Trevor Oswalt (a.k.a. East Forest) is a unique bird in the Wild West aviary of electronic music. While his shamanic ambient electropop can be contextualized along with Aphex Twin, Philip Glass and Sigur Ros, the fundamental mission of his project is to create sonic architecture for others to explore their own inner space. Thus, it is a process of opening doorways for the listener to walk through, which takes patience. Patience, while typically thought of as kryptonite in the instant gratification, hyper-speed world of music, might just be the medicine we need. Nature indelibly made a huge impression on Oswalt, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He spent a decade in NYC, where he discovered indigenous traditions and began cultivating source recordings from sound healings and mushroom ceremonies. Eventually he started leading underground ceremonies across the country. Playing in the private shadows allowed the patient sound of East Forest to emerge: an emotional and spacious lexicon born out of a practical need to play solo for six hours, while guiding a room full of listeners in deep meditation. Word organically spread as a devoted community shared his early albums, leading to glowing nods of approval from the likes of NPR and Wired. He completed multiple tours across the U.S. and Europe and shared his mission on the stage of TEDx while performing in a diverse range of settings, from SXSW to Grace Cathedral, as well as private parties for the likes of Google. As his diverse catalogue emerged (14 releases total), the music evolved from extended, ambient jams to more concise, structured material with vocals – a vivid mix of the digital and analog realms with a social and spiritual underpinning. “I’ve always been inspired by the natural world and the psychedelic experience” Oswalt asserts, cementing his position on plant medicine, which he has often implemented in his recording process. “I prefer to operate where my intuitive musical mind can speak and something larger can come through.”Contemplative Light is a community of interfaith spiritual teachers rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition providing resources for the healing of persons.Contemplative Light. Mystical Practice. Inner Transformation.This podcast is brought to you by our course on contemplative practices. You can visit us at https://www.contemplativelight.com and click on “Our Courses,” to learn more about our on-demand teachings about rich mystical practices of the Christian tradition.

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