Power and Serenity

Tai chi meditation music Lou Reed and I made together over four years, for Master Ren Guangyi’s DVD. The first thing we ever worked on.

It is interesting to me to reflect on the notion that this meditation music was the first thing I ever worked on with Lou. Really this was what started our collaborations, and I have always loved the music on this. It is in a similar vein, but of a different character, than the Creation of the Universe or Hudson Wind Meditations. The compositions were conceived of, improvised upon, reworked, edited, remixed and transformed over a period of 4 years.
Sarth Calhoun, sarth.net, July 21, 2010

Power and Serenity is the DVD of Lou Reed’s tai chi teacher, Master Ren Guangyi, with six pieces of original music that Lou and I composed and performed: “The Power of Red,” “Cymbalism,” “Power and Serenity,” “Liquid,” “Metallic Opera,” and “Guitar Mountain.” Lou, Master Ren, Scott Richman and I produced it; Scott Richman directed; Matt Bockelman edited. Lou put it up for sale on his site in July 2010.

Lou and I met through tai chi, and we decided to do an album of meditation music together. That stuff was drones and melodies combined with pure noise. It was the first thing I ever worked on with Lou, and it started everything after it: the song band, Metal Machine Trio, Yellow Pony and Lulu.

Four years, and a slideshow

The compositions were conceived of, improvised upon, reworked, edited, remixed and transformed over a period of four years. The same music ran under the slideshow of Lou’s pavilion at the New York Photo Festival in May 2010, Hidden Books, Hidden Stories, two months before the DVD went on sale.

The music exists only on the DVD. My post at the time promised an unabridged CD, and none was ever released. Three sets of music sit near each other: Metal Machine Trio’s The Creation of the Universe, 2009; Lou’s own meditation record, Hudson River Wind Meditations, 2007; and Power and Serenity, the one Lou and I made together.

The DVD“Power and Serenity,” featuring Master Ren Guangyi. Original music composed and performed by Lou Reed and Sarth Calhoun: “The Power of Red,” “Cymbalism,” “Power and Serenity,” “Liquid,” “Metallic Opera,” “Guitar Mountain.” Produced by Lou Reed, Master Ren Guangyi, Sarth Calhoun and Scott Richman. Edited by Matt Bockelman. Directed by Scott Richman. loureed.com, 2010.

The creditSarth Calhoun composed and performed the six pieces of Power and Serenity with Lou Reed, and produced the DVD with Reed, Master Ren Guangyi and Scott Richman; on sale from July 2010, DVD only. Their first collaboration.

My thoughts

The credits are from Lou Reed’s own page for the DVD, archived December 2010. My paragraphs are from my post of July 21, 2010, my interview of August 25, 2026, and what I said on September 23, 2026.