Drone Records

INDO - Rupa Loka

Format: CD

Label & Cat.Number: Gterma gterma001

Release Year: 2011

Note: first CD album for this Hungarian ambient project, inspired by the Buddhist notion of 'Rupa-Loka' (the realm of form, of higher beings) - a stunning atmospheric journey using many strange animal & bird-sounds and environmental recordings of forests, water, valleys.. comes with 12p. full colour booklet; filed under: mystic / meditative organic ambience; great start for this new label from Sweden

Price (incl. 19% VAT): €13.00

More Info

"The Rupa Loka, one of the hidden planes of existence beyond our own is the focus for this album, a serene world populated by beings more refined and evolved than ourselves. The album is a journey through this nature kingdom and incorporates soundscapes rich in flavour and diversity. The recordings were originally produced in 2009 and rediscovered and carefully reassembled and remastered in the process. The album comes in a jewelcase with a 12-page booklet depicting the realm of the Rupa Loka." [label info]

http://gterma.blogspot.se

"Indo‘s ‘Rupa Loka’ brings us back in 2011, actually it was recorded in 2009 so I guess this makes the record already pretty ancient in the context of our current times, when daily you are given access to countless records, either old or new. However, in your daily routine I hardly advise you to find your way to the first ever record, that the Swedish ambient label gterma has ever released. At first the record is striking you with its picturesque artwork, especially the amazing photographs in the inlay (which has actually already became signature for all gterma production). The whole art direction and the general concept of the record leaves a strong feeling for an Eastern cultural influence, but still this artistic decision is not over-imposed on the listener by any means.

What we have here is one very powerful and beautiful ambient record. Rupa Loka is soaked with meditative, slow and immense drones which are additionally embraced by fragile and delicate soundscapes. However, what makes this record truly special are the field recordings. The Hungarian musician Andras Kiss, who’s actually the person behind the ambient act Indo (as this is quite an overused monicker in music of all genres) didn’t capture anything you haven’t heard. His sounds are natural, familiar, not probably but certainly surrounding all of us in our daily lives, but he incorporated them with such a skill, that would surely make you a bit envious if you’re also producing music yourself. What is more important it will surely make you consider how much life, emotion and potential there is in the sound and ambiance of our everyday surrounding, but due to our mental simplicity we’ve accepted all of this perfection and endlessness for granted.

Rupa Loka is anything but a record for the simple minds, just like its Buddhist concept suggests its aim is to recreate a dimension, a form of existence inhabited by higher results of evolution. Quite a pretentious and tough aim, but so subtly approached that it leaves you smiling with satisfaction, when you realise the record really serves its purpose. This album is so alive and so organic, that at a certain point you forget that a human hand and mind initiated this impressive sound sculpture. I don’t need an artwork for this, neither track titles or a band project. I just need the CD carrying this art piece, which is interacting on way too too many levels with my personality, so by no means I can accept it as just another ambient record I got for the day. What a great start for a label! What a great artist statement!" [Angel S / Heathen Harvest]