Gerald Van Waes (Psyche van het Folk)
and (Radio Centraal - Belgium)
"This release is a successful, moody and inspired conceptual, almost cinematic, musical exploration, digging into
associations and ideas from ‘The Wheel Of Life’, presented musically like a world with an essence of exotic and
magical mystery. Just listen to the successful craft of electric guitar on “Akusala-Mula” with bass, moody keyboards,
played with an underlying power, followed by a moody piano ambient track, "Intermediate State". This is followed by
6 parts/tracks representing the 6 worlds of experience according to the Vedas (the world of Devas or Gods, Titans,
Hungry Ghosts, Hell creatures, Animals and Humans). The 'Deva world' is presented by eastern folk music played
with Chinese instruments and dulcimer. The ‘titans’ are present in a new World Fusion style, with its own magic
of sounds and rhythms, with a frightening underlying power, still presented with a relaxing calmness of unattachedness.
Also the ‘hungry ghosts’ are colourfully presented with the right instruments and effects. The ‘hell world’ is presented
with dark ambient drones, not sounding too different from the ‘animal world’, which sound except with a similar
frightening magical tension, also sad with additional flute playing. The 'human world' continues with the flute,
and has some beautiful solo singing from Vietnam, a Buddhist prayer, with three guitar notes repeating and spinning
around the sphere.
Most of the tracks hereafter continue the musical theme and sphere described in the human condition,
and also shows these human conditions in which you can be born; if one incarnates into that last realm, a choice
which is hopeful, but still is built by restrictions that must show the condition of being incomplete, before a person
understands and decides to take an outwards evolution, after realising all the elements of incompleteness.
First we can hear sad drones with Chinese flute (ignorance), a complex continuum drone with melody (karmic
formations), something which isn’t changing to something more hopeful, but only gets more description and flavours
through the following tracks (presenting the elements of consciousness, naming and taking form, six senses, contact,
feelings, craving, grasping/desire, becoming, birth, decay and death), presenting the underlying growth of one’s
consciousness within the wheel of life, and from birth into rebirth. All the realisations of its consisting elements, all with
its specific formal results, have all the same practical result which can make a purpose for a person when realizing
how everything has an inevitable nature, in its whole presented, to end one day or another (Lord of Death), or to see
its true nature of what things really are, and some time are not, as the essence of being or not-being (Buddha of
Infinite Light).
“The six senses” were of course presented with more aesthetic brightness (sitar, guitar, tabla, keyboards,
and improvised vocals). The other tracks enfold, with various different elements (piano, flute and keyboards, electric
guitar, Indian voice,..), of how attractive it can become in becoming someone in this world, which can form a reason,
according to the Buddhist beliefs, of how people finally are reborn into the human state. The result in life itself will
become once more of how all attractive elements will show their limited states. The ‘decay and death’ part has almost
industrial rhythms and keyboards, with a magical, dark tension. But also the closing sections, after ‘death’, presenting
the Buddhic realms have a different, melodic attractiveness. When considering an artist and his vision to look at the
different realms, one can realize how much all creative forces can come from the same source of inspiration.
The CD is truly successful, and is a musical spiritual journey with a powerful expression. It should also interest people
interested in Buddhist, Jain or Hindu ideas, looking for an honest creative exploration of their ideas into a musical form.
The music works as a deeper interconnected meditation into the subject, and is the opposite of most vaguely
self-fulfilling New Age products."
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J.L. Johnston (St. Croix Music)
"When ever I get to write about an artist that creates World Fusion music I get a sense of feeling so adventurous that I
feel like a teenager that just got his drivers license. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not bound by describing a
particular genre, because to me this is a style of music that has no one direction to be labeled. It has more to do with
having total creativity without being tied into any type of commercial game plan, while still maintaining a framework
of artistic achievement blended with a logical musical flow that doesn’t demand a trained ear to appreciate it.
Put simply, it’s a great way to show your qualities as a musician, incorporate international flavors, and still get the
attention of the every day listener. Oh yeah, I left out the best part. It’s timeless. And in this case, it’s Gino Foti.
Gino is an incredible bassist from Messina, Sicily and is a musician that creates musical journeys that take you to
places not discovered by the average pop song. Not that one outweighs the other, but like anything that reaches
your musical palate, it’s just a matter of taste. And for those of you that want to feast on a higher level of instrumental
virtuosity and global musical awareness, Gino Foti is the ticket."
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"Bhavachakra offers introspective raga-rock, moody Harold Budd-like piano nodules, simple sitar and tabla workouts, and swelling synth choruses, all drenched in humid reverb."
