Mantra (Material song)

"Mantra"
Single by Material
from the album Hallucination Engine
Released1993
Length5 min., 17 min. mix
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)Bill Laswell and Lakshminarayana Shankar.

"Mantra" is a 1993 song and single by Material from the album Hallucination Engine, composed by Bill Laswell and Lakshminarayana Shankar. "Mantra" received favourable reviews in Spin, The Wire and Stereophile.[1] The album version was remixed by The Orb to a 17-minute track for the single, and also given a 5-minute version.[2]

"Mantra" begins with a "wailing Middle Eastern introduction",[3] an ambient drone played by Shankar on electric violin,[4] and is then propelled by tandem tablas of Zakir Hussain and Trilok Gurtu.[5]

It was issued as a 12" and CD single in 1993 (Axiom / Island, AXMCD1) featuring the 17 minute "Praying Mantra Mix" by The Orb, the album's 8 minute "Doors of Perception Mix", and a 5-minute edit.

  1. ^ The Wire 1994 Volumes 120 to 124 - Page 62 "Material Hallucination Engine ... Tracks like "Mantra" and Weather Report's "Cucumber Slumber" work well, with the tabla players driving the music ..."
  2. ^ Spin March 1994 Page 79 "Material: Hallucination Engine (Axiom/Island) "And, if the cover of John Coltrane's "Niema" feels dead, I'm sure the 17-minute "Mantra," remixed by the Orb, will be as good as anything the latter has ever done."
  3. ^ Stereophile Volume 18, Nos 1 to 4 1995 - Page 195 "Material: Hallucination Engine ... The wailing Middle-Eastern introduction of "Mantra ..."
  4. ^ Peter Lavezzoli The Dawn of Indian Music in the West: Bhairavi 2006 Page 343 "Six years later, Laswell would follow Hear No Evil with a 1994 album by Material, which had grown big enough to hold any musicians willing to participate, which was entitled Hallucination Engine, with the return of Hussain, Shankar, Skopelitis, Dieng, and a guest roster including Wayne ... "Mantra" begins with ambient drone as Shankar's electric violin wails with the nasal tone of shehnai; Hussain and Gurtu play tandem tablas over a mammoth funk groove of drums and bass, with the beat or bass line intermittently dropping out ....."
  5. ^ Rhythm Music Magazine: RMM 1994 "Hallucination Engine, Bill Laswell. Overall, a flawed but fun CD.... turn the volume knob up, floating above; tablas propel "Mantra," until the objects in the room would seem all American Hardwood"