Like the spectralist composers, Harvey has a great interest in the nature of sound and has worked at IRCAM. However, he has maintained an interest in serialism with its associated soundworld of pointillism and angularity. One might compare him to Philippe Manoury. However, what really sets Harvey apart from anyone else in that whole French scene are his mystical inclinations. Indeed, Harvey sees the purpose of his work as expressing the spirit and seeking wholeness, and this contemplativeness comes through in the music. "Bhakti" for chamber orchestra and quadriphonic tape (1982) is an ambitious suite of 12 movements inspired by the hymns of the Rig Veda.