New Age Icon Laraaji
New Age icon Laraaji worked New York’s nightclub circuit as a stand-up comedian before devoting himself to meditation and music in the 1970s. In 1978, he was performing his signature zither-based, atmospheric sound in Washington Square Park when Brian Eno dropped him a note, eventually leading to the pairs’ collaboration on the genre-defining record Ambient 3: Day of Radiance. Laraaji has gone on to produce over 50 albums, including the newly released Sun Piano, and he recently took part in Grace Wales Bonner’s performative exhibition ‘Devotional Sound’ alongside Wallpaper* Design Awards judge 2020, Solange. While he may have given up comedy early in his career, he still maintains that laughter is a transformative, and ultimately healing, tool everyone should make use of. For decades he has taught laughter mediation classes that offer insight into the power of trained laughter to lift the mood and even improve physical health.
