John Lennon would be 84 years old today: new mixes of “Mind Games”

To celebrate what would have been John Lennon’s eighty-fourth birthday, a collection of new “meditation mixes” of the song “Mind games”, the lead single from the former Beatle’s solo album of the same name, has been shared from 1973.

The project, anticipated last July by the special box set “The Ultimate Collection” with unreleased outtakes, instrumental versions, essential mixes and studio chatter, was announced already in August by the son of the late musician, Sean Ono Lennon. After the publication on the Lumenate app, on the occasion of the anniversary of John Lennon’s birth and Sean’s 49th birthday, the new versions of the classic to accompany listeners in meditation are now available digitally. The physical version of three vinyls printed on 180 gram transparent vinyl will be available on October 11th.

The release includes nine reworkings of “Mind Games”, titled “Mind”, “Magic”, “Space”, “Seed”, “Yes”, “Spirit”, “Surrender”, “Peace” and Love”, which were created nin an attempt to help listeners relax and guide them towards deeper states of consciousness.

To create “Mind Games – The Meditation Mixes” Various sound design techniques and processes were applied to the original multitrack recordings, and were mixed by Sam Gannon with additional recordings made by Scott Holingsworth. According to a press release picked up by NME, each mix tends to lengthen and modify the song and “create their own space while maintaining solid and authentic roots in John Lennon’s recording of the original song”. Furthermore, as noted, four of the tracks are presented as “Binaural versions that each focus on different types of brain waves: Beta, Delta, Gamma and Theta”. These tracks, baptized “Mind”, “Space”, “Spirit” and Love”, feature a “binaural beat”, described as “an auditory illusion created in the brain when the left and right ears hear two slightly different frequencies” and can “activate different brain patterns for scientifically proven therapeutic effects.”

“You could say that meditation is the ultimate ‘mind game’,” Sean Lennon said in the publication: “These very abstract interpretations will hopefully help you explore your ‘inner self’.”

Furthermore, to celebrate what would have been John Lennon’s eighty-fourth birthday, the relighting of the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland created by Yoko Ono in 2007 is scheduled for 10pm this evening (Italian time). The release of a new limited edition speaker, inspired by “Mind games” and designed by Teenage Engineering, and a new series of D’Addario guitar accessories was also announced. On October 15th, something new from the music game for mobile devices Beatstar will be presented.