How Producing Techno Helped Ex Air Traffic Controller Cope With Anxiety

You’ve probably come across meditation music and sound healing before. And there’s music therapy too. But, you probably didn’t associate techno with any of the above. Admit it, you were probably imagining whale sounds, flutes, bells and vocal chanting.

After 19 years as an air traffic controller in New Brunswick Canada, Robert Wilson suffered what he thought as a heart attack but was actually a serious anxiety attack. The result was he was unable to work and instead stayed at home looking after his children.

During this time, to help keep his mind occupied, Robert began producing electronic music. Not necessarily what the doctors prescribed, but it turned out to be effective. Using his natural affinity to mathematics he began seeing how rhythmic patterns work in music. Even better is the emotional release his electronic music creations have sometimes caused. He explains, “There was actually a few times some of the tracks I have created myself when I was done I burst into tears cause I was so emotional.”

There’s a couple of Elektron machines in his setup you can see in the news report video above. See if you can identify the other gear in the Cirrus Live video below.

So next time someone suggests that techno isn’t relaxing you might want to point them to this article showing how, for one man at least, making techno provides stress relief and has helped him cope with mental illness.

Take a listen to Robert Wilson’s music on his Bandcamp page here.

Via: Aux

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