The MHDL Collective is an international collective of musicians, sound artists, sonic sculptors and deep listeners who meet through Mikey Kirkpatrick (aka Bird Radio)'s classes for New York's Morbid Anatomy. Find out more about the classes and the MHDL Collective via www.morbidanatomy.org/classes.

VÄX (Swedish for Grow) is the newest mixtape by the MHDL Collective, featuring music and audio created between January - March 2023. 
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VÄX I

00:00 Väx (Kajsa G. Eriksson)
00:45 Self Preservation #3 (Heather Bentley)
04:58 Grow (Bird Radio)
09:15 Muinaisten Jumalten Kutsu - Chant for Ancient Gods (Mika Haikonen)
18:00 What Comes Easily (Heather Bentley)

VÄX II

00:00 Landscapevoice (Kajsa G. Eriksson)
01:00 Cast Away (Bird Radio)
08:02 Airways (Heather Bentley)
10:58 Why Do I Gotta Wait (Virgil Wong)
15:50 Ceremony of Harmonics (Pow Ahimsa)
23:08 Spring Equinox (Bird Radio)

Additional Information:

Muinaisten Jumalten Kutsu – Chant for Ancient gods
By Mika Haikonen

By the fresh waters, in the embrace of the old pine trees, the sacred paintings whisper through times the names of ancient gods. Under the darkening blue sky, the surface of the water, totally calm, is broken by the slow stroke of the paddle, as the people called approach the holiest of the holy places. The echoing cry of the curlew cuts through the total silence.

A glacial erratic stands in front of the gorge, guarding the sanctuary. Men dressed in animal fur and decorated with bones hum quietly as the congregation find their places around the crackling bonfire. In the warm breeze of the dawning autumn, sparks rise high to the dark sky, reaching out to the spirits. The eldest of the tribe stands up, rises his hands towards the sky and shakes the rattle. The shaman’s big drum hits the beat in the distance. The ritual begins.

Ukko – Taivaan jumal / Ukko - the god of sky
Tapio – Metsän jumal / Tapio - the god of forest
Näkki – Veden henki / Näkki - the water spirit
Louhi – Pohjan noita / Louhi - the witch of North
Otso – Karhujen kuningas / Otso - the king of bears
Ahti – Meren jumal / Ahti - the god of sea
Pekko – Viljan jumal / Pekko - the god of crops
Tuoni – Kuollen jumal / Tuoni - the god of dead
Turisas – Sodan jumal / Turisas - the god of war
Hiisi – Metsän piru / Hiisi - the forest demon

Why Do I Got to Wait
By Virgil Wong

I’ve been working on a novel and personal film project called “Song of the Panopticon” – a science fiction mythology based on my clinical research of near-death experience patients. In the story, Rokhaya and Xi'an lose their son Éadaoin to a mass shooting in Central Park. I wrote this song from their perspective decades later as they speak directly to him. The lyrics reflect their impatience and frustrations at the continued injustices of the world that contributed to his passing. They have dreams of him, imagine him today had he lived, and try to find some way to move forward with their grief.
- Lyrics, music, and audio post-production by Virgil Wong
- Vocals by Ian Bentley
- Verse melody from Radiohead's "Creep" (non-commercial use)
- Creative Commons licensed samples from Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's "Raag Malkauns" (1966) and N.A.S.A. deep-space sonifications of synchrotron radiation, infrared, and x-ray emissions data
- Additional audio licensed from Storyblocks and Envato Elements
- Music video online at youtu.be/t5Z-1iCucdI and www.virgilwong.com

Lyrics:

You're like a drop in blue waters
Once the dream leaves my eyes
You were just in my mind now
But long gone from our lives

Just a ghost in old memories
The sun gone from our skies
I wish I could've done something
Wish I could've turned back the tide

Why do I gotta wait
For justice to be done
For the world to turn again
For our hearts to bleed as one

Why do I gotta wait
For the pain to let me breathe
For the billions of souls in them
To finally find some peace

Why do I gotta wait?