Album: Bön
Artist: Fill
Label: Hamfuggi Records
Catalogue no: N/A
Tracklist:
1. Bön
Let
me start out by putting my cards on the table here – this is one of the most
incredibly restful, uplifting, and gorgeous pieces of meditative ritual drone
ambient I have heard in a very long time. As I explained in my review of Modern
Bön’s Rechaka compilation, Bön is the
indigenous religion of Tibet, predating the introduction of Buddhism from India
and, although the latter philosophy supplanted the earlier beliefs (and even absorbed
some of its practises into its own framework) it’s never quite managed to
supersede it entirely, and it’s still prevalent in the northern and eastern
parts of the Himalayan country. A single track lasting just over 23 minutes,
it’s a glacially-slow, incrementally evolving piece, consisting entirely of a
drone that is simultaneously resonating from the depths and the heights, interspersed with resonating timbres of shimmering
bells.
Imagine,
then, finding yourself in some hidden monastery deep in the heart of Tibet, in
a quiet temple, with silent monks sitting in the lotus position in dim light,
wordlessly contemplating the inner mysteries, incense burning and giving off
sweet clouds of smoke, while occasionally a priest strikes a singing bowl. At
some point your body separates into two components – your physical body which
remains in this world, and your astral body which floats above it. Now you are
free to roam wherever you will, whether it’s somewhere a mere continent away,
or to the farthest edges of the known universe. More than that, you are witness
to something which is denied to your normal senses – the true spirit behind
reality, the essence that drives existence and life itself. You can see the
dance of atoms and molecules, observe the formation (and death) of stars, the
birth (and destruction) of solar systems, and the moment when the hunger of
black holes is satiated by the swallowing of a smaller star that’s swung too
close. The flowering of nebulae bloom right before your inner eye, the
catastrophic detonation of a supernova pops off soundlessly in the vacuum of
deep space. Galaxies revolve endlessly, and sometimes crash into each other
with astonishing results. You can also feel life forming on distant planets, or
going extinct, with civilisations rising and waning in an eternal cycle.
Yes,
all this and more is contained within just 23 minutes of drone. I felt every
note, every subtle inflection, being absorbed into every cell of my body,
generating tingles and shivers. This is one of those rare moments when music
really does speak to some deep part
of one’s being, sparking off feelings and emotions that one has no words for,
where you seem to be on the verge of understanding the very foundations of
existence itself, but it’s just out of reach of one’s comprehension. This flows
in one seamless stream, the bells small emphases and highlights, perhaps meant
to draw one’s attention to something that one might miss. In all, Bön is a slow unfolding of beautiful
mysteries, of secrets that are not only contained in the macrocosm but also
buried within the microscosm.
Of
all the Hamfuggi releases I’ve heard so far, this has affected me the most, and
on a fundamental level at that. Highly recommended appears to be such a lame
phrase in the context of this magnificent piece of ritual drone ambient: it is
so much more than just the sounds created by the musician – it feels like the
key to everything is contained within each subtle vibration and resonance.
Available
from the Hamfuggi Records Bandcamp page as a download:
Psymon Marshall 2019.
1 comment:
So glad you liked it so much and that provoked such awesome visions and words... Thanks again!!
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