An "environments" Summer Chill-Out Listening Meditation

Join us on this (sure to be) sweltering August eve as PRS teams up with dublab and Syntonic Research, Inc. to cool down with a special summer audio communion with the natural world – a field recording sound bath and deep listening meditation featuring selected nature recordings from Irv Teibel’s legendary ENVIRONMENTS albums.

In this hushed and tranquil listening session, we'll begin with a brief grounding meditation, inviting us to sink into our senses and attune our ears to the sounds of our surroundings before being gently immersed in aural landscapes, sonic snapshots of nature captured in time, on tape. This particular session was born of a conversation with Irv Teibel’s daughter, Jennifer Ballow, who shared that – in the thick of sizzling summers – her father would hold “cool down” listening sessions, wherein he would treat his guests to his high fidelity recordings of chilly blizzards or refreshing tropical breezes. Afterwards, his guests would report feeling their body temperatures drop as the waves of soothing sound rolled over them.

On this special evening, our voyage of sound will take us from the frigid far reaches of alpine mountains to the white sands of a Caribbean lagoon. In an era when a slew of synthetic soundscapes (all progeny, indirectly, of Teibel’s work) are a YouTube click away – at the ready to serve as auditory wallpaper – this field recording sound bath invites us engage our senses and imagination as we drop into a deeper sonic communion through environments’ revolutionary nature recordings, recorded at the source by the pioneer of the field.

In the late 1960s, sound recordist and audio polymath Irv Teibel’s fascination with the psychological potentials of “natural white noise” led him to first record a short, high fidelity loop of the ocean at Brighton Beach. Working with a neuroscientist at Bell Labs, this recording was then processed through an IBM 360 computer in order to create a continuous, album-side long soundscape – soon after released in quadraphonic sound as “The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore,” the first in his environments (stylized in lowercase text to convey their soothing nature) album series on his own label, Syntonic Research, Inc. The revolutionary album, one of the first commercially available field recordings, became a massive hit and something of a cultural landmark – tapping into the era’s spirit of auditory exploration and consciousness expansion. Its back cover was filled with quotes proclaiming it, “Better than the real thing,” “A gentle, subtle trip,” “The hippest record ever!,” “Fantastic for making love!,” and exclaiming, “I can’t get over how clear my thinking is.”

The pioneering series of 11 albums which followed on Syntonic Records (‘syntonic’ meaning “responsive to and in harmony with the environment”) spanned recordings of a country stream, a secluded Southern swamp, a wood masted sailboat, a summer cornfield, even a San Francisco hippie happening – all the while introducing listeners to a new way of listening which paved the way for ambient and New Age music.

For this very special evening event, we will soak in the cooling sounds of roughly an hour of vintage recordings, selected with the help of Teibel’s daughter, Jennifer Ballow, who has kept Syntonic Research, Inc. alive and spearheaded the remastering and re-release of her father’s landmark albums.

BYO cushions, pillows, and mats! (We will have a selection of blankets, cushions, and pillows available)

About dublab:

dublab is a Los Angeles-based, community-supported internet radio station and creative collective dedicated to the growth of positive music, arts, and culture. Founded in 1999, dublab has been broadcasting since the “dot-com era” with the mission to share forward-thinking, freeform radio with an international audience. dublab’s programming has since expanded to include the production of original art exhibits, films, television, events, and community education projects as well as broadcast on affiliate stations in Germany, Japan, Spain, and Brazil.
Each month, dublab showcases over 180 radio shows from some of the world’s most talented DJs, musicians, journalists, and artists. Each show is distinct and entirely freeform: we take pride in empowering our DJs to freely play the music that best shares their individual story. Beyond broadcast, dublab produces and hosts several multimedia projects and exhibits each year, most often made possible by the support of public and foundation project grants. Through local events, international broadcasts, and collaborative multimedia projects, dublab has helped define and connect the next wave of arts, music, and culture across the Los Angeles and international communities.

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

Please note this particular event is being held in a space that is not wheelchair accessible.

REFUND POLICIES

All sales are final. There are no refunds for PRS events, except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test.

In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event

PARKING

Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east) and back lot (entry from first alley way, off Griffith Park Blvd. from intersection with Los Feliz Blvd.), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and on Los Feliz Blvd (after 7pm). We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and to please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking.

PRS EVENT POLICIES

• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
• Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
• We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
• Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
• No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission.
• There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
• We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
• Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
• Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States