Click here to join the Mandala mailing list.

RealAudio Streams

RealAudio Streams

from Mystica:
• Surfing the Zavuye (hifi) (lofi)
• Kaleidoscope (hifi) (lofi)
• Sita Ram Chant (hifi) (lofi)
• Blue Desert Trance (hifi) (lofi)
• Blue Desert Trance Re-Mix (lofi)
• Govindam Adi Parusham
verses from Bramha Samhita (lofi)

from Tantrica:
• 7 Sacred Stars (hifi) (lofi)
• Frogs Dream Too (hifi) (lofi)

from Sons of Ganesh:
• Snake Trance (hifi) (lofi)

with Michael Kott
• Trance Galactic (hifi) (lofi)

Pandit Debu Chaudhury •Bhatiali (lofi)

Times of the day & night

Sunrise Melody (4-7 am) (lofi)
Morning Melody (7-10 am) (lofi)
Midday Melody (10 am-1 pm) (lofi)
Afternoon Melody (1-4 pm) (lofi)
Sunset Melody (4-7 pm) (lofi)
Evening Melody (7-10 pm) (lofi)
Midnight Melody (10 pm-1 am) (lofi)
Late Night Melody (1-4 am) (lofi)

Archives
• And I Love Her remix (lofi)
• Radhe Jaya Calcutta (lofi)

Sacred Temples• •Vaishnav Thakura (lofi)
• Raga Mala Bihar (lofi)
• Banki Bihari (lofi)
• Brajavasi Kirtan (lofi)
• Brajavasi Kirtan Hare Ram (lofi)
• Manipuri Musicians Live in Hawaii (lofi)

Other Mandala Artists:

Michael Kott

• Oceania Prelude(lofi)
• Conquistador
• Priest
• Palmares Suite

The Learning Party Compilation

•Prelude

w/ Blue Girl on Violin , Carl on tabla, Shira on Dig

 

Marcus Hawkins

new release plant food

track 5 rice

track 7 seed

MANDALA MUSIC ARTISTS

*****************************************

Rik Sharaj

Bio Background

Black Rock City, 2000.

Written by Cinnamon Twist

Riksharaj is an ambassador of the sitar to the twenty first century.

At events like the Glastonbury Festival, Burning Man, Mountain Air, Zenfest and Moontribe, tens of thousands of music-lovers have been wowed by hearing the subtle, mesmerizing tones of Rik's electric sitar amplified on massive sound-systems. While most Westerners are familiar with the faster, flashier sound of Ravi Shankar, Riksharaj was trained in the more esoteric and ancient temple tradition of slow, trance-inducing drones. On his recordings such as Mystica, Sitara Tantrica and Sons of Ganesh, Rik combines this transporting sound with an eclectic array of acoustic instruments (cello, guitar, didjeridu, tablas and drums), voice, and digital effects played by a talented cast of collaborators.

THE SITAR is one of the most sacred and transcendental instruments of East Indian culture. The traditions of the sitar are closely bound up with the discipline of Nada Yoga--the mystical science of sound and its effect on the human being. Sitar music is based on structured improvisation around the Sruti, or micro-tonal scales, creating a sound palette unlike anything heard in Western music.

Born Rich Piccolo in New York city, as a teenager Rik was a passionate participant in the 1960s psychedelic rock scene. He credits George Harrison and the Beatles for turning him on to the music of Ravi Shankar. When Riksharaj was 19 he flew to Amsterdam, and bought his first Sitar, then when Hendrix died in 1970, it seemed like the end of and era, he sold his Les Paul guitars and Marshall Stacks, and used the money to travel to India. A few years later in deep search for knowledge and answers to lifes mysteries he joined the Krishna movement. Entranced with the chanting of devotional songs called "bhajans" he learned quickley to sing and play this traditional music and became famous world wide within a few years.

He went to India in 1973 and lived for 7 years in Vrindavan.ÊOnce in Vrindavan, the hometown of Swami Prabhupada, he received the name Riksharaj from the Swamiji. Vrindavan has over 5,000 temples in a 60 mile area, and immersed in the rich kaleidosope of Hindu religion, Rik gradually became exposed to many other currents. Eventually he left the Hare Krishnas and set out on his own, searching to understand how music embodies cosmic spiritual laws. Over the course of a decade he studied with some of the great masters of Indian classical music, among them learned sitar from Pandit Deva Chaudhury, Amjad Ali Khan, Asad Ali Khan, and vocal music from the late great Dagar Brothers in Delhi. In the process he became proficient in sanskrit, hindi, and bengali lanquages, and learned Harmonium, devotional chanting, and tablas, and mridanga as well as the sitar.

Over the years Riksharaj has played and recorded alongside stars like Stuart Copeland, Micky Hart, George Clinton, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Zakir Hussain, and Weather Report and many more. His current passion is performing at outdoor festivals and underground desert gatherings from the West Coast to the Southwest to the gold coast of Florida with the clans of Moontribe, Integral, LearningParty, Forest Jam, Shangrila, Gathering of the Tribes.

His most recent explorations have been in the arena of digital dance music, working closely with some of Southern California's best underground DJs like Lorin, Solar Angel, & Odysseus. Also a multi-instrumentalist and producer with a very distintive sound, Rik has recorded over a dozen CDs of his own music and that of his associates. He recently founded his own independent label, Mandala Music, based in California, alongside his own releases, Rik is constantly producing and releasing other artists such as celloist Micheal Kott, The Learning Party, assorted Musicians of Braja Mandala India, violinist Marcus Hawkins, with a new psytrance complilation on the way with many of southern Kali's hottest dj's.

Rik can be reached at shiva@mandala-music.com

(( RELEASES ))

Mystica

Rik Sharaj's Debut CD Release from Mandala Music

Produced by Rik Sharaj

Rik Sharaj-Sitar, guitar, ektar, keyboards

Tim Richards - Tablas,

Vicky Richards - Violin

Robert Thomas - Drums, Per Lorain Faina - drums

Baskar Mukerjee - Pakawaj

Ben Maya - Yukka digeridoo

Recorded @ Rainbow Bridge/Ca., Criteria/Miami, Modren/Calcutta

Engineered by Rik Sharaj, J. Bird Loveless, Ched Barwick

Special Thanks to Jose Arguelles

Cover design by Sara Honeycutt and Rik Sharaj

Track Listings

1. Surfing the Zavuye (hifi) (lofi)

2. Sita Ram Chant (hifi) (lofi)

3. One Global Village

4. Kaleidoscope (hifi) (lofi)

5. Ek Tara Gaia Tara

6. Govindam Adi Purusham

7. Tzolkin Dreamshift

8. Blue Desert Trance (hifi) (lofi)

SITARA TANTRICA

written, recorded, and produced by: Rik Sharaj

Welcome to the sound of organic trance: music for inner journeying.

On Sitara Tantrica, Rik Sharaj & friends blend transcendental sitar ragas with deep rhythmic drones and ambient keyboards, plus guitar, didj, tablas, flute, violin, & pakhawaj.

Recorded in India and the US with dozens of virtuoso Indian musicians, plus Bobby Thomas from Weather Report on drums, Tim Richards on tabla and Vicki Richards on violin.

Frogs Dream Too (hifi) (lofi)... 5:06
Spiral Goddess ... 11:52
CavemanÕs Dream ... 1:42
Kaleidoscope 1 ... 5:54
Kulu Shiva-Shakti ... 14:17
Awakened Dragons ... 8:47
7 Sacred Stars (hifi) (lofi)... 8:28
Blue Photon Twins ... 9:58

Sacred Temple

Musicians of Braja Mandala, recorded and produced by: Rik Sharaj

Vrindavam Dham, Braj Mandala, Cintamani, the highest of holy places in India.

A radius of 60 miles, comprised of 12 forests, a Paridram path, a pilgrim's trail for circumambulating this area, hosting over 5000 temples, the transcendental land of Radha & Krishna, gods of love, beauty, art & music.

This is a presentation of an extremely rare and sacred collection of temple musicians and their sacred music. Produced and recorded and re-mastered by RikSharaj on location in the temples of Brah Mandala. As I have been so gifted to have lived in this land for 7 l=years living and breathing in the music since 1970. Now its my desire to share the experience of a cross-section of renowned and saintly temple sings, drummers and evotees of many traditions Specifically from this holiest of pilgramage places in the world. Tradition says Vrindava Dham is a trans-dimensional vortex, a gateway to anyone who visits there in any form.

Rik also performs alongside the local temple musicians on most tracks. Part of the proceeds from the sales of the series will go towards documenting similar music around the world, and bringing the musicians to the west.

Credits:

Tabla meistro Mohan Sham and party

Pandit Nanda Lal of jaipur, of the main teachers and temple singers of vrindavan

Pandit Deva Chaudri, Surbahar (bass sitar) and sitar

Manipuri singers and dancers

Rik Sharaj original bhajans composed and recorded in vrindavan.

Various temple singers, wandering minstrels, kirtan parties and pilgrims.

Trance Tribal Ambient improvisations

A journey with an incredible group of seasoned musicians and an exotic array of instruments travelling through all cultures and time simultaneously into endless innovative worldbeats and hypnotic motifs.

Remixed from live performances in Taos and Santa Fe, NM.

Riksharaj on sitars, slide vina, and flutes.
Michael Kott on Electric Cello.
Phil Hollenbeck on Indian drums, the Mridanga and the Dholak.
Shiva Das on Tabla / percussion. Sattva Ananda on Digeridoos. Cover Art / Linoleum cut portrait by Sara Honeycutt.

• Snake Trance Real Audio Stream

 

The Learning Party:

MEETS
The Integratron!

A live recording from the Learning Party, 'sonic ceremony' held at the legendary Integratron dome near Giant Rock, California.

UFO contactee pioneer George Van Tassel built the dome over a period of two decades. Van Tassel said the 30' diameter dome was designed to act as a "cellular rejuvenation chamber". He further claimed to have received the blueprints for the dome directly from Venusians...!

Whether true or not, the Integratron is a most special place, with amazing acoustics, and situated in a powerful area of the desert, within a mile of the Giant Rock, where local tribes held their sacred dances. (Just prior to the Learning Party event, the Giant Rock had split into two uneven pieces.)

The Learning Party brought approximately 100 friends and family out to stay overnight at the dome. The second floor of the dome was loaded up with musical gear.

The evening got rolling with group chakra chanting led by Phil Harrington and a guided gongs and tibetan bowls experience facilitated by Christopher Pellani. A butoh performance by Agape organic theater troupe, with electric violin solo by Markus Hawkins, brought it to a laser focus. From there on out, Mark Trance, Joe, Mike, Blue Girl, Rik Sharaj, Shira and others jammed into the early morning hours.

The CD contains a sampling of the range of musical vibes of that pregnant night, from deep avant-garde electric violin solo to ethnic didj/sitar/tabla jam, to downtempo, to operatic arias & violin by Bluegirl, to Mark Trance & Co's tribal-techno hoedown.

A uniquely atmospheric document of a unique event.

Shanti Shivani & Annette Cantor

Sacred Fusion

A fusion of Gregorian Chant and East Indian Dhrupad

Gregorian chant emerged in the 6th century as the sacred music of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. It was practiced by the clergy as a prayer at specific times of day up until now.

Dhrupad is considered to be the oldest existing form of Hindustani Classical music with its origins traced back to Vedic chants. Originally sung and played by Hindu priests in the temple until it was brought to the Moghul courts, it was an act of worship.

Tracks:

Sweet Jesus

Between the Worlds

Kyrie Eleison

Homage to Hildegard Von Bingen

Adoro Shiva Shakti

Shanti track from Mystica:

Sita Ram Chant

 

PlANT FOOD

WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY MARKUS HAWKINS

MICHAEL KOTT

"I used to be a cellist... now i'm a chill-ist..."

_________________________________________________________

New Michael Kott CD: CELLOGY PART II,
now out on Mandala-Music

Transgalactic electro-cellist Michael Kott has been playing the cello since he was nine.

Of his musical influences he says, "there are many... not all from music per se... the motion of a fish or a bird of prey...call forth emotions and stories...the visual and the aural become one..."

Michael's most recent credits include the PBS special MUSIC FROM A PAINTED CAVE (with ROBERT MIRABAL and the RareTribalMob) currently airing on 47 PBS stations. the companion audio CD 'MUSIC FROM A PAINTED CAVE...' will be in stores April 3...

He appears on TAOS TALES (Robert Mirabal, SilverWave) the CD which was named Amazon.com NEW AGE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 1999... The album also received NATIVE AMERICAN SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR recognition at the NAMMYs (Native American music awards...).

One of his favorite projects was with the tribal-trance ensemble SONS OF GANESH (with Phil Hollenbeck and Riksharaj and others).

Of his work on the cello michael says, "I used to be a cellist... now i'm a chillist..." His new CD series 'CELLOGY' is the culmination of an extended exploration of the sonic terrain opened up through the use of transducer pickups and sound processors on bowed instruments. Michael uses THE REALIST cello pickup, designed by Ned Steinberger (NSDesigns...) and manufactured by David Gage (New York...) (Listen to Trance Galactic from Cellogy Volume One.

Michael sees the cello as a very powerful gateway/channel into the emotions and the heart: "Music has the power to transform... uniting perception with intuition and emotion... forging passion... and dissolving conceptual structures, such as time..."

Michael has a song CD--POCAHOLINIT (INIT records). He's one of the founding members of the PrimalTribal Arts Council. Two of his songs ('Go Girl, Go' and 'Hormones in the Headphones' were featured in performances by VICTOR WOOTEN on the grammy-nominated CD 'Yin-Yang' (Compass Records.) Besides the RareTribalMob and PTAC, Michael appears with artists such as trance-opera diva SASHA LAZARD and chanteuse/torch singer LISA ZANE. He recently interfaced with DJ collective MOONTRIBE, and has recorded with tribal/ambient artists INLAKESH.

During fall 2001 Michael will be performing MUSIC FROM A PAINTED CAVE with Robert Mirabal. He plans to do more solo performances in 2002, including a planetarium scene which will use lighting and digital images.

"The language of the cello is found within the very shape of the instrument...with the interaction of the bow and the string...forming many worlds and different dimensions...it's a cellistic universe..."

Michael and some of his other cellist friends have formed the CELLISTIC SOCIETY to encourage the imaginative use of cello in different musical forms. It is also a celebration of what is held within the traditional realms of the cello. Michael describes the tradition: "Although the tones of the cello are often described in more feminine terms, the intensity, force and sustain of altered tones also have a tradition... it reaches into the baroque and beyond... to a time when troubadours wandered from one feast to the next, from one dance... to the next..."

"As far as i might stray from the more familiar realms of the cello...the classical/romantic qualities remain... indeed, they are often magnified..."

Michael lives in Santa Fe, where he is inspired by the visual arts and the powerful beauty of the high desert mountain wilderness. Professor of Cello at the College of Santa Fe, he is also an avid snowboarder and green chile enthusiast. He can usually be found soaking in the hot springs at ojo caliente or sipping/swilling a chai in a local cafe.

_____________________________________________

Music | Catalog

Artists | Trading Post | Guruji

Chai Shop | Events | About | Links | Contact

(c) 2004 Mandala-Music
All Rights Reserved
site feedback: webmaster@mandala-music.com