Dear friends & family

In our mission to share breathwork with the world and help people connect to their deeper selves, and in anticipation of our new project (more info soon) we decided to release the full version of our first official collaboration: Shunyata. We really want to thank all people that have supported us on Bandcamp. We deeply appriciate your support. 

The one-hour journey consists entirely of my own productions and is guided by the voice of Peter Vermeiren of Breath and Energy. Throughout the journey deep continuous breathing cycles are alternated with breath retentions on the out-breath and in-breath, enabling you to travel through your body, mind and spirit, and guiding you gently into higher states of consciousness. After the deep continues breathing cycles, the journey ends with a deep relaxing guided meditation.

In order to get the best experience possible, please use headphones and lie down somewhere where you won’t be disturbed. Also, please keep in mind that by doing this breathwork you are changing your body physically, you are changing the oxygen ratio, and as result you might feel physical sensations as tingling in your fingers and toes, this is completely normal.

Shunyata refers to the emptiness of full potential in Buddhism.

We wish you a beautiful heart and mind opening journey.

Let the breath be your guide.

Much love,
Peter and Joep


Precautions:
The breathing technique is safe for people with normal health. If you have doubts about your health please consult an experienced breathwork teacher and/or doctor first. If you have had psychosis or epilepsy in the past this intense track breathing technique is not for you. If you are pregnant or have a very high blood or eye pressure it is best to breathe slowly and don’t hold your breath. Don’t do this intense breathing while driving or in the water as it alters your perception.

Artwork is created by Annemiek Mencke

Shunyata | Breath and Energy & Joep Mencke

On Monday afternoon my camp Rise and I headed out for the first time on our artcar. Driving all across Burning Man for five hours was the perfect way to get a sense of the magnitude of this incredible spectacle. Besides my fellow Rise family more and more people hopped on the artcar. The vibe was incredible! And this ended up being one of my favourite memories of the week.

At one point we were cruising deep playa while the sun was setting. The artcar was super packed. Everything is covered in a smooth golden light. People dancing. People holding on to the car on their boards. People cruising along on their bikes. This was such a surreal and magical scene to experience. And int he back of our minds we were all realizing that this was only the first day. This was only the beginning of one of the most special weeks of our lives.

As it all happened very spontaneously, nothing was recorded, and so I decided to re-record part of this memorable journey and share it with you.

Special thanks to Rise for hosting me and for bringing the most incredible art experience to the playa.

Much Love
Joep


Photocredits: Arjen van Eijk and Xinix Films

Burning Man 2022 | Rise

I’m excited to share with you my new mix series: Reflections. In each episode I will be taking you on a musical journey that is a reflection of a certain moment, time, or event in my life. 

The first episode is a reflection of this summer and contains some of my favorite tracks of the last months (including some new unreleased tracks of mine). All inspired by warmth, joy, and connection that the summer brings. 

Enjoy🙏🤍

Reflections of Summer 001

This is the second episode of my 'Reflections' mix series. In each episode I will be taking you on a musical journey that is a reflection of a certain moment, time, or event in my life. 

In this episode I will be reflecting on the recent Amsterdam Dance Event. 

Enjoy🙏🤍

Reflections of ADE 002

This is the third episode of my 'Reflections' mix series. In each episode I will be taking you on a musical journey that is a reflection of a certain moment, time, or event in my life.

In this episode I will be reflecting on the last winter months.

Enjoy🙏🤍

Reflections Of Winter 003

'Vai' marks Joep Mencke's inaugural self-released track. Echoing the empowering sentiment of 'Let's do this!' This upbeat first release sets the stage for a series of self-released tracks, marking the beginning of Joep Mencke's independent musical exploration. With a synergy of rhythmic plucks, atmospheric textures, and vibrant percussions, 'Vai' is an energetic composition that reflects freedom and creativity. As listeners dive into the dynamic layers of this composition, they embark on a sonic adventure, resonating with the passion and purpose that fuel Joep's journey toward a pure and authentic musical expression. 'Vai' is not just a musical endeavour; it's a symbolic declaration of autonomy and a celebration of the artist's unwavering commitment to his music.

Introducing 'Symphony,' a melancholic track featuring Ben Juno's smooth voice comparing the stories in his mind to a symphony. Immerse yourself in the interplay of lush textural guitar and swelling vintage synth chords to unravel the intricate layers of this symphony, reflecting the density of our inner narratives. With its sonic complexity, Joep Mencke's new track offers a captivating blend of sound and introspection.

Symphony

Listen

Symphony ft. Ben Juno

Symphony (Instrumental)

Embark on a euphoric journey with Joep Mencke's newest release, 'Chara,' where joy takes center stage with its Greek-inspired name. This track seamlessly blends breakbeats, vibrant vocal stabs, and lush piano chords, creating a vibrant energy to awaken the dancefloor. With its hypnotic monotone baseline, 'Chara' invites you to lose yourself in its rhythm. Immerse yourself in this musical experience as Joep Mencke delivers a sonic masterpiece designed to ignite pure joy and energy.

Chara

An Eastern Voyage

Tomb Raider (Gulivert Remix - Joep Mencke Edit)

A dreamy down tempo remix I made a while ago for my buddies soundcloud.com/parallellsofficial

Free Download

Free Download

Parallells - Steel Tribes (Joep Mencke Down Tempo Remix) | Free Download

After many years of ups and downs and a lot of pain and suffering my grandma passed away last week. It is always something sad when a loved leaves us, but it is a part of life. My grandma wasn't ready to die, she would have wanted to live an other 10 years, but unfortunately, her body was exhausted and couldn't longer support her living. Seeing her slowly die was very painful for our family, but it did give us the opportunity to start the process of saying goodbye and prepare for our separation. And most of all, knowing that her life was coming to an end, made those last moments together as a family extraordinary. And although she will be deeply missed, it is good that she could finally let go.

The first time my grandma was listening to my music, she closed her eyes and dazed away, and when the song was finished, she asked me rather surprised why the music was already finished. The music took her away, and she forgot about everything around her and she got lost in her thoughts. It was very relaxing she said. This was quite a remarkable, since my grandma never dazed away, she was always sharp and super alert. 

So in order to honor her one last time and celebrate her life, I decided to make this beatless version of Shelter in the Sky, of which the title suddenly is very relevant. Hearing this at the funeral on Monday was a special moment, and felt like a worthy goodbye!

Thank you for everything!

Download & Support

Shelter In The Sky (Joep Mencke's Goodbye Mix) | Free Download

Full version of my track "Sea Of Sound" part of my first EP on https://soundcloud.com/crossingsofficial

Apple Music: apple.co/2cIWHMP
Spotify: bit.ly/2dlE0Nf
Beatport: btprt.dj/2dF93GF

Shelter In The Sky / Sea Of Sound

Beatport

Sea Of Sound (Original Mix)[Crossings]

Full version of my track "Shelter in The Sky" part of my first EP on @crossingsofficial

Apple Music: apple.co/2cIWHMP
Spotify: bit.ly/2dlE0Nf
Beatport: btprt.dj/2dF93GF

Buy on Beatport

Shelter In The Sky (Original Mix)[Crossings]

Here is the set I played during the Deep Klassified ADE special last saturday. What a night!!! The place was on fire!! 

Thank you all for dancing❤️

Enjoy!

Deep Klassified x ADE Special - 21-10-2017 @Hennequin & To

Full version of my track "Azul" part of my third EP on @crossingsofficial

Buy on Beatport: www.beatport.com/release/azul/2018798

Azul

Azul (Original Mix)[Crossings]

Here is the full version of my track "Akasha" released on the beautiful Crossings.

Buy on beatport:https://www.beatport.com/track/akasha-original-mix/8657682

Faifoo / Akasha

Akasha (Original Mix)[Crossings}

Sonder: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

Here is my track Sonder from the Natura Sonoris Balance CD compiled by the one and only Henry Saiz. Muchos love

Beatportlink: https://www.beatport.com/track/sonder-original-mix/9493412

Balance presents Natura Sonoris

Sonder (Original Mix)

This ADE was our first anniversary! Exactly a year ago we played together for @klassifiedrecords ADE special and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. I'm very happy to be sharing this musical journey with Filip and there is a lot coming up! It is beautiful to see how our energies align when we are playing together!

This ADE we did two b2b's together, both have been recorded, but this will be the first one that is uploaded! Thank you Nightwatch Bar for hosting us! And thank you to all the dancers out there!🙏❤️

@DeepFilip
FB: https://www.facebook.com/DeepFilip/

TASCAM DR-40

Deep Filip b2b Joep Mencke 20-10-2018 @ Into the Woods ADE Weekender

One of my musical highlights in the past months was doing a Sound Experience at The Conscious Club. Together with amazing musicians: Laura Lotti (Harp), Ute Apfelstedt (Violin, Flute and Singing), and Thomas Kwakernaat (Contrabass & Hang Drum), @deepfilip and I created an one and a half hour musical experience. 

In midst of the hectic of ADE, the event provided the opportunity for people to recharge. This time no dancing. All the lucky ones that got a ticket laid down, closed their eyes, and surrendered themselves to a waving sea of melodies and beats.

This was my first time doing a musical performance with live musicians and it was such an powerful experience. Creating music together in the moment, for an audience that is fully focused on the music (closing your eyes and laying down drastically intensifies the experience of sound), is something else. We loved it. And luckily we recorded the whole set!!! Playing my track Azul was definitely a goosebump moment. Hearing how the live musicians tuned into the vibe of the track and created something amazing, was truly magical!

Here is a live version of Azul.

Close your eyes, lay down, and open yourself to the music
🙏

Azul (Live @ ADE Sound Experience - The Conscious Club)

This is something different! For a long time I wanted to make a mix that showcases another side of me. And now the time is right; the sun is coming out, and Afrika Burn is approaching. So I have selected my favorite African funks and created a journey full of joy and light! Hope you enjoy it just as much as I do! And don't forget to dance😉

🙏

Going Back To The Motherland

AfrikaBurn 2019 | Ubuhlanti

This is the soundtrack I made for the Psychedelic Breath session I did with the amazing Eva Kaczor at The Monastery Festival of The Gardens of Babylon. 

I can still see myself standing there, overlooking that beautiful big barn. This was for sure one of the most powerful musical experiences I have ever experienced on stage. Normally during my sets I have the tendency to fly. The music takes me away, energies rise, and I enter a state of flow where everything just happens naturally. This is a beautiful thing! What made this sound journey so different was that instead of flying I was feeling very grounded. This groundedness enabled me to really deeply experience this journey and it’s impact on us. Sharing this with so many people at the same time makes it so much stronger.   

It is crazy how something so fundamental to our lives, our breath, becomes such a powerful tool when used consciously. This technique is a shortcut to enter a sort of dreamy state in your brain, in which you are neither awake nor asleep: the theta state. This meditative state is the gateway to your creativity, learning and intuition, and it allows you to access the power of your unconscious mind.

PSYCHEDELIC BREATH is Eva Kaczor’s own mix of dynamic breathing techniques from ancient traditions and contemporary science fused with evocative electronic music sets, she creates in collaboration with artists such as Acid Pauli and Birds of Mind. Both, deep breathing as well as electronic music, have the power to alter your state of consciousness and let you access higher realms of awareness. 

I was deeply touched by the reactions after the session. I have never seen so many people in tears of love and joy. Thank you

There are 11 cycles in the sound journey each cycle consisting of dynamic and relaxing sections. In the dynamic sections there is a deep beat you breathe intensely. The relaxing section is more ambient and you let your breath out and then finally hold it in before you enter the dynamic section of the new cycle. If you listen carefully you can hear a windchime/bell which indicates that the journey is moving into the next dynamic or relaxing section. Enjoy

Connect with Eva
https://www.evakaczor.co
https://www.instagram.com/eva.kaczor/
https://soundcloud.com/eva-kaczor

Joep Mencke & Eva Kazcor | Psychedelic Breath Ceremony | The Monastery 2019

Since the incredible journey last July on the Monastery, which was my introduction into the world of breath work, we have been planning to do another Psychedelic Breath Ceremony. Last Saturday it happened again! And it was so powerful. It is so fascinating to so see how something so fundamental to our lives, breathing, becomes such a powerful tool to access the subconscious layers of our mind. Looking at the participants throughout the journey, I could see so many emotions. The experience is so layered. Each person was going through their own unique journey, but at the same time we were all in this together. You could feel the love and support of our family. Thank you for trusting us and surrendering. 

PSYCHEDELIC BREATH is Eva Kaczor’s own mix of dynamic breathing techniques from ancient traditions and contemporary science fused with evocative electronic music sets, she creates in collaboration with artists such as Acid Pauli and Birds of Mind. Both, deep breathing as well as electronic music, have the power to alter your state of consciousness and let you access higher realms of awareness.

There are 10 cycles in the sound journey each cycle consisting of dynamic and relaxing sections. In the dynamic sections there is a deep beat and you breathe intensely. The relaxing section is more ambient and you let your breath out and then hold it in before you enter the dynamic section of the new cycle. If you listen carefully you can hear a windchime/bell which indicates that the journey is moving into the next dynamic or relaxing section. 

Connect with Eva
www.evakaczor.co
www.instagram.com/eva.kaczor/
@eva-kaczor

Here is the sound journey I created. Enjoy🙏❤️

Joep Mencke & Eva Kazcor | Psychedelic Breath Ceremony | The Gardens of Babylon @ WesterUnie 2020

Our world is going through turbulent times. Uncertain times. Times of change. What will happen? What will change? And when? 

We don’t know. We know it is unlike anything we have experienced before and despite all the predictions, the future will remain uncertain. Anything can happen. And this unknown drives our fear.  

The problem with fear is that on the long term it actually undermines what is most important now: our immune system. Fear initiates chemical processes in the body, enabling us to protect ourselves against immediate dangers, essential for survival. Yet these same chemical processes weaken the immune system on the long run. Simply because the immune system is not given priority when the body is exposed to acute threats. 

The body cannot protect and heal itself when it is in a continuous state of fear or stress. In order to protect and heal, the body needs to be relaxed. An easy way to relax your body and strengthen your immune system is by elevating your emotions. Gratitude is a powerful elevated emotion. Practicing gratitude helps to relax and activate the system that is in charge of protecting and healing your body.

Sit down somewhere quiet. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Think of something you are grateful for like your family, job, friends, life, the sun, the birds that are singing outside, your morning tea, or just the fact you have enough food and a roof over your head. Create a mental picture of what you are grateful for and make it as realistic as possible. Become aware of how this gratitude feels in your body. Try to fully experience this emotion and become one with this feeling. 

Your body cannot tell the difference between something that happens in the external world and something projected in your mind. Just as when you think of a traumatic experience in the past, you experience the negative feeling linked to it and your body goes into a state of stress. So by fully submersing yourself into gratitude, your body relaxes and you activate the healing and protective capabilities of the body.

In order to help you in this practice of gratitude I have created Abhar, meaning gratitude in Hindi. This ambient track symbolizes life right now. A life that has slowed down. 
A moment to reflect and to be grateful for the beautiful journey of life. But also a moment to recalibrate and reassess what we truly want from life. 

This works best if done once or twice a day (Once in the morning and/or once before going to bed). 

And trust the universe,
It will bring you what you need

Much love,

Joep


Artwork created by my very talented sister Annemiek Mencke

Abhar (Gratitude Song)

This is the soundtrack of my first Imagery episode. 

Music is one way I create, but as most of you know photography is a big part of my life. In my Imagery project I combine the audio and the visual side to create one full immersion. This project is about the continuous interactions between the audio and the visual: how photography and traveling has shaped my music and how my path in music has impacted my travels and photography. 

Both music and photography are strong triggers of emotions and memories. Each “Imagery” episode relates to a special adventure, reflecting a specific sentiment. My musical vision is built around the concept of taking the listener on a journey. With this project I want to deepen the musical experience by taking the listener on my personal journey.

The first episode will take you to the wild hills of Papua. Still disconnected from the main world, it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Imagine yourself in a place where there are no roads, walking from village to village through an area of huge biological diversity inhabited by various indigenous hill tribes. Most of these indigenous tribes are rarely in contact with foreigners from outside their microcosms. And this isolation has preserved their unique and rich traditions. 

The music guiding you through the photos reflects my intriguing and mystical experience in Papua. This track is a great example of musical storytelling and it greatly reflects the essence of what I’m looking for in music. The chords create a sense of melancholia, which for me, is one of the most interesting emotions the explore. And the melodies form an ode to the beautiful nature of Papua and the mystical hill tribes inhabiting this land. 

Much love

Joep Mencke 

The soundtrack contains a loop taken from Elemental - H. Scott Salinas, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee

For full video and more info on my Imagery project checkt:
https://www.facebook.com/1561011260875148/videos/574808179744478/
https://klassifiedmusic.com/portfolio-item/imagery-episode-1-papua/
https://www.instagram.com/joepmencke/

Imagery | Episode 1 – Papua

I just returned from the magical Bonjuk Bay. This place is something else. The nature, the people, the love. So much beauty. It felt like returning to the essence of life. 

There were many magical moments but this sunset set is something I will never forget. Standing in-between the palm trees, looking at all these beautiful people dancing, celebrating the last moments of sunshine before we fade into the night.

My heart is filled with gratitude.

🙏❤️

Sunset @ Bonjuk Bay | September 2020

Dear friends 

We proudly present the soundtrack of our first official collaboration. We put our heart and soul into the creation of this journey and we are grateful to finally share the result with you. The one-hour journey consists entirely of Joep Mencke’s own productions and is guided by the voice of Peter Vermeiren of Breath of Freedom. 

Throughout the journey deep continuous breathing cycles are alternated with breath retentions on the out-breath and in-breath, enabling you to travel through your body, mind and spirit, and guiding you gently into higher states of consciousness. After the deep continues breathing cycles, the journey ends with a deep relaxing guided meditation. 

In order to get the best experience possible, please use headphones and lie down somewhere where you won’t be disturbed. Also, please keep in mind that by doing this breathwork you are changing your body physically, you are changing the oxygen ratio, and as result you might feel physical sensations as tingling in your fingers and toes, this is completely normal. 

Shunyata refers to the emptiness of full potential in Buddhism. 

We wish you a beautiful heart and mind opening journey. 

Let the breath be your guide. 


Much love, 
Joep and Peter 


This is a preview, for full version check Bandcamp:
https://joepmencke.bandcamp.com/releases


Precautions: 
The breathing technique is safe for people with normal health. If you have doubts about your health please consult an experienced breathwork teacher and/or doctor first. If you have had psychosis or epilepsy in the past this intense track breathing technique is not for you. If you are pregnant or have a very high blood or eye pressure it is best to breathe slowly and don’t hold your breath. Don’t do this intense breathing while driving or in the water as it alters your perception. 


Artwork is created by Annemiek Mencke

Breath Of Freedom & Joep Mencke - Shunyata (Preview)

Joep Mencke is a producer based in the Netherlands. Through his productions and Dj-sets he uses his music to facilitate an inward journey. Through musical storytelling he aims to provide a vehicle for exploration and transformation. His music, which is heavily inspired by nature and the immensely diverse cultures on this planet, can be characterized as: compelling, deep, and melodious. Melancholic chord progressions, hypnotizing bass-lines, and driving drums will accompany you on your journey.

Management: thierry@askpixel.am

Bookings: cameron@wearee.nl

Say Hello: joepmencke@gmail.com

Popular tracks by Joep Mencke