meet each other. Video tutorials. Monthly office hours so you can ask all your questions. I have so many plans!
Research Associates get:
Everything above AND a beautiful, 100% recycled and bound Field Guide signed and mailed to your house, anywhere in the world. I’ve only printed 50 of them ✨
The warm and fuzzy feeling in your tummy that you are a Day 1
Freebies, ticket giveaways and other unique opportunities as they arise!
Why should I pay?
You don’t have to. You’ll still get the newsletters, the resources, and all sorts of other fun stuff. But honestly, paying allows me to do more. I feel blessed to live the life I live. But doing creative projects as an independent artist is HARD! As hard as it’s ever been. Touring costs have gone through the roof (up about 40% over the last few years), and streaming revenues on platforms such as Spotify are non-existent. Spotify recently de-monetized 80% of the artists on their platform.
I’ll keep on doing this regardless. But. If you buy me a virtual $6 CAD coffee once a month WOW that makes a big difference. It’s the single biggest thing you can do to support this project. It allows me to hire people, make more cool things, and spend more time experimenting. In return, you’ll get that exclusive music, the Field Guide - and soon - a community chat, instructional videos, and office hours.
Paying $6 a month is a big deal for me and my small team of friends who are passionate about this work.
Here are some articles about what I do!
The Guardian: Button pushers: the artists making music from mushrooms
Los Angeles Times: What do mushrooms sound like?
The Verge: Musicians are hooking up synthesizers to plants for new sonic possibilities
The Hindu: The man who makes mushrooms sing
