AKUPHONE

Psalmody, small bells, big cymbals, gongs and drums - this puzzling collage of Tibetan Buddhist rites recordings is hypnotizing. It opens the way to the state of trance. The slight electronic arrangement still reminds that reality is not so far. The two twenty-minute tracks instantly convey an unknown and fascinating universe. Mantra chanting accelerates, horns become more insistent and a mystical atmosphere arises. With Tibetan Buddhism Trip, Akuphone starts exploring ritual and ceremonial music, here with a subtle mix of field recordings and electronic handlings.

Over the years King Gong aka Laurent Jeanneau specialized in the recording of ethnic minorities, particularly from South East Asia. He has recorded over 160 albums and his work is now largely well-known around the globe. Such an impressive collection enables him to manipulate, assemble and reconstruct his field recordings in order to create new sound landscapes. 

Recorded in Tibet and Yunnan (China) between 2006 and 2013. Recomposed in Berlin in 2016.

Vinyl comes with printed innersleeve and download card including live performance in Bristol and unseen pictures.

Psalmodies, petites cloches, grandes cymbales, gongs et tambours, ce mystérieux collage d’enregistrements de rites bouddhistes tibétain hypnotise, et ouvre la voie de l’état de transe. Le léger traitement électronique rappelle malgré tout que la réalité n’est pas si éloignée. Les deux plages d’une vingtaine de minutes nous plongent immédiatement dans un univers méconnu et fascinant. Les récitations de mantras s’accélèrent, les trompes se font plus pressantes, et une atmosphère mystique survient. Avec Tibetan Buddhism Trip, Akuphone entame son exploration des musiques rituelles et cérémonielles, ici, avec un savant mélange d’enregistrements de terrain et de manipulations électroniques. 

Kink Gong alias Laurent Jeanneau s’est au fil du temps spécialisé dans l’enregistrement des minorités ethniques, en particulier du Sud-Est Asiatique. Auteur d’une collection de plus de 160 albums, son travail est désormais largement reconnu à travers le monde. Fort de cet imposant recueil, il manipule, assemble, et recompose ses enregistrements de terrain, créant ainsi de nouveaux paysages sonores. 

Enregistré au Tibet et au Yunnan (Chine) entre 2006 et 2013 et recomposé à Berlin en 2016.

L'édition vinyle inclus une pochette intérieure imprimée ainsi que la version digitale à télécharger comprenant une performance live enregistrée à Bristol et des photos inédites en bonus.

http://www.nowamuzyka.pl/2017/06/15/nowosci-z-akuphone/ (PL)

https://www.rythmes-croises.org/kink-gong-tibetan-buddhism-trip/ (FR)

Boomkat Product Review:

Laurent Jeanneau aka Kink Gong takes us to the Buddhist holy land of Tibet, or “the roof of the world” with a particularly mesmerising new episode of his augmented sonic travelogues issued by the excellent Akuphone

If you’ve never heard any Kink Gong records, this is a really great place to get acquainted with what he does; basically taking dozens of hours of location recordings made during extensive travels around Asia, and then post-processing them into stunning collages which retain the character of the source material, yet radically re-compose it as something else entirely, giving a richly impressionistic feel for whatever region he’s focussing on.

In that sense, Tibetan Buddhism Trip fully live up to the promise of its title, implying a psychedelic treatise on the remote Himalayan region which comes captivatingly alive thru layers of mind-bending chants, slow thumping percussion and chiming bells in the 1st half, then with massed polyrhythmic clangour of traditional drums, processed horns and swarming street noise in the 2nd half. 

We urge you to give this one a whirl. It’s far cheaper than a return trip to Lhasa, and almost as intoxicating as we’d imagine it to be!