Following the release of multiple original compositions and the album There Is Still Hope, we talk all things spirituality, Faith and composition, with lifelong artist and minister Edward Dixon. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Hi Edward, thank you so much for your time today. For those new to your work, how would you describe the music you make?
With great appreciation I thank you to be part of this interview. When I read over the questions I wept with joy and thankfulness, because after waiting 20 years an understanding in a testimony would be heard.
Most everyone is going to be new to my music compositions because I have not published them until now. The music I compose is Spiritual as it is written in Ephesians 5:19-20.
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Most of my songs are without words but some with words. All the songs can be for divine healing and cleansing, renewing and for bringing understanding.
You’ve been composing for over 20 years now – who or what first inspired you to start?
This answer is part of a greater testimony to be given.
I drew this picture, it was of the first vision I had – I tell people it is about justice, mercy and grace.
I have been composing songs for over 20 years and a minister I was also in prison ministry for 14 years. Music and composition began after I had Spiritual visions of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The music compositions vision is only one of many visions I had.
The Vision and divine experience I had for music was In a dream first and also in a awakening event. The dream I had was I was in a garden with white pillars and I was laying on what looked like a couch – I saw the disciples and the prophets of the bible. They were all speaking to me all at once and their voices were getting louder and louder, shouting and speaking to me.
I awoke to a voice that said to me “awake come hear the voices of Seven thunders utter there voices” which is written of in Revelation 10:1-3:
1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
And I got up and went outside and looked up and the sky was overcast all white and it was not raining and there was no lightning and I heard the sound of thunder over and over again and in it understanding was given.
I heard the voices of seven thunders on what is known as the Day of Pentacost, which is in the understanding was the day the church was founded in the book of Acts chapter 2 when they received the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-4:
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
I went back in after hearing this and said “that sounds like a symphony of thunder”. I started composing music to this for the next 2 years after to what I heard.
I had composed up to 12 hours of music which also were the songs to give glory to God and to our Lord Jesus Christ and was preparing them for to be given to the church and for publishing and the title of the composition works was called “the Symphony of Seven Thunders the utterance my testimony”and before I was to publish these songs
I lost my home and property due to taxes and other things. I was falsely imprisoned for five months. After trial I was found not guilty. I got out of jail, and I found out after I got out these songs were thrown away – only 10 songs of the original composition remain.
I was grieved to my heart and cried out to God “they threw away the songs I had made for You and the work that has been done for them”, and with tears I wept much.
Sometimes we may not know at the time. God’s great victory is truly being worked out for the good for those who love God and have been called to His purpose and to go from loss to the eternal victory in His perfect love.
The songs that came were by the Holy Spirit also that is written in Ephesian 5:19-20:
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
And by overcoming the events that were taking place at that time and the original songs can’t be replaced but would be by others what I went through would be a time of preparing and conditioning me. I am already in the victory and being in this victory others now would enter.
I had a vision I was carrying a gold sack and I looked behind me and there were some people following me – they were dressed in gold robes carrying empty gold sacks. Then I turned back and the gold sack I was carrying became huge, it was bigger than a house, and I became very strong I looked like a body builder, and I when turned back around a great multitude of people were following me clothed in gold and carrying empty gold sacks. I said to myself ‘why am I carrying this, I was already where I should be?’ and put it down. When I put it down it became the mercy seat to the thrown of God and the the multitude of people following me started to applaud me but I turned and started to applaud the One who sat on the throne – that way the applause was for Him.
I found out later what the gold garments meant and those clothed in the gold garments are that which becomes the gold garment that Jesus Christ is wearing in Revelation. Amen.
This great loss is a testimony that I continue on for I am already in the victory of Jesus Christ, composing songs in true passion of harmony through Jesus Christ, being prepared and conditioned. This is the harmony and this the victory of perfect love in unity that has overcome this world, through the eternal victory we have, through Jesus Christ who is perfect love .
Think of it in this understanding…
When you listen to a spiritual songs the Holy Spirit that was there within and speaking and inspiring the composition when it was composed would also be with the listener of that Spiritual song that conditions the listener in the anointing of the Holy Spirit and opening up of understanding in God’s divine Word that is speaking through the Holy Spirit in unity and harmony and agreement of God’s perfect will plan and purpose and being worked out in us.
We are being created in the likeness of the image of His Son Jesus Christ. Through the Word of God to the listener the Spiritual song would be sculpting molding and shaping. This conditioning opens up the complete understanding that is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. God revealed to be received and perceived as one in knowing God the Father through Jesus Christ that is God and creation as one that was created from the beginning and to become. Amen
I am again homeless and living in a tent for right now and submitting these songs now that they should be heard and in hopes of bringing us together as one through Spiritual composition.
I asked in prayer if these songs would also meet my needs to provide a home and as an income and was then encouraged to publish them, I also felt that it would be better to hear these songs than not to be heard or to be thrown away. With tears I wishfully thought I would have done this for the other songs also.
Here is a list of the songs of that were lost and the 10 that remain:
Symphony one (day one (first seal)
1 Spoken forever my First Love
2 spoken will You leave the light on
3 given
4 Joyous
5 New Bariyth
Symphony Two (Day Two(Second Seal)
1 Psalm 80
2 Fugue
3 Omile Fugue
4 Gifted Tears
5 Departure of Sorrows
6 Know I love You
7 Delivered to me
Symphony Three (Day Three(Third Seal)
1 Unto me
2 Daddy’s Love
4 The Word
5 Healing Presence
6 The Lamb’s Book (He shall Live)
7 Eternal Child
8 Morning Stars sang as we played
Symphony Four (Day Four(Forth Seal)
1 In Gather
2 Daddy Abba Amen
3 Psalm 72 in gather
4 A walk to the fountain
5 Solace
6 To bear the cross
7 untitled 40
Symphony Five (Day Five(Fifth Seal)
1 Perfected Praise
2 perfecting praise the growing child
3 Harmonizing with Father Abba listening
4 teaching ( the lost sheep)
5 learning to play (the many blessings of David)
6 the Great Seal
Symphony Six (Day Six(Sixth Seal)
1 Untitled 35
2 Said
3 Salutation (greetings from James)
4 Days be Long
5 Suffer the Little Children
6 Piano variation 4
7 Piano Variation 5
Symphony Seven (Day Seven (Seventh Seal))
1 untitled
2 Admonished Love
3 Brothers keeper
4 understanding to clear the way
5 Voice of God
6 The Word ( Utterance From the Foundation)
7 Lamb to the slaughter
8 Psalm from the matrix
9 framed in love
10 perfection has come
11 wipe away the tears
Tell me about ‘tuning the listening instrument’ – what does this song represent, and what do you hope audiences take away from it?
Tuning the listening instrument are the listeners of the Spiritual songs. It was first to be a song and then songs to become another album of appreciation to those who listened and would be a personal song and songs to them by the composer to the listener because they listened. Then another song would be composed bringing encouragement to the listener and invite others and together would grow into more listeners and a new album of Spiritual songs and listeners.
Think of it like this – tuning brings understanding in the listening to the song we have come together as listeners in unity harmony, and that is we are in agreement together and grow in the understanding to know God the Father through Jesus Christ. Amen.
When you listen to spiritual songs the Holy Spirit that was there within is at work by speaking and inspiring the composition when it was composed would also be with the listener of that Spiritual song that conditions the listener in the anointing of the Holy Spirit and opening up of understanding in God’s divine Word that is speaking through the Holy Spirit in unity and harmony and agreement of God’s perfect will plan and purpose and being worked out in us – we are being created in the likeness of the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
“Through the Word of God to the listener the Spiritual song would be sculpting molding and shaping. This conditioning opens up or the unveiling of the complete understanding that is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
What made you decide to enter the song in a competition, and in what way does the pressure or excitement of competing drive you as an artist?
The real competition is that we overcome the world as Jesus Christ has overcome the world and show we are in that victory. At the same time I was thinking of composing a new song for an album, for the listeners, for appreciation of them listening, then an invitation was given for the opening act competition, so I applied and was accepted.
That’s when I composed the song for the listeners, and would make them part of the competition – this would show them they are truly winners.
The song came and I composed the song for them in my tent by playing the song as a draft and overlaying instruments. I made a recording and then listened to the song and the Words came by the Spirit in the listening of the composition – the Spiritual song brought the words and then the words would bring the music to be played. Here are the words being worked out for the song:
Time has come to come together to be together as one
We together are the body
have come together as one
As We walk we walk together In His hope
as we walk we walk together in His love who is love
now together perfect the way
and together with patience we endure
and now together shines the light of hope
on the path we walk together shining for us and makes the way
in blessed assurance we together take the next step
and know together you are loved then say together I am loved
and know together I am needed then say together I am needed
and know together you have purpose and say together I have purpose and in His purpose we are one
built together we encourage one another for we are one
and together we grow together into our Fathers will
we together continue on and
we together have overcome
and strengthened together were not overcome
shining brighter and brighter we together take another step
not much further now
we together as the body are complete
and now together what we were hoping for has come
and is now clearly seen
we step together into eternal being caught up in a Raptured glory
we become one together shining forth forever
O glorious day
and now what is before us
and we see what our Father has prepared for us
His beloved dear children in the eternal victory of His promise now forever fulfilled. Amen. after the words came I made a video and I posted it on You Tube and started to notify my listeners on SoundCloud but got a warning so I stopped. And I posted this song and video link on the opening Act website on my profile and notified them I have composed a song for this event they named we can survive.
My hopes to bring hope and encouragement to encourage others the listeners as a New Light to Light would be in the listeners would then come together in the singing of the words of the song that was composed for them that they were part and the song composed for them that they are winners here and what a true and awesome way to come together as one, as winners. The song performed will be as the video reveals in the event as God’s children coming together in the hope fulfilled as one body in Jesus Christ. Amen.
The album, There Is Still Hope, employs vast production and ethereal yet evocative tones. How do you get started with a new composition, and what made you choose ‘Angelica’ as the opening piece?
Each song composition came at different times sometimes one song and sometime in groups, these songs that came and are on the album “there is still hope” are in different Spiritual timelines I call them, each timeline would represent what is being revealed by the Holy Spirit at that time.
The new production of the songs came when after purchasing new VST instruments a lot of them were of ethereal in nature for sounds and tones I have used I have list of these instruments in my followings on the SoundCloud website after I had a new VST instrument I would try it out by going through the new instrument sounds and start composing again. I have collected a vast amount of virtual instruments over the years.
The albums and titles were created on the day I uploaded it on Unity and SoundCloud and Bandcamp. I went through the songs that I have composed over the 20 years, there are more songs composed but I uploaded 30, I divided the songs up into 3 groups or 3 albums and named them. In order to sell the songs on Unity you had to have a view platform and I used SoundCloud and Bandcamp but the first upload was Spiritual Songs and was uploaded to the Unity game engine platform to be used as an asset for background songs in this platform.
I am a freelance VR virtual reality developer for Oculus. I was putting the Book of Revelation in VR for publishing and understanding then I became homeless because the property I was in was sold which caused me to be homeless and I took it in prayer while I was living in a tent. If I could use these songs as a way of providing me an income that would provide me a home.
The song titled Angelica was first on the album, because the songs were in alphabetical order. The true order of the songs would have been by dates they were composed. This is where the Spiritual timeline testimony is by event and I did not use this. After I had uploaded the songs on SoundCloud an incredible response came to the song come to pass in a short time – it gained almost 5000 listeners and followers and likes and reposts and the nation that liked the song the most was Ukraine, which brought me encouragement to pursue a way of promoting the songs.
The album titled there is still hope was a faithful reminder to myself of the hope we have in our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
osen insep follows and is simply stunning. What were the creative building blocks of this, and what was your mindset during the musical process?
Here I will go more into detail about the composition and a Spiritual view of the divine Revelation of understanding the meaning of the song that came by the way of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
The song is part of a group of compositions that came by the Spirit in the understanding of Gods original creation as God and creation as one from the time of the beginning with Adam in the Garden of Eden and to the restoration of the original creation by the new creation of the Lamb of God to the bride of Jesus Christ unto the marriage supper of the Lamb and the beloved city coming down from heaven in Revelation.
The understanding is to see creation as it was created and what is coming to be by the restoration of living fountains of waters which at the time of Noah were broken up in Genesis 7:11 and Genesis 8:2 also in Psalm 103 the angels and the hosts of heaven His ministers functioning as they were created.
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Genesis 8:2
The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
Now being restored and within the structure of the creation known in this as the kingdom of heaven of the whole living structure of the body being recreated and made new.
Jesus gives a view of this in the parable of a mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32.
Also you see this as a broken structure in Revelation of the whore of Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18 as a contrast to the parable of the mustard seed to the structure that is broken in Revelation 18:2.
In the song osen insep is a view of the Son of Man from the thrown of God and the living fountains of waters are restored and the angels and the hosts of heaven connections from the heaven to the earth are functioning as one
In the book of Job Chapter 38 there is contrast to this in its brokenness.
Do you play instruments, or exclusively produce?
Yes I do both when I first started playing, I used 2 electronic keyboards. I played them through the audio output to a computer input and used a wave pad studio to record the audio being played. Then after I recorded the first audio of the composition. I played it back and then played another instrument as the overlay recording and then when it was done, I joined together all the instrument overlays to make the completed composition.
All the songs I composed at first, they were all played in a natural key signature and no black keys were played
After a while of playing I could perform live playing two keyboards at once as two functioning instruments I would play one keyboard as a piano then using a sustain pedal I would play the other as strings by pressing the pedal it would play hold the notes until it was released.
I took this to even a higher level when I was going to put on a professional laser light show on Pangolin Quik show and using four keyboards one a synthesizer vocoder and also two guitars one acoustic and one electric with the keyboards I was going to run DMX par can lights with orbital lights also with two HDMI projectors and two smoke machines with 3 animation laser projectors along with mutiple audio systems for optimal effect . At that time my niece was diagnosed with leukemia and instead took care of her at the Hershey childrens hospital. I haven’t returned to this project at all.
I since now been using a Novation MIDI Launch pad keyboard with Ableton live for the other composition with the VST plug ins a list of these on my SoundCloud following
What first inspired you to develop such a strong Faith, and in what ways does your Faith influence or impact your creativity?
All of it now would come from knowing God. In the picture I drew that I sent You is this.
In 2003, when I first came to the Faith, I was sick and was dying – also my thoughts were filled with morbid depression of constant thoughts of suicide and wanting to die. Also I had a diagnosis of bipolar and was not taking the meds because of being physically sick. I was also seeing the Angel of Death, also known as the Grim Reaper. If you look at the picture I drew, it shows this.
I also believed because of the sins I had committed that I could not return to God. So as a final action to God I thought at the time I went and knelt down at my couch in prayer and said our Father which art in heaven, I’m sorry things didn’t work out between us – I’m not here to ask for anything, I just want to say, even in this horrible state I’m in, it’s a gift to live. I thank You in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
After that I got up and felt bad, I thanked God for the gift of life but still wanted to die.
But God in His divine way spoke to me in a vision that completely changed me to this day. As I was seeing the angel of death I also at the same time was seeing another image with it I thought it was an angel it was like the angel of death, but its garments were white, and its head was hooded and with fear I didn’t look at it. I was watching tv at the time and these both were standing before me. And then I looked at the one dressed in white and when I looked the angel of death disappeared and both arms of the one dressed in white started raising up and the hood that was on the head of the image started opening and I saw a rainbow around the head of this and there were writings in different parts of the face and this image was shining bright. And what had just happened God gave me a choice and what I chose at that time was to live. And the image that I saw was the bride of Jesus Christ prepared as in the book of Revelation Chapter 21. Amen
The time that this happened was on Palm Sunday of that year. There is more to this. I also have had many visions after this and have shared. I always been wanting to put this in writing in a book.
In another vision I had when I was in prayer, for a moment I didn’t know who or what or where I was and I had no identity – I was completely blank, I had no thoughts whatsoever, except one – I knew the presence of God was there. After that, everything came back and I stood up and I started to play the keyboard and in a vision there was a man dressed in gold. He had in His hand a gold lap harp with 10 white strings. This one didn’t speak at all and with Him about 5 feet away was what looked like an angel. He was about 10 feet tall with a gold crown. His head was covered with a blue hood that was open at His face. He wore a beautiful robe garment of blue and other colors and He had in His hand a trumpet with a flag on it and He lifted the trumpet to his mouth ready to sound. The one that was gold was sitting by my keyboard and when I played the keyboard, He played His harp, and when I stopped playing, He stopped playing. That is when I composed the song a Childs song, with the words. I didn’t put the song in the collection I uploaded but have the original song, only its music part.
Softly speaking
gentle in sound
instrument am I
voiced with the love of God
those strings of harmony
a glorious ten
that sounds the commands
sing I forever a new song
perfected in praise
a child’s song has come out to play
for His little ones to sing
beautiful and serene named after the one
who silently sings
called I Luella’s theme
augmented by listening
we join the chorus by ear
with love for one another
His eternal gift is now and
forever fulfilled in us
Hallowed be Thy name
Hallelujah Beloved
Abba Father God
Abah(rest) Aman(Father)
There is in the scripture a mention of a man of brass or bronze in the book of Eziekiel 40:3:
3 He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.
I found out that the gold man that I saw was the chief musician to the Throne of God and the only one that could speak where He was, was God -that’s why He didn’t speak.
You’re currently living in a tent – how long has that been the case, and is this a choice to give yourself freedom, or an unavoidable circumstance?
I am again homeless and living in a tent for right now and submitting these songs that they should be heard and in hopes of bringing us together as one, through Spiritual composition. I asked in prayer if these songs would also meet my needs to provide a home and as an income and was then encouraged to publish them. I also felt that it would be better to hear these songs than not to be heard or to be thrown away with tears. I wishfully thought I would have done this for the other songs also.
How do you produce these electronic arrangements without easy access to electricity or a home studio?
I was going to show you a video of a Spiritual composition in progress, to the music for the word of the song tuning the listening instrument. I am at a tent site with electricity, but I also have an inverter that converts 12 volt dc to 120 volt ac for my vehicle. In an earlier question I give a list of the equipment I use.
In what ways do you think your current circumstances change the way you perform or the way your music connects with its audience?
It has allowed me to remove the thing that I was carrying throughout the years, like bad luggage, to overcome – to take me to a ready, prepared condition. Learn to count all joy, James 1:2-4:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
To be thankful in everything without exception or excuse
1st Thessalonians 5:18
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Also to build up and encourage one another without exception or excuse
1st Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.
Godly Character builder.
Is live performance a part of your plans, and if so – what can fans expect from a live show?
I was thinking of a performance on a floating stage over water, like a lake with the all the other equipment and laser projectors, and using an Oculus headset mounted on a fixed fake head to stabilize, only moving up and down in the projected environment, so you would project what is in the VR environment onto a screen to be able to move with the VR environment by the controllers during the performance.
There would also be fountains as a way of spraying the water, so that it would be used as a movable screen. This has never been done before. I have the ability to do this if it would be God’s will for me to.
What’s something about you that you would love for listeners to know or understand?
I pray that they would know God the Father through Jesus Christ . To see and to know and experiance the joy of who we truly are and have been created to become. God has Revealed Himself to me and to be made known to others .
What’s next for you?
Gods pefect will plan and purpose as it is written Matthew 6:9-13 this is next.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
There are many things I would like to share and to be made known that I haven’t yet shared.
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Find Edward Dixon on Bandcamp & Soundcloud.
