Jon Hopkins announces his new album, Music For Psychedelic Therapy, set for release on 12th November 2021.
Alongside the announcement Hopkins has shared Sit Around The Fire, the album’s closing track - a unique collaboration between Hopkins, producer and ceremony guide East Forest and legendary guru, the late Ram Dass, whose iconic book Be Here Now celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Hopkins on Sit Around The Fire:
“Sit Around The Fire exists from one of the deep synchronicities that ushered this thing (Music For Psychedelic Therapy) into being. I was contacted by East Forest, who had spent some time with Ram Dass in Hawaii before he passed. He was given access to several lesser-heard talks from the 70s, and asked to set them to music. He sent me some starting points, including the beautiful choral vocals he recorded which open the piece. I put my headphones on and with Ram Dass’ voice inside my head, I sat at the piano and improvised. What you hear is the first thing that came out - it just appeared in response to the words.”
The video for Sit Around The Fire was made by Tom Readdy and Lucy Dawkins at Yes Please using beautiful animated imagery from the pages of Be Here Now.
Hopkins says on Music For Psychedelic Therapy:
“Music For Psychedelic Therapy is not ambient, classical or drone but has elements of all three. For me it’s a place as much as it is a sound. It works for the sober mind, but takes on a new dimension entirely when brought into a psychedelic ceremony. In my own psychedelic explorations testing this music, I found a quote I had read would keep coming to mind. “Music is liquid architecture, architecture is frozen music”. I love this idea of music as something you inhabit, something that works on you energetically. In fact, it was while in that state that the title appeared to me. Psychedelic-assisted therapies are moving into legality across the world, and yet it feels like no one is talking about the music. But the music is as important as the medicine”.
Tracklisting:
1.Welcome
2. Tayos Caves, Ecuador i
3. Tayos Caves, Ecuador ii
4. Tayos Caves, Ecuador iii
5. Love Flows Over Us In Prismatic Waves
6. Deep In The Glowing Heart
7. Ascending, Dawn Sky
8. Arriving
9. Sit Around The Fire (with Ram Dass, East Forest)
Music For Psychedelic Therapy was produced and recorded by Jon Hopkins. Field recordings on Tayos Caves, Ecuador are by Mendel Kaelen and multi-dimensional synthesis and woodland surround are by 7RAYS.
