“Welcome to a new episode of Mystic Soundwaves. Today we dive into the Canadian independent music scene alongside Nicole Arrage, a singer-songwriter and musician who crafts her sonic language by blending diverse genres with deeply intimate storytelling.
From her roots in Gatineau to her move to Montréal to study music, Nicole’s journey reflects an artist who chose to follow her own voice, even when it meant stepping away from more traditional expectations.
In this episode, we explore her personal and artistic journey, her EP Unapologetically Me, and the themes of solitude, resilience, and identity that run through her music. We also look at how her cultural roots and artistic collaborations have shaped her sound.
This is more than an interview—it’s an exploration of a unique artistic universe, moving between jazz, soul, pop, and world influences, discovering a voice that is authentic and constantly evolving.”
Welcome to the very first episode of JAM with Zogho — where music, mindset, and meaning come together.
In this debut episode, MC Zogho introduces himself, the vision behind the show, and the deeper philosophy that drives it all: Ubuntu — “I am because we are.” This isn’t just a vibe; it’s a way of life that has shaped his journey toward inner peace, purpose, and creative expression.
We explore how Afrobeats and Afrofusion go beyond sound — acting as powerful cultural bridges that connect people, uplift spirits, and inspire unity across the world. From personal stories to thought-provoking insights, this episode sets the tone for a space where music meets mindfulness and entertainment meets elevation.
If you’ve ever wondered how inner peace connects to global harmony — this is where the conversation begins.
In this episode of Mystic Soundwaves, we explore the beating heart of independent and underground music. Joined by Vanessa Silberman – musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and founder of the label A Diamond Heart Production, with whom we previously shared the making-of of the track Shine in the episode Inside Shine: The Sonic Journey – we discover how the indie philosophy continues to thrive today, through tours, independent productions, and the challenges posed by modern digital algorithms.
Listeners are taken on a journey that begins in 1970s and ’80s New York, through alleys, small clubs, and college radio, all the way to Seattle and the birth of grunge with bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden. The episode shows how independent music has never been just an alternative to the mainstream, but a true cultural engine, giving a voice to often overlooked realities.
From the DIY scene of the first underground clubs to today’s digital landscape, indie music remains a symbol of creative freedom and authentic passion. Vanessa shares her experience and love for this world, offering a unique perspective on the present and future of independent music.
Welcome to Mystic Soundwaves, the new radio journey hosted by me, Sara Cicognani, singer-songwriter. This show was born from the desire to explore the mystical, spiritual, and transformative dimensions of music and art.
In this episode, we dive into cultures that have always regarded sound as a sacred force, capable of transforming, healing, and connecting. From the primordial sound of OM, the vibrating heart of the universe in Indian tradition, we explore ragas as tools for introspection and meditation; the drums and flutes of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, where music is both prayer and medicine; and finally, Tibetan bells and singing bowls, carriers of ancient spiritual practices and conscious listening.
Every vibration tells a story, a ritual gesture, a living experience that moves through body, mind, and spirit. It’s an invitation to listen with your whole being, to let the frequencies move through you, and to rediscover music as a sacred and transformative experience.
Mystic Soundwaves is Explorations in Music, Art, Science, and Spirit.
Frequency: one new episode every 2–3 months First Episode: Inside Shine – A Sonic Journey Hosts: Sara Cicognani a station that offers music, art and content that uplifts the soul, inspires listeners, and supports them spiritually.
Program Description
Mystic Soundwaves is a new radio platform dedicated to exploring the mystical, spiritual, and transformative dimensions of music and art. The program is based on the idea that sound is not merely entertainment, but a primordial force (vibration) capable of resonating with humans on deeper levels — inner, cosmic, and communal.
Ancient traditions around the world have always considered sound as the primal principle of the universe, an act of creation and connection. For many cultures, music was not merely an aesthetic language: it was a bridge between human and cosmic, a tool for healing, a ritual, and a means of harmonizing body, mind, and spirit.
Objectives
In the contemporary socio-cultural system, music has progressively been transformed into a commercial product and consumable background, losing much of its original significance: • ritual • spiritual • communal • energetic • therapeutic
This reduction is the result of modern dynamics — industrialization, commercialization, and the loss of the sacred — which have created a profound fracture between music and its ancestral function.
Mystic Soundwaves is designed to explore and heal this fracture, offering new perspectives by drawing both from contemporary research and the memory of ancient traditions. The Role of the New Age: A Bridge to the Past (and the Future)
Since the 1960s, the New Age movement has sought to reconnect this link, reviving the idea that music can: • alter states of consciousness • support meditation and introspection • harmonize body, mind, and spirit • facilitate emotional and energetic healing
Without replacing ancient cultures, the New Age has brought back to light tools, techniques, and visions that modernity had marginalized.
Science and Vibration: The Bridge of Physics Contemporary studies suggest that sound — understood as physical vibration — can influence liquid matter, including the structures of water. Since life and the human body are largely water-based, this opens fascinating possibilities: it is not just a metaphor to say that music vibrates within us. The program integrates this research without sensationalism, posing questions, comparing data, and creating fertile ground for dialogue.
Program Mission
Mystic Soundwaves creates a radio environment where: • scientific research • ancient practices • music therapy • artistic experiences meet and intertwine, giving rise to an authentic and interdisciplinary dialogue.
The goal is to: • inform without oversimplifying • inspire without dogma • provide practical tools for mindful listening • give voice to traditions, artists, researchers, and visionaries • explore the power of sound as a means of deep connection
Each episode offers listeners: • in-depth insights • interviews • guided sound experiences • artistic and spiritual reflections • scientific and comparative perspectives
Mystic Soundwaves is hosted by Sara Cicognani and airs on CKMS-FM every other month on Sundays from 4:00pm to 4:30pm starting 25 January 2026.
Mystic SoundwavesMystic Soundwaves is Explorations in Music, Art, Science, and Spirit. Frequency: one new episode every 2–3 monthsFirst Episode: Inside Shine – A Sonic JourneyHosts: Sara Cicognani a station that offers music, art and content that uplifts the soul, inspires listeners, and supports them spiritually. Program Description Mystic Soundwaves is a new radio platform dedicated to … Continue reading Mystic Soundwaves→
HYOS: Inside Shine – A Sonic Journey is a special interview-style episode dedicated to the creation and evolution of the song Shine. In this episode, songwriter Sara Cicognani sits down with New York–based producer Vanessa Silberman, founder of A Diamond Heart Production and a key figure in the independent music scene with over twenty years of international experience.
Through an open and in-depth conversation, Sara guides Vanessa in sharing the full story behind the track: the initial inspirations, the studio process, the arrangement choices, and the development of Shine’s sonic identity. The interview highlights the blend of different musical influences — world music, synth-pop, and new-age atmospheres — that shaped a sound both grounded and ethereal.
The result is a 30-minute journey into the heart of the song, created for listeners who want to discover what happens behind the scenes of a musical piece: an authentic, technical, yet emotional story, perfect for music lovers, curious minds, and anyone fascinated by the creative process.
HYOS: Inside Shine – A Sonic Journey is a Host Your Own Show special by Sara Cicognani and airs on CKMS-FM on Saturday 20 December 2025 from 9:30am to 10:00am EST (15h30-16h00 CET), and again on Saturday 27 December 2025 from 12:01pm to 12:30pm EST (18h01-18h30 CET).
Duration: 30 minutes Format: Interview Host: Sara Cicognani (songwriter) Guest: Vanessa Silberman (producer – A Diamond Heart Production, NYC)
An interview with Louisa, a person working to support residents of 103-105 West Lodge Ave in Toronto as they have faced intermittent heat, power, and water service in their apartments from at least February 2019. The two high rise apartment buildings were recently bought by the multinational asset management firm Timbercreek who have focused on evicting residents through the landlord tribunal while letting the buildings fall further into disrepair.
In the interview we hear about frozen sewage filled pipes bursting and leaking through ceilings and walls, people stuck in unreliable elevators as power fluctuates, food spoiling in inconsistently powered fridges, and long walks up dark stairways with bottles of water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Through all the issues, Timbercreek is not compensating people for their losses, while the ignore much-needed repair work and shamelessly continue to evict residents.
Louisa notes you can call the Timbercreek office in charge of rentals (647-951-5498) and demand fair treatment and fair compensation for existing tenants, ending eviction actions against tenants, and immediate repairs to the building.
Background information about the resistance in Toronto’s West Lodge towers:
Timbercreek has a history of similar behaviour through Canada and around the world. Check out this in-depth article “The battle for Heron Gate”, which looks into Timbercreek and their assault on the Heron Gate neighbourhood and community in Ottawa.
Focusing on the ongoing war on drugs and the resultant public health emergency, this episode opens with the trailer for the new podcast “Crackdown” which features “Drug user activists covering the drug war as war correspondents”, and continues with an interview with organisers of a “Pop-Up Overdose Prevention Site” in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Focusing on the ongoing war on drugs and the resultant public health emergency, this episode opens with the trailer for the new podcast “Crackdown” from Vancouver based host and producer Garth Mullins which features “Drug user activists covering the drug war as war correspondents”. This monthly podcast is “about drugs, drug policy and the drug war led by drug user activists and supported by research”.
Shifting from the west coast to Waterloo region, the show continues with an interview with Kyle Wall and Julian Ichim, 2 organisers of a pop-up overdose prevention site campaign in Kitchener-Waterloo. This new campaign is has two main goals. The first is to prevent deaths of drug users by creating a place where they may more safely consume drugs. Many of the deaths triggered by fentanyl and other opioids would be avoided if the drugs were taken in a setting where someone else was present to administer naloxone and emergency breathing if needed. The second goal is to put pressure on the government in the Region Waterloo to take action to open the much needed supervised injection and consumption sites that have faced long delays in their approval and funding.
Background:
On February 28th 2019 at 5pm, members of the “Alan Ryan People’s Community Defense Brigade” organised a gathering in downtown Kitchener and marched to the Region of Waterloo headquarters to set up the first pop-up overdose prevention site in a new campaign to prevent deaths of people who use drugs, and to put pressure on the regional council who have been dragging their feet on establishing much-needed supervised consumption and injection sites.
At least 10 people died in the region in January alone from opioid overdoses, with February death toll similarly high, with at least 2 additional deaths in the final days of the month.
The group set up a tent and stocked it with necessary supplies, like clean needles, water, blankets, disposal bins, and most importantly, naloxone kits, which when administered to someone experiencing opioid induced respiratory depression, can help stabilise their breathing. After several hours, the group packed up for the eve, announcing that they will be setting up this operation daily in different spots around the downtown until official supervised sites are established.
Today we are joined by organisers Julian Ichim and Kyle Wall To talk about the grassroots overdose prevention site campaign and the larger public health emergency brought forward by the manufactured opioid crisis.
The show closes with the song “Mutiny in Heaven” by The Birthday Party.
Show Links:
For information on the Pop-up Overdose Prevention Site in KW, check out the facebook page for the “Alan Ryan People’s Community Defense Brigade” here: https://www.facebook.com/thealanryanbrigade/
Mazaj Show is a twice weekly radio show on Waterloo Radio 102.7 which covers Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. Six hours a day, twice a week at the Peak time every TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY from 2:00 PM till 8:00 PM. This show for the Arab community which speaks Arabic Language.
Mazaj Show is the only voice for Arabs in Kitchener Area and Guelph.
Welcome to Mystic Soundwaves, the new radio journey hosted by me, Sara Cicognani, singer-songwriter. This show was born from the desire to explore the mystical, spiritual, and transformative dimensions of music and art.
Mystic Soundwaves
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