YANTRA MANDIR | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Conceived in the cultural cellars of Bangkok, Thailand, and Geneva, Switzerland, Yantra Mandir the nine-track LP by Jerome Doudet, aka Yantra Mandir aka The Dude of Stratosphear, casts a wide net over experimental meditative ambient music, progressive drone, Brahmanic accents, and ritual oscillations. Together, this work represents a 20 year journey in Geneva of musical production, artistic expression, and the melting pot of experiences fused with the rich legacy of Indian spiritual sounds. The LP is partly a collaboration between five close collaborators, each contributing a single sound to complete the jigsaw, and partly comprised of field recordings of Bopa musicians from Rajasthan, in northern India. Added to the confluence are intricate layers of electric bass and electronic vibrations. The name derives from ancient Sanskrit words emblematic of the overarching sound. "Yantra" is the Sanskrit word for mystical diagrams found in the Tantric traditions of the Indus Valley. These diagrams are used to worship dieties at home or in temples, as a meditation aid, and to activate the various benefits and occult powers as defined by Hindu astrological and Tantric texts. "Mandir" is the Sanskrit word for a place in which a still mind and soul float freely search of life, peace, joy, and comfort. For centuries, the mandir has remained the nexus of a community where people forget their differences and voluntarily unite. "Garden of Reality" is the musical meeting point between Europe, Southeast Asia, and India - and everything in between from past, present, and future. Jerome Doudet was born in the beginning of the '70s with a father DJing in disco clubs. Raised in the alternative scene of the very international city of Geneva Switzerland, he started playing bass at the age of ten and spinning various old punk/funk/rock/reggae in squats all along the '90s. Bass player in bands such as Knut and Half Japanese, he now works with the experimental kraut band Bliscappen Van Maria, and on his tantric bass solo project Yantra Mandir. After many trips to India and South East Asia the Dude, always in search of new sounds, has sharpened his globe-spanning mix with far eastern psychedelic music and with largely unheard gems from across the musical spectrum. Presented in a double gatefold. 180 gram vinyl with printed inner sleeves. Edition of 300.