Live gigs at yoga leads to album

Arli Liberman hopes the release of his first album will draw attention to the benefits of yoga and meditation.

When Auckland-based, Israeli composer and musician Arli Liberman started playing at yoga and meditation classes, he was inundated with people wanting to know where they could buy his music. Now he's releasing Fata Morgana, the ultimate chill-out album.

"The way it evolved was amazing," he says. "So many people were asking, 'Where can we hear your music, where can we buy it?' I was like, 'I'm working on it'," he laughs.

Liberman's Middle Eastern heritage with Western influences provides the foundation for the album. It is then layered with a dreamy mix of guitar, loops and pedals.

"It's like a lush, abstract artwork," he explains. "When I do a live mass meditation, I will layer those frequencies and then bring in ambient colours that create and release tension. So they're not songs in particular but there is a melody line that resonates "

The release of Fata Morgana coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week, which ends today, and Liberman hopes the album draws attention to the benefits of meditation and yoga.

"Everybody resonates and responds to different frequencies. I worked hard to make sure it wasn't dark because my preferences musically have something a bit haunting, which is related to the Middle East. But I wanted to create this almost audio massage for the brain. You can listen to it closely, or you can just hear it but they should both give you this feeling of complete relaxation."

Liberman tried to enter a "la-la land of nothingness, of not thinking, just being. It's something people hardly ever do. We are constantly thinking about everything we do. And that's something that would wear anybody out," he says.

Born in Israel, Liberman began playing the guitar at 13. He went on to join the Whiteflag Project, one of the Middle East's first bands to contain Palestinian and Israeli musicians.

He now lives in New Zealand. "The only way a man can travel 11,000 miles away is for a partner," he laughs. "My wife is a Kiwi. Now Auckland is home. I just got my citizenship the other week."

Liberman says there is a keen interest in the music he makes.

"There are people who always need release, and I think you can get that with this kind of music, especially if you do it in a complementary way with yoga or meditation."

• Fata Morgana is out now.