Music Review • Music For Psychedelic Therapy
Jon Hopkins, 42 yo, is from London. He received a classical piano training. His signature sound is to mixing ambient and electronic music. One perfect example of this is a song taken from one of his previous albums "Immunity" called "Form by Firelight". Many people consider this album as one of the best albums released in 2012. This song is what I would describe as "modern" music. It's the perfect blend of soothing ambience and electronic textures.
Anyway, what I want to share with you today is his latest album called "Music For Psychedelic Therapy". He's been practicing for the last few years transcendental meditation to put himself in a state where his musical creativity can thrive.
Jon produced this new album while being under the influence of ketamine. He wanted to explore creative possibilities while being in an altered state.
This album is a 64-minute rhythmless expanse of delicate electronics, immersive natural sounds and celestial choirs. It is meant to be a soundtrack of a ketamine trip or, more broadly, guide listeners toward their own "other realms".
This album ends on a song called "Sit Around The Fire". It includes a narrative from Ram Dass, a spiritual master, psychologist, author and yoga guru. In short, someone who knows how to relax. He led several studies on the effect of psychedelics in the 60s. He considered himself as an atheist and not close to any god until he first tried psychedelics. This song is one of my personal favorites.
Listen to the album in one shot. It will take 1 hour. It may seem long but this is, in my opinion, the best way to introduce you to ambient music.