BUDDHA MACHINES ON FIRE

My second offering here is "Buddha machines on fire", made under my alias Salakapakka Sound System. Here I use FM3 Buddha machine, various other Buddhist loop jukeboxes and various other sources as material. You can find loop players for sale at Buddhist temples around Asia. FM3 is Chinese based ambient duo who released their own version of loop jukebox. All nine loops are available as zipped uncompressed wav files here. Check out also their intriguing ambient albums such as Pinpan. A second generation Buddha machine is supposed to materialize this autumn.

Check out also Robert Henke´s fabulous and hypnotizing live recording of him using layers of Buddha machine loops (available free there).

First track on "Buddha machines on fire" CD-R is called Synteettinen munkki 1 (synthetic monk). Name is a word play. In Finnish language word munkki means monk and doughnut, it is also used as a slangy word meaning female breast. Both Synteettinen munkki 1 and 2 are basically looping and synthesizer improvisations. Both have been slightly edited (about minute cut off from the middle) and eq´d. No other post-processing made. Expect no beats or catchy melodies. This is slowly evolving stuff with pulsing synth and Buddhist chanting loops (reminds me a bit of early 70´s electric music - hence the name synthetic monk).

Second track Lo-fi Buddha is a long ambient piece which uses mostly FM3 loops, delay and hissing/scratching interference noises, that´s why it is called "lo-fi" (maybe I should call it garage ambient?).

Monk with no name is not a western rip-off as you may think. The basic backbone of this piece is shameless dance-oriented beat that slowly drifts back and forth between straight and reversed beatloop. Just like Kapina Tiibetissä is my rare excursion to metal, Monk with no name is just as rare example of electronic beat oriented almost-danceable music.

Kapina Tiibetissä (rebellion in Tibet) features uncommon combination of Buddhist chanting and death metal. This must be closest thing to metal that I´ll never make. That metal sound is made by combining small snippets of guitar riffs and pounding drum fills. Thanks to Maria for letting me use small pieces of her early band demos.

Delayed mantra is based on one short mantra loop and synth drone. Loop has been treated with alternating delay so sometimes it evolves into distorted noise.

Street Buddha is a growing piece which includes various FM3 loops, material of chanting beggar monk, shopping mall noises and ringing bells I recorded during my visit to Osaka.

Buddha doesn´t smile anymore is an easy ending for the album. Slowly drifting piece "for those early misty mornings". Maybe my own favourite at the time of writing.

SALAKAPAKKA SOUND SYSTEM: Buddha Machines on Fire
Free music archive
mediafire links coming sometime

Review of this and many other interesting reviews can be found here
Few words of this release also at excellent disquiet.com

UPDATE: Now available as separate files (compressed or uncompressed) there. Few tracks as mp3 files also here.