I’m having trouble sleeping. What’s going to send me off without getting the mind whirring or giving me weird dreams?
When the whole world is snoring, and the foxes stalk the streets, and your candle, book and mantras fail to nudge you close to sleep, the mind can become a little too lively: you start remembering all those shouldn’t-have-done lists by the light of the moon. Notwithstanding the frustrations, this is a lovely problem to solve and there really is only one answer: George Gurdjieff. Specifically, Gurdjieff’s Harmonium Improvisations (1949).

Who is this Gurdjieff, I hear you ask. Well, what a fascinating man. He looked a lot like the infamous jailbird strongman Charles Bronson, with a little Ghandi thrown in, which is quite the cocktail. But back to Mr G. He was born in Armenia around 1870, moving to Moscow some 35 years later, by which time he’d become a spiritual leader. He believed we humans went through life in a state of sleep, and encouraged his followers to aim for a higher state of conciousness in order to achieve their full human potential. His methods he called The Work or the Fourth Way.

Stick with me if you’re starting to drop off already: the reason I bring him up is not to convert you to a new set of beliefs, but rather to nudge you towards this particular set of recordings – ironically enough, they’re the perfect solution to insomnia. Gurdjieff’s improvisations, recorded post dinner at his flat in Paris, are the sonic equivalent of a rocking cradle with a dummy thrown in - beautiful meandering melodies washing over you like gentle waves over tropical shorezzzz...

• What musical advice do you need? Post your questions in the thread below