True to his favourite theme, British producer Jon Hopkins‘ latest album, Ritual, is a veritable psychedelic trip.
Hopkins has always been open about the influence of psychoactive substances in electronic music. His albums accompany ketamine therapy, pay homage to magic mushrooms or MDMA. Like a modern-day shaman, Jon Hopkins guides us through a meditative sound ritual, inspired by the Dreamachine, a stroboscopic device that triggers visual hallucinations when you close your eyes.
Following in the footsteps of Brian Eno, with whom he collaborated on the soundtrack to the film Wild, Jon Hopkins continues his exploration of hypnotic progressions. Like the ambient pioneer, Hopkins uses music to create soundscapes that invite contemplation and meditation. He sets himself apart, however, by injecting a more rhythmic energy and a darker side.
Like certain substances, Ritual’s music deconstructs time and space. Vaporous synth layers stretch and transform, rhythms expand and contract. Complex yet accessible, Hopkins’ composition captures the essence of the psychedelic experience.
If you’re lucky enough to discover Ritual in l’Habitat Sonore, the PHI Center‘s spatial audio listening room, the album takes on a whole new dimension and becomes a truly trippy immersive experience.
The darkness is almost complete. We close our eyes. The music gradually unfolds, enveloping us in sound and vibration. We enter an almost meditative state. In the distance, ethereal siren voices seek to bewitch us, drawing us into cosmic immensity.
Suddenly, the rhythm accelerates like a heartbeat, and we are propelled into space. The sounds become denser. Tension mounts. Deep bass and high frequencies intermingle in a tumultuous symphony, creating a sensation of weightlessness and infinity. It’s a journey, sometimes contemplative, sometimes vertiginous, that leads us with increasing intensity to the climax of the ascent, a triumphant ceremonial dedicated to the Sun Goddess.
At the end of this cosmic journey, we come back down to Earth. The sounds become softer, the rhythms fainter. An old piano echoes familiar chords, while a cat purrs peacefully.
You can listen to it at Habitat Sonore | Spatial audio listening room | PHI Centre
