Hosianna Mantra [

Hosianna Mantra is the third album by German band Popol Vuh. It was originally released in 1972 on the German record label Pilz. The album saw the band blend elements of Western classical music, Asian music, and space rock. For the release, bandleader Florian Fricke abandoned electronic synthesizers and instead employed acoustic instruments such as piano, oboe, and tambura. Prominently featured are Korean vocalist Djong Yun and electric guitarist Conny Veit.

Of the many legendary artists to emerge from the Krautrock movement, few anticipated the rise of modern electronic music with the same prescience as Popol Vuh - they were the first German band to employ a Moog synthesizer and their work not only anticipated the emergence of ambient, but also proved pioneering in its absorption of worldbeat textures. Keyboardist Florian Fricke was deeply immersed in Mayan mythology at the time he formed the group with synth player Frank Fiedler and percussionist Holger Trulzsch, and his interests were reflected in the spiritual themes of their 1970 debut, Affenstunde, the first experimental rock release entirely built around the Moog Synthesiser (with the add of percussions to provide a mystical flavour)…

Popol Vuh - Sei still, wisse ICH BIN (1981) {SPV 70242 CD rel 2006}
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© 1981, 2006 Innovative Communication / SPV Recordings | SPV 70242
Rock / Ethnic Rock / Krautrock / Progressive Rock / Sacred Music

Recorded in 1980 and produced by Klaus Schulze, Sei Still, Wisse ICH BIN ("Be quiet, I am") is one of Popol Vuh's sacred music offerings. Like Hosianna Mantra nearly a decade before, this set is regal in its solemnity and in its intensity. Utilizing the Chorensemble der Bayerischen Staatsoper and the soprano saxophone stylings of Chris Karrer, Popol Vuh – down to a three-piece with vocalist Renate Knaup fronting the choir, Fricke on piano and voice, and guitarist Daniel Fichelscher holding down the drum chair as well, this is a huge recording.

Compared to their previous recordings, the hymn-like ‘Hosianna Mantra’ – a milestone record within their career – saw Popol Vuh taking the next step with ‘Seligpreisung’. A new musical element entered the mix: rock. No coincidence, as Daniel Fichelscher from Amon Düül II made his first appearance here, playing guitars and drums. Fichelscher was to become an important companion for Fricke securing the rock element as an important and explicit ingredient of their music in the coming years. The music on ‘Seligpreisung’ evokes that typical and mysterious brilliance of Popol Vuh of being able to sound non-Western while using mostly Western instruments. While Daniel Fichelscher and Conny Veit gave rock impulses, Florian Fricke and Robert Eliscu approached things from the classical side. Robert Eliscu played a lyrical oboe; his intricate duets with Fricke on the grand piano defined the meditative side of the tracks on the album. Due to the temporary absence of vocalist Djong Yun, all vocal duties fell to Florian Fricke this time. The incredibly beautiful bonus track “Be In Love” is an essential addition. It is the A-side of a now hard to find single, recorded just before the album “Seligpreisung”, with vocals by Djong Yun.