This title is about how the shaman who use the Ayauasca is protected by a  huge falcon  (el gabilan) against evil monstrous beast in order to cure his patient during
the taking of this hallucinogenic plant

Cuidando el gabilan

The Karmapa is the spiritual leader of the red-hat tibetan buddhists.With the Dalai Lama who is both temporary and spiritual leader of the Yellow hat buddhist is one of the top rank figure in the tibetan world.The red hat, the former school of buddhism in Tibet put the stress much on practice and meditation and the yellow hats rather on theoretical and philosophical  studies.The mantra Karmapa chenno ( in fact Karmapa thien no) mean may the Karmapa protect us.It is less known than the OM MANI PADMI HUM but not less efficient when danger appear.I was reading the book of Ole Nydal "Entering the Diamond way" which how a haschich smuggler and his wife (the author)
were converted to tibetan buddhism in the late 60's .I'm still not converted to buddhism but this book was so pleasant so full of life and wonder about the tibetans masters of this time that while I created this track the mantra permanently run through my head, at such a point that even a critic feel it.The repetitive and rhythmic aspect of the song would suggest the mantra

Karmapa chenno

Ràga Karoharapriya   Harikambodji

Elegba is the trickster in the voodoo theology. It's the one who is disturbing plans.But it the end , it is the one who makes interesting things happens in life.
I found he has to do with Ganesh, who is also the lord of obstacles .As a malagasy, thus half african and half asian, I found that African gods were no strangers to me.
This track is still belong to my research phase (around 1996), trying to find a new language away from the rock/metal.Brian Eno of course was the big
influence.

Guitar,1 second sampler, Pitch-Shifter (Boss PS3, a magic pedal)



Elegba

This song is  sing by a lebanon soprano woman called Hala Hachem .

Fi youm wi Leyla (dark version)

In 1964 the Lakota sundance was threaten by darklcouds.Strangely the raining clouds splitted in two part leaving the ceremonial ground dry.It was was one of the best sundance that ever happen (see the book of Tahca Ushte).
The rythmic was made with an electric artifact born from a guitar pedal then passed through a delay and that have been finally sampled.The riff is very simple .It's an AC/DC like riff but conveying an hypnotic feel

Sundance 1964

When a fighter come to a decisive time he must stand on the celestial floating bridge , a place where the spirit of Gods , Buddhas and men collide , a place where time diseappears and loss and victory have already have been decided according to the dharma.You can hear Master Ueshiba sings the kototamas or magic letters at the beginning of that song.

Ame-no-Uki-ashi (le pont flottant céleste)

The drone was made with a laotian mouth organ , the khên, which was
sampled and processed.
I 'm reading a sacred text upon it : the Ganapati Upanishad. I'm sorry for my sanskrit pronunciation which sometimes can be wrong (not a good thing for an esoteric text). Anyway I feel that this old track (recorded in one shot around 1997) have some real spiritual value .

Tandava - supp

Ganapati upanishad

I play veena (a kind of big and ancient sacred sitar)  in my recent live set (a nap concert) upon this track .
It was made with a wonderful synth (an Alesis Micron) Patrick Wicklacz lend me.

Refractions

Footstep

The central part of the great hindu epic , the Mahabharata, is known as the Bhagavad Gita, the song of the blessed.Just before the  fight, Arjuna the hero is paralyzed by doubt, unwilling to kill his  cousins. Krishna reveal him the truth about the universe to wipe out all his delusion .
This track was made on a cheap keyboard like most of my song.
Amritabhandava means brotherhood in immortality.

Amritabhandava

Nekaukatl was an exhibition in Paris by the french artist Geoffrey Crespel.When I saw his work the link with my music was obvious as we share the same will to create a world both imaginary but strongly linked with esotericism (if not mysticism) and primitive religion.A flavor of prehistoric feel made me play some singing stones and mouth bow (not in this excerpt). Each track that I made for the exhibition was related to one precise work in the galery.

Live

Nekaukatl- final

One of my last experimental electric guitar track before switching completely to the ethnic instruments, around 1997 . This tittle is dedicated to a girl named Tara.The drone was made on guitar too with a DOD one second sampler.The bass in the end is also guitar.

Tarà la libératrice

Tàra, La Libératrice

New album of collaboration : Baza Guru Rimpoche, Arhat & Ujjaya. When bhutanese buddhist ritual meet ambient music. Baza Guru Rimpoche is one of the prominent spiritual figure of Bhutan.  After meeting him in 2016 on the day of Bhutan at the great Paris pagoda, we have the blessing to record him in studio.A part of the price of the album will go to the building of a Stupa in France. That give good karma to each buyer.
The album is available in Paris at the Maison du Bhoutan (40 rue Olivier Metra 20°), La Galerie du Toit du Monde (6 rue Visconti 6°) or at the Edition Buissière.To order the cd at the association Ambient Wave contact us at Ambient Waves com@ambientwaves.org

Baza Guru Rimpoche - Trailer

"Flight to Omega" is inspired by the book "The Omega project" by Kenneth Ring which is the most complete survey about near death experience.
The front string instrument is a valiha, a malagasy instrument which embodies the wisdom of the ancient and the longevity.

Unreleased

Flight to Omega

In hinduism Savitri is the name of the godess of speech at noon .(at the dawn they call her Vach and at the twilight they call her Saraswati).

Savitri

As if Robert Wyatt makes some Tangerine Dream music.
Played with a keyboard even your child would not want.

Taipusam

The Tangerine Wyatt (song for the disabled)

The koi are the japanese fishes who symbolize many qualities depending on their color.For the chinese they  show the way to follow to get in touch with reality.
This track was made as a birthday gift to my friend Elisa Giovannoni, an artist who focused her work for a time on koi.
The intro show my influence by Ralph Towner.The overall track has much to do with my acoustic guitar hero, William Ackerman, without whom I would never dare to make music.As all my track it's played on an open tuning : from top to bottom : G#-C#-F#-G#-C#-F#.
It was played on a very cheap chinese folk guitar, which sounds incredibly well (many thanks to Cyrine Gharsallah)

A very old track made on 2 two-track recorders so the sound is awfull, but the magic is still here.The tittle came from a Maori expression that mean "The echoe of the Earth"
and was also the tittle from a beautiful photo book from Victoria Ginn.
The ghost of Jon Hassel is not far away:Flute , udu and tibetan bowls

Tihei Mauriora

2 keyboards were used for the first part : one was found in the garbages an was nearly out of work,the other was a toy. For the second part I use a heavily processed guitar I play smoothly with a drumstick.
The overall sensation was of one who get caught first by the heat of the bush and then be possessed
by the jungle spirits.Between Jon Hassel & Steve Roach but with a heavy ritualized sensation .

A call through the bush

Shravana is the month of the moonsoon season in India. This title was made entirely with a processed didgeridoo. It is part of my  very early work ,in the album "What we know about the unexpected" (circa 1996)

Shravana

Qalimbara is a song to call the genius in the Gnawa cult . There are different type of genius, each has his colour ans his song. Youssef Jandouk is a Maâlem, a kind of priest of this cult . He came to cross the sea from Morocco to make a living with his music .We recorded one album but find no label interested by this music.After the album we've gone our own separated way.

Lila,la nuit sacrée

Qalimbara

It was made with the same material and at the same time than my album "Le Maître des carrefours" but as it was played live it is more straightforward .Beginning by a very bright and energetic guitar , drive by some african percussions it ends in a more psychedelic/ indian-cosmic way.
I try to approach the feelings of songs I love like" Spectral morning" by Steve Hackett  or "Edge runner" a Steve Roach song in his album "The leaving" where Davis Thorn really put the fire with his guitar.

Eyembilan

The tambur (tanbure) is an iranian lute with a long neck . It is one of the main instrument of the guati rite . An animist pre-islamic ritual used to appease some spirits called guat (or winds). It will become  the tampura into indian music which gives the drone for the raga. But in the balutche area it's still played like a lute . One of my friends, Stéphane, who managed the light for the first Paris Ambient Festival is also like me a instrument collector. He have a tambur, which is quite rare to see, at least in France . I took the opportunity to record the tanbur track in his sweet countryside house which looks quite like a hobbit house with lot of cats. The synth part is provided with the worst yamaha PSR you could find, but it did the job.

Unrealesed

La chanson du Guâti

Ujjaya en concert / sieste (gongs, bols & électronique) le samedi 11 mai 2024 à 15h à l'espace Saad Abssi , Gennevilliers (M° Les Agnettes ligne 13)
Ujjaya is a french/malagasy ethno-ambient  musician , a spiritual seeker.
His tribal and experimental side is mainly influenced by Steve Roach,Robert Rich, Brian Eno and Jorge Reyes. 
Ujjaya  also play open tuned 6 and 12 strings folk guitar in a more new age way,reminiscent of Willam Ackerman.

Ujjaya

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