American musician Laraaji studied composition and piano, and after a stint as a stand-up comedian in New York spent the 1970s developing music affected by his studies in Eastern mysticism. He was “discovered” by Brian Eno when busking, playing a zither converted into an electronic instrument. He subsequently became a key figure in new age music, and in recent years has led groups in different forms of meditation based around music and laughter. In conversation with The Wire editor Chris Bohn.