An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

To begin .. “Jaya Radhe, Jaya Shri Radhe”. Sadhu Nada calls out to the Divine Goddess, Radha, and her counterpart, Krishna, in this gypsy-style rendition of Radhika Stava. This is coming from an album entitled Bom Bom Bolo released in 2012. Moving the focus to Govinda, another name for Krishna, Norwegian singer-songwriter Malin Pettersen shares her beautiful vocal talents with the chant Govinda Jaya Jaya. The word Jaya being a sanskrit form of offering praise.

Two Buddhist chants start off the next set. First we connect with Green Tara via the mantra Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Svaha. This is a soulful offering to the Goddess of compassion (among other things) by Brighton’s Mahasukha. Next up Deva Premal teams up with the Gyuto monks of Tibet for a beautiful, stirring recitation of the well-known Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum.

Yann Corah performs some diaphonic chanting, bringing us into an uttering of opening chants for astanga yoga practice, a system compiled and presented by the great sage Patanjali. This is performed by Pranidhi Varshney from her album entitled Mantra Project. DJ Drez aka Sound Ambassador is next with a track from the release Nyabinghi Anahata Yoga, entitled Om Nya. Capping off this set is Trevor Hall (aka Ramapriya das) with a flow about the avatar Rama and his divine play, or lila. The track, simply entitled Raja, also contains the chant “Sita Rama”, addressing Goddess Sita, Rama’s wife and counterpart.

The show ends with a punchy track entitled Jagannath. This is brought to us by Italian-born monk-turned-electronic producer and performer, Balarama das, aka Mantratronic. The song includes the sanksrit words “Jagannatha Swami Nayana Patha Gami Bhavatu Me” – May my meditation upon that Supreme form (of Jagannath) be unbroken.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – Jan 10th 2013.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

This weeks show kicks off with a smooth, long, and winding track by Jai Uttal and Ben Leinbach entitled Mahadeva. This piece features the chants Hara Hara Hara Mahadeva Jai Shiva Shambo, all names of, and an offering to the great dancer and cosmic destroyer Lord Shiva. This is followed by another track dedicated to Mahadeva by Birmingham born Steven Kapur aka Apache Indian, titled and containing the well-known mantra Om Namah Shivaya.

The next set begins with a powerful, energetic track entitled Om Kara from Portland-based group Anahata Sacred Sound Current. This is from their latest full-length release Whispers from Eternity. Next is new stuff from the prolific and talented Srikalogy with You Are the Lover, and then a track from the South African based bhakti-yoga teacher, speaker and musician, Ananda Vardana. His debut on Mantra Radio is a relaxed and flowing journey called Time Stands Still on Govardhan Hill. This is a song about the divine couple Radha and Krishna, and the hill on which they and their friends play.

Capping off this set is a new remix by Matthew Pearson aka Beat Poet Massive. The track is entitled Pancha Tattva and features the mantra of the same name, which is dedicated to the great mystic Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his friends. The original recording was performed by gypsy kirtaniya Sadhu Nada.

The final set of the show begins with a recording by Trevor Hall aka Rama Priya das. This song, entitled simply Ahau, features the calling of the seven directions, a ritual often performed as part of North American first nations gatherings and some other world traditions.

Steve Gold gets the last word with the song There is a Light from his latest album Let Your Heart be Known. This track contains the chant Om Hrim Hamsa So’Ham Swaha, sometimes refered to as the Mantra to the Supreme Light.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – Jan 3rd 2013.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

It’s not uncommon to see the elephant-headed deity Ganesh placed first in all kinds of different proceedings, because he is known to remove obstacles. Today’s show starts here too. The two friends Tim Donlou (aka Timonkey) and Joss Jaffe team up as Echosystem with a track entitled Ganesha Mantram, containing chants to Ganapati offered up in the sanksrit language. Joss follows this with a track from his solo release Dub Mantra, containing the chant Om Namah Shivaya, a song dedicated to Mahadeva aka Lord Shiva.

Continuing along the same lines, we next hear from Srikalogy with a remix of David Lurey’s Om Hrim Namah Shivaya. This is a mantra which not only addresses Shiva, but also his female counterpart, Shakti. The word Hrim being synonymous with Mahesvari, or Parvati.

Next up is another stellar recording by Minnesota’s BeautifulWorld, this one coming from the release Doorway to Infinity, and entitled Hari Om. Featuring the mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, this is an offering to the Supreme utilizing the name of Vasudeva aka Vishnu/Krishna.

Aykanna present a sweet rendition of the well-known “Lords Prayer“, offered in the Aramaic and English languages, a beautiful mix of both. This is coming from the duo’s release entitled Mother. Finishing off this mid-show set is Marti Walker with a deep and swirling version of the Maha-Mantra, from her release Revolution.

The show ends with two songs from Chances-r-Good and Steve Gold respectively. From the fantastic release Boomerangs comes the track In Your Mind, the work of visual artist, musician, and all-around talented individual Chances-r-Good. This is followed by the sweet and rootsy sounds of Steve Gold with the track Unstruck Chord. He shares with us “I almost heard the music of my soul .. Loving me into motion .. into motion”.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – Dec 13th 2012.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

A few hundred years ago in West Bengal, India, Caitanya Mahaprabhu started a revolution in kirtan, or group chanting, by taking it to the streets in a widespread fashion. He did this with his brother and trusted counterpart Nityananda, a name that means Eternally in Transcendental Bliss. Pia, otherwise known as Gaurangi devi dasi, pays tribute to this divine pair with the song Nitai, featuring words from the great 19th-century Bengali saint, Bhaktivinode Thakur. These verses are from the poem known as Dalalera Gita, which translates as “Song of the Broker“, the broker in this case being Nityananda, who is giving away freely the merchandise of ecstatic bliss in the form of sacred chanting.

Next up Bahramji sings about letting go and tuning into the beloved within. He dances and becomes intoxicated with divine love, and these verses tell a story of sorrow, surrender and (ultimately) satisfaction. By letting go of everything in this world, he becomes full. The track is called The Way to the Light, and it appears on his 2007 collaborative release with Mashti, entitled Sufi Safir.

Next we hear a short bite of the song Raksha Ma by the talented, unique, Wah!, the word Raksha translating as “To Protect”, and Ma as “Mother”. This is from her second release of Savasana music and features the chant Jai Ma, an offering to the divine mother, asking for her shelter.

Capping-off this set is accomplished yogi & prolific musician Matthew Portwood with his most-wonderful project BeautifulWorld, and the track Tulasi Kirtan. This is an ode to the friend of Radha and Krishna known as Tulasi devi. The world Tulasi means “One who has no comparison” and she is regarded as the bestower of pure bhakti or devotion by those who pay hommage to her. In India she is worshipped in the form of the Tulasi plant which grows commonly throughout the country.

The last track of todays show is a gypsy style kirtan by travelling mendicant and performer, Sadhu Nada. The song is entitled Bom Bom Bolo and is a tribute to Lord Shiva. The words Bom Bom referring to the sound of Shiva’s drum as he performs his dance of universal destruction, and the word Bolo urging us to “Chant”. This track comes from an album of the same name.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – Dec 6th 2012.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

Drawing our ‘Month of Kartik’ thread to a close, this weeks show kicks of with a traditional Gaudiya Vaishnava rendition of Damodarastakam, or eight verses dedicated to the toddler form of Krishna known as Damodar. This was recorded and produced by Russian producer, DJ, and bhakti-yogi, Huron, from his release entitled Gaudiya Gitanjali. This is followed by a brief explanation of the last verse and of the overall sentiments of the song.

Beginning the next set is a sweet and soulful track by UK-based Mahasukha, which contains Buddhist chants directed to bodhisattva Manjughosha, the buddha of wisdom and eloquence, among other things.

Next up, Peia extends her beautiful and hypnotic voice with a song called Maachi Ma, maachi meaning ‘full moon’ in the Aztec language. Perhaps a lullaby for the moon goddess, Coyolxauhqui, or of the earth mother, Toci. She tells a short story at the beginning of the recording. This is a live track recorded at Seven Seeds which also features Sara Tone.

Taking us across the Caribbean ocean with some eastern flavoured Rastafari rhythm, Sound Ambassador, DJ Drez, brings us together as One with the track Chakra from his release Nyabinghi Anahata Yoga. The closing words of the track ask us to coat our vision with pure love, “The mind can only see clearly through the heart chakra“.

Making their debut on Mantra Radio, but no newcomer by any means, is Niyaz (a Persian or Urdu word for ‘yearning’). Well-known for blending Middle Eastern music styles and languages with modern arrangements, instruments and technology, they end the middle set of the show with the powerful and hankering track Ishq – Love and the Veil from the release Nine Heavens.

Closing off the show is a beautiful ballad by duet Mirabai Ceiba entitled Burn of the Heart, which appears on their latest album, Between the Shores of our Souls. This is based on a composition by the devotional poet, Rumi.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – Nov 22nd 2012.mp3