An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

Today’s episode starts with traditional style raga-kirtan from Vaiyasaki, with words composed by 16th-century female poet and saint Mirabai. The song is called Syamol Sundara Shyam and is an ode to Shyaam, a name of Krishna which means beautiful stormcloud-coloured one.

In the second set we hear another longer piece composed by Bachan Kaur entitled Forgiveness. Bachan writes: “A combination of an english song that came to me to inspire a friend when she could not feel or see her inner beauty, and the 20th stanza of Japji, the morning prayer of the Sikhs. It’s like a reset button for when we’ve lost our way, to remember all is forgiven, all is love, all is perfection in the eyes of the Beloved – it’s a love song from the God to us.”

Next up we hear the track Hang Sau Dub from Yogi Cameron and Masood Ali Khan. This is from their collaborative album Mantra Grooves. Silvia Nakkach and Christopher Eickmann combine forces to produce a beautiful album entitled Medicine Melodies. We hear one selection from that called Tudo Bem Bem, or All is Good, Good. Next is a recitation of prayers to the Twenty-One Tara’s in the Tibetan language by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Tara is considered a female Buddha, or Bodhisattva, depending on the school of Buddhism. This set ends with a sweet and meditative piece entitled Tsok Song of the Dakinis by Upaya, a dakini being the female embodiment of enlightened energy in tantric practice.

The last track is a fun and snappy electronic offering to Maha-Lakshmi by Mantratronic, otherwise know as Luca Treu, an artist and bhakti-yogi based in Italy.

Note: This show has a few lost words and gaps due to glitches with the station digital recorder. It still makes sense =). The music segments are fine.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – June 6th 2013.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

We kick off this episode with Luis Camino & Abya Yala, and a track entitled Ganesh Mantra from the India-only release Dancing Mantras. This flows into an synth-padded, ethereal rendering of the Maha-Mantra performed by Berlin group The Bhaktas, from their recent release Cosmic Mantra.

After a short break we hear new stuff from Masood Ali Khan and Yogi Cameron. We hear the chant So Hum, accompanied by Sheela Bringi on flute, and Eddie Young on bass. Next up, Gary Azukx with the Buddhist Hundred-Syllable Vajrasattva Mantra, and new stuff from Matthew Portwood aka BeautifulWorld with Ishvara Pranidhana, a sanskrit term meaning “loving surrender to the Divine”. Marti Walker brings a new spin on the Hanuman Chalisa prayers with the track Radio Gaga Chalisa from Revolution, and the set is capped-off with Trevor Hall aka Ramapriyadas, and a song inspired by the stories of Shri Rama, which he names Humla.

The show ends with the combined vocal stylings of Elvis (yup .. Elvis), and word-flow of the members of Anahata Sacred Sound Current. The track is called Wisdom of the Ages and comes from their newest release, Vimanas Project Volume One.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – May 30th 2013.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

Trevor Hall kicks things off this episode with an acoustic song from his release This is Blue. It is a story about the divine mother and father, Shiva and Shakti, and he sings about them in this context. The track is called Om Shakti Om. Next is new stuff from Chances r Good. One of the lines within the song – “so travel far, travel wide, you will always be inside the house of love”. More deep, chill sounds from him, perfect for meditating on the deeper aspects of life on a sunny afternoon at the park or the beach. The track is aptly entitled One Love. The opening set is capped off with east-meets-west fusion from DJ Drez. This is coming from his second Jahta Beat release, The Progression, with a track entitled True Self.

In 2001 Mike D of the Beastie Boys teamed up with western-born sadhu Bhagavan Das to produce the album Now. We hear one track from those recordings entitled Shri Krishna Arati. This contains the chant “Shri Krishna Govinda Hari Murari..”, names for connecting ones consciousness to the Divine through devotion. Bhagavan Das creates an ethereal, echoing space with his voice and ektara, and we also hear the sound of a bell and conch at the end of the piece. These are two items commonly used in the arati ceremony, which is a process of offering items such as incense and flowers to a form of the Divine.

Madeleine Bachan Kaur, sometimes known simply as Bachan, recently released a collection of music which she entitles Medicine Songs. These are a selection of songs used in types of sacred ceremony which originate from Central and South America. The track we hear is Aguita Que Vienes, a simple piece with guitar and voice, which explains the sacred and healing qualities of the water that flows on our Earth. Following are more Medicine Melodies from the album of the same name by Silvia Nakkach and Christopher Eickmann, with the track Shaman Journey. Singer, songwriter, and yogini, Morley is next with Keep Your Gaze Steady from her collaborative album Rhythms and Improv. “Keep your gaze steady my love, yours are the eyes that have seen God”. The track features tabla by percussionist Ehren Hanson. Capping off this set is another electronic reworking of Buddhist mantra recitation by Gary Azukx, this time with the Heart Sutra chanted by Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche.

The show ends with the Maha-Mantra set to a beautiful, mysterious tune in traditional style, and performed by Jagjit Singh & Chitra Singh. This track is coming from their album Krishna Bhajans.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – May 23rd 2013.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

Today’s episode is a flow of music and exclusive interviews with musician, singer, and bhakti-yogi, Jai Uttal.

We start things off with a remix entitled Hari Om from the album Dial M for Mantra, and produced by Rara Avis of the Desert Dwellers. The track contains chants to the Divine Couple, Sita and Rama.

We move into the first part of the interview where Jai talks about his upbringing in New York, and his first trip to India in the 1970’s, where he met his beloved Guru. This is followed by a track from the album Loveland, a collaboration with Ben Leinbach, entitled Gopala Lullaby, containing chants to Krishna in his form as a young cowherd boy. Jai then talks about his time in Bengal, India, where he lived and played with various musicians from the Baul tradition. We then hear a track from Beggars and Saints entitled Lake of Exploits, an album which was inspired by that period of his life, and which was recorded with his band at that time Pagan Love Orchestra.

Jai then speaks about the place Vrindavan in India, the parikrama path which circles the town, and his experiences walking there in a mood of devotion. Vrindavan is the place where Krishna grew up, and we hear a song containing some of his Divine names “Sri Krishna Govinda Hari Murari He Natha Narayana Vasudeva”, from the album Dial M for Mantra. In the next segment Jai explains the experience of coming from such places of pilgrimage and translating that feeling into the process of recording albums, and performing in more varied environments, such as at large kirtan festivals.

Next Jai talks about the aspect of dance and kirtan, and how one can be literally moved to movement by ecstatic devotional feelings. He talks about his wife Nubia, a yogini and classical Indian dancer, and we hear a song entitled Shakya Muni Prayer, from an album she made with Jai and Ben Leinbach called Pranayama. This contains the chant “Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuni Swaha” – a Buddhist chant to Gautama Buddha.

In the next segment Jai talks about his Kirtan Camp which happens twice a year, and also his recent Kirtan Kids album, an album featuring devotional themed stories by Jai, and enthusiastic kirtan chanted by children. We hear also the track Sita Rama-Raghupati from the live album Nectar.

Nearing the end of the show, we hear Syama Bolo from Jai and Ben Leinbach’s release Bhakti Bazaar, along with some words about Jai’s album Queen of Hearts, a collection of songs dedicated to Radha and Krishna. He talks about the role Radha plays in pure devotion, and how we can understand the mood of selfless service through her embodiment of it. We cap things off with a track called Radha Remix from the album Nectar, a track produced by Ben Leinbach.

Also featured in this show are the songs Govinda and Surya from Music for Yoga, Gopala’s Dream from Dial M for Mantra, and Distant Episode from Monkey.

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – May 16th 2013.mp3

An eclectic mix of beats, layers, and chants.

Todays show is a flow of music and exclusive interview segments with Aykanna and the Kirtaniyas.

We kick off with some words and sounds from sacred-music duo Sukhdev and Akahdahmah Jackson. In this segment they talk about the ancient Arameic version of the Lord’s Prayer with reflections on it’s meaning, their individual and combined journeys coming to Kundalini Yoga, the experience of chanting collectively, yoga and kirtan festivals and festival culture, and their upcoming performance schedule.

The songs we hear are Bluezone and Ek Ong Kaur from the release Mother, Om Namo Gurudev Namo from Livelight, and Funky Divinity from Mantra Mala. We also hear the instrumentals Morning Ragga and Rising Oneness during interview segments, both of which can be found on their Livelight album.

Next we chat with Vijay of the Kirtaniyas, a four-piece kirtan band who have been noticeably active on the festival circuit in the past few years, and who have generated much appreciation from fellow chanters.

Vijay talks about his love for kirtan and how the group originally came to be, the adaptation of styles and moods in different venues and environments, their electronic kirtan project and collaborating with other artists, time spent in India and pilgrimage, the Mantras Beats and Bass tour, and their upcoming releases, including an album produced by world music fusion pioneer Cheb I Sabbah.

Musically in this segment we hear the tracks Govinda Jaya Jaya sung by Rasika, Radha Ramana sung by Vijay with production by DJ Drez, Braj Mahamantra also led by Vijay, and Gopi Lullaby performed by Sarasvati.

In addition we hear some excellent background sounds from Chinmaya Dunster and Eastern Sun.

(Aykanna and the Kirtaniyas will both be performing at Shaktifest in Joshua Tree, CA in mid-May)

Alternate MP3 Link – Mantra Radio – May 9th 2013.mp3