Report: "Floating Island" mini-album out now on Stasis Recordings

With a new album "After Rain" just around the corner, gterma profile Urenga (a.k.a. Indo) has just released a new mini-album on the Canadian digital label Stasis Recordings. A bubbly laid back ambient/dub techno hybrid afloat somewhere on a tide that has carried it far away from any recognizable land. Hypnotic soundscapes from our much talented Hungarian friend. You can listen to harmonious and trippy previews on the release's bandcamp page. Stay tuned for more news about the upcoming full length album on gterma.

Re-entering the Zone

This year winter hesitated long before deciding to visit us here in Scandinavia. We were soaked in cold rain and the world around us disappeared in a fog under endlessly grey skies promising more of the same. When it finally did show up, it brought unusually cold temperatures and snow as if to compensate for the initial disappointment. Once again ambient explorer Havdis has captured a piece of it and channeled the crystalline glare of the small hours into a magnificent pice of music.

Nightbreeze by havdis

Worm signs

Thai news agency TAN reports that a farmer in Nakhon Ratchasima province claims to have been visited by the enigmatic and much reverred Naga, the giant snakelike creatures normally thought to inhabit Mekong river. Mr. Kangkaranok reports that his workers had recently finished constructing an 8 meter deep water reservoir in the swampland adjacent to his plantation when fresh snake-like impressions were discovered in the area near the pool. The impressions left in the mud suggested an 80-centimeter wide and 18-meter long creature had rested there. Mr. Kangkaranok is convinced that this is a sign of immense fortune for his family.

The hunt is on!

Released from the clutches of the ancient dragon...

Xin nian kuai le, the Chinese New Year celebrations are over and we are happy to report that the old creature has finally let go of his prize and decided to share his insights with us. And what better way to open up the Year of the Dragon? We have received several new items which are now available for order. We extend our gratitude for the artists who have gone to great lengths to decipher these hidden terma. Follow the links below for more information and samples.

[gterma004] : Solar Ocean - Enter Serenity

Adrift on an endless ocean, suspended into mellow water gently rocking you to sleep. Each wave carries you further from land and into a twilight existence, the sun warming your face and the water sending a million glittering reflections into your gaze. The result is a mini-album of serene ambient soundscapes with a harrowing undertone. Comes in a jewelcase with a 12-page booklet.

[gterma007] : Indo - Winter In Zangla

Indo returns with a harrowing and cold narrative of Hungarian explorer and Orientalist Csoma de Körös' long journey to Zanskar valley where he studied the mysteries of the Tibetan language and Buddhist wisdom in the 1820s. Journey with us through the narrow mountain passes into the secluded villages at the foot of the Himalayas under the watchful eye of King Virudhaka. Comes in a jewelcase with a 12-page booklet.

[gterma009] : Parikrama - The Silent Bōn

Long before Buddhism spread into the Himalayas the region was at the mercy of frightening spirits and powerful divinities.Seetyca and Artin Mucht join the bonpo shamans in search for traces of the old faith, now consumed by the benevolent teachings of Lord Buddha. These are stark aural landscapes with a mystic touch, yet clear as crystalline ice. Allow yourself to be lost in the world of Parikrama. The album comes in a jewelcase with a 12-page booklet.

[gterma010] : Mathias Grassow - Alchemystery

Freestyle recordings are the order of the day as Mathias treads an improvised path into the colourful and enigmatic realms of the ever present mystery that is music. Traditionalists and purists beware, these sound sculptings will challenge any drone-ambient prejudice. Double album comes in a jewelcase with a 16-page booklet. Read more about the Alchemy Sessions on the Path of the Shaman page.

Report: Peter Hennix' epic rudra veena album "Ocean" reissued

The news have just reached gterma that the album "Ocean" by Peter Hennix has again risen from the ashes of obscurity. Originally released on CDr on new age label Sangha Records in 2004 this precious work is now again being made available commercially in digital format. Performed on the Rudra Veena, an ancient Indian classical instrument more or less phased out today, "Ocean" once again returns to life in its majestic and mind-altering splendor and comes most strongly recommended. Please visit Sangha curator Franciska von Koch's blog for more information.

A second coming

Last year's expeditions into the musical realm resulted in a sizeable quantity of hidden treasures being recovered. The painstaking process of interpreting and carefully deciphering this terma is now drawing to its close. The beginning of the year will see an interesting start and gterma wishes to thank all the tertöns for their hard work and inspired research.

The old gods are still around and doing well

Long before the rugged Himalayan region was conquered by the benevolence of Buddhism and the blessings of Lord Buddha and his many loyal guardians the lands were at the mercy of powerful deities and terrifying spirits. People's houses were converted to small fortresses to ward off evil creatures and the populations were at the mercy of divine madmen, possessed bonpo shamans. When the famous Guru Rinpoche was brought in from India by King Trisong Detsen the bonpos may finally and officially have converted, but their masters and deities persisted and the old guard never went away. Much as other local powerful beings or spirits, they remain in service of their people once more, though now under the watchful eye of Lord Buddha. And although there might now be gentle smiling monks performing the services instead of wild eyed bonpo shamans, the practice never really subsided, it just transformed and merged into a school of Buddhist discipline among karmapas and nyingmapas and so on.

Today some people living in this region realize the origins of their belief system and trace it back to the bön. Another pair of explorers recently reemerged from a journey into the distant corners of this wilderness. Small villages and dilapidated and crumbling dzongs were the starting points for excursions into the vastness of the old guard. Even in the shadow of Mount Kailash the presence of Buddha Tönpa Shenrab can be felt. Join Seetyca and Artin Mucht as they don their Parikrama moniker once more to open a treasure box of mysterious old gterma. As you gaze into this old world, remember to equip a spirit catcher and carry your phurba close to you at all times.

[gterma009] : Parikrama - Top of the Morning by the lost gterma