The liner notes for the ‘Tibetan Buddhism Trip LP’ read:

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.

This two track LP, consisting of two twenty minuet songs is completely intoxicating and otherworldly. Having read about Tibetan Buddhist rituals and looked into the Tibetan Book of the Dead, I’ve never actually listened to the rituals in action. The arrangement of the field recordings by Kink Gong is masterful, eight minuets (although it feels both longer and shorter at the same time) of chanting and droning ‘Om’s accompanied by the steady thump of a drum braces the ears for what will come next. The second part of the track erupts into a rewinding, oscillating cauldron of sounds. Almost un-describable the sounds frantically pan from left to right, the intensity of the humming increases and a younger male possibly female chorus begins to chant. Although a drastic change from the start, the track doesn’t loose its hypnotic quality. Gradually the second act melts into the third, the intense sounds begin to disappear and identifiable sounds such as talking and tea cups clinking are picked up. Like a trip the magic wears off.

Upon listening it’s clear that both tracks are inspired by the transitional stages of trip also known as the three Bardo’s. The idea of the Bardo’s interests me because it directly links to my research into ritual research. Essentially the Bardo’s are a set of stages that describe the intensity of a trip;

Bardo 1: Entry, everything is calm, slowly building to the second .

Bardo 2: The trip takes full force, the circus, things can get strange and intense.

Bardo 3: Re-entry, the craziness dies off, the real world slowly comes back.

I intend to re-visit the Bardo’s in my essay, using them as support for my analysis of Mancuso’s ‘spiritual or sacred’ party element.