Conceived in the cultural cellars of Bangkok, Thailand, and Geneva, Switzerland, this 9-track LP by Jerome, aka ‘Yantra Mandir’ and ‘The Dude of Stratosphear’, casts a wide net over experimental meditative ambient music, progressive drone, Brahmanic accents, and ritual oscillations. Together, this work represents a 20 year journey in Geneva of musical production, artistic expression, and the melting pot of experiences fused with the rich legacy of Indian spiritual sounds. The LP is partly a collaboration between five close collaborators, each contributing a single sound to complete the multiculti jigsaw, and partly comprised of field recordings of Bopa musicians from Rajasthan, in northern India. Added to the confluence are intricate layers of electric bass and electronic vibrations. The name derives from ancient Sanskrit words emblematic of the overarching sound. Yantra is the Sanskrit word for mystical diagrams found in the Tantric traditions of the Indus Valley. These diagrams are used to worship dieties at home or in temples, as a meditation aid, and to activate the various benefits and occult powers as defined by Hindu astrological and Tantric texts. Mandir is the Sanskrit word for a place in which a still mind and soul float freely search of life, peace, joy, and comfort. For centuries, the mandir has remained the nexus of a community where people forget their differences and voluntarily unite. Presented on a double gatefold, 180 gram vinyl, and limited to 300 copies, “Garden of Reality” is the musical meeting point between Europe, Southeast Asia, and India - and everything in between from past, present, and future.

From My Body The CD included in the LP features the 10 tracks in the same order Short info: ‘Joy’ is BBF’s fourth album and the first one to be truly vocalist-focused and song-centric. With the help of Canadian poet-singer Beaver Sheppard who played an prominent role the composition, BBF explore what the band-members describe as ‘post-religious’ themes, such as struggling to find joy in times of uncertainty and instability. This makes it without any doubt BBF’s ‘Nietzsche album’. Following on from their latest album ‘Miami’ (2013) BBF keeps moving away from the dark mood of their early releases and the image of a ‘classical new music ensemble’ to resemble more closely an ‘experimental rock band’. With much more grit and growl than before, they draw upon genres and styles that are not conventionally associated with joy: krautrock, punk, drum’n'bass, indie rock, new wave, and pretty much every other ‘-wave’ from the 80s. With each track offering a contrasting combination of styles and genres, BFF succeed in devoting a whole album to a single feeling without making it either monotone or cliché. Instead, they build on euphoria to expand and enrich electronic music’s emotional range with new textures. More than an album, it is an emotional journey.