Othon Pineal

He collaborates with diverse talents; Marc Almond, the futuristic electro-cabaret multi-octave opera singer Ernesto Tomasini, Bird Radio (recipient of an 2014 Aldeburgh Festival Grant) and the indigenous Amazonian shamans Javier Arevalo Shahuano and Jessica Ramirez Seopa. The albums title points to the brains pineal gland, traditionally responsible for mystical awakenings and inner visions. Ayahuasca, the powerful Amazonian medicinal brew, is a pineal gland activator that Othon believes enables him to access hidden parts of his psyche. His participation in mind-expanding Ayahuasca ceremonies in the midst of the rain forest accom-panied by the hypnotic shamanic singing, inspired Othon to create Pineal. It's an album that, in the eclectic tradition of genre-inclusive PAN-muzik veers from cinematic pop, fierce shamanic techno, downtempo jungle and violin driven electronica. Othon has uniquely transformed ancient shamanic ceremony into the evocative and hypnotic soundscapes that feature in the albums second part. The shamans blessing was granted by chiefs of the Kaxinaw tribe to turn one of their sacred songs Pasha Dume into a hard-edged choral techno track and, likewise, a traditional Umbandan (Afro-Brazilian religion) sung accompaniment to sacred ceremonies, Cobra Coral is reworked into tribal dance track on which Marc Almond sings in the original Brazilian .