BARDO

Oöphoi "Bardo" CD

Even if "Bardo" was released long time ago, back in 2002 on Russian Electroshock Records, with this review I would like to pay a little tribute to sole protagonist of Oöphoi, Gianluigi "Gigi" Gasparetti, who has recently passed away after a long fight with illness at the age of 55 years.

I consider "Bardo" as one of the most treasured and influential works of this Italian drone shaman. Yes, undoubtedly "Bardo" is absolutely fascinating sonic voyage beyond the gates, accomplishing the state of sheer contemplation and transcendence. Based on Bardo, which means in Tibetan Buddhism a state between death and rebirth, the intermediate state. There are six states of Bardo, the album focuses on four of them. The journey unfolds with "Samten Bardo - Contemplation" (Bardo of Meditation), which dives deeply into mammoth sonic cave, where monstrous drone tsunami is occasionally reinforced by various primordial reverberations, ominous voices and tremulous hums. An ultimate sonic therapy!!! And appropriate exercise for your speakers too... Drone meditations have never sounded more grandiose and immersing, this is a track for your Throne of Drones!!! Flatlined drones invade "Chikai Bardo - Dissolution" (Bardo of the Course of Death), but soon they are united with eerie, hallucinogenic voices and assorted industrialized dissonances (some of them evoking screeching sounds of the passing train). Stunningly weird, but intense and stimulating deep trance-ambient solitudes. Ear- and mind-bending too... This deeply meditative drone odyssey overlaps also to the next composition, "Chonyi Bardo - A Path Of The Lights" (Bardo of the After-death). Intriguing mystery soon reveals, when exotic embellishments and sparse gongs and bells join this long-form piece, clocking to 29 minutes. After about 8 minutes Tibetan Buddhist Monks begin chanting their prayers along with ear-tickling percussions here and there and shift this composition into absolutely essential and magnificent high-altitude plateau. Slowly droning and gradually expanding into gracefully spectacular pilgrimage site. Yes, this is a truly unforgettable aural adventure that everyone must experience to reach this spiritual oasis!!! This is for me, along with David Parsons' "Mani", a true Sagarmāthā among the Tibetan Buddhism-infused ambient contemplations!!! "Sipai Bardo - Crossing The Bridge Of Existence The Eternal Cycle" (Bardo of the Rebirth within Samsara) blossoms with low rumbling drone expansions, ghostly voices and diverse noisier disruptions, and smoothly cascades and culminates through immense, mysteriously permeated terrains, before reaching powerfully intense pinnacle, a grand finale I must say!!!

"Bardo" is one of the many milestones in Oöphoi's amazing discography!!! But the words are pouring very hard and I am not ashamed of tears in my eyes as the Lord of unfathomable drones now continues his journey beyond the gates of this world with kindred spirits such as Klaus and Kristian. Grazie Gigi, grazie grande Oöphoi, you will never be forgotten!!!

Richard Gürtler (Apr 20, 2013, Bratislava, Slovakia)

Gianluigi Gasparetti's (1958 - 2013) aka Oophoi, "Bardo", 2002, is an almost sunken progressive electronic treasure , discovered by few and the kind of masterwork that will only find its true magnitude in perceptive electronic, prog/electronic music followers. BARDO is deep, creative, uncommonly attractive and unique in *almost all of its forms, structures, music language and music composition. *(If not for a quiet used vocal/chorus treatment on track 3 "A Path Of The Lights",I would have written all).

Flawless in all these regards and dwelling relentesly between highly beautiful melody lines and detached, dreamy/industrial/obscure/dim-lighted environments simultaneously, it grows deeper as its slow paced motion progresses and these common elements never cease or weaken in any form but only through a pitch-perfect transformation guided by the increasingly inspired melody lines, which dictaminate the course to be taken.

4 fully attired tracks, unique in concept and appearance each, invite the listener to pay full attention to its subtle delicacies, but their trance/hypnotic essence is upfront and quivering with fresh proposals and details to entice your attention easily.

A masterwork from any given angle!

*****5 "FULL" PA stars.

Oöphoi is the brainchild of the late Gianluigi Gasparetti (1958-2013). Gianluigi used electronically treated sounds to imitate a distorted Mother Nature much in the same way that Stefano Musso does in his ALIO DIE releases. With Bardo he created one of my favorite contemplative/shamanic/meditative musical journey albums of all time.

1. "Samten Bardo - Contemplation" (16:14) a droning number of synth chords, rustling wind chimes, and intermittent and linear transpiring muted and muffled industrial sounds that soften and smooth out in the mid-section. Nothing very special or memorable here. (24/30)

2. "Chikai Bardo - Dissolution" (11:38)I love the slightly over-loud "rocket" effect employed within which are some of the clearest, most steadfast notes and chords while incidental spirits and sprites visit and, sometimes, try to engage with us. Starting in the third minute it feels as if we are on a space train to some unknown destination: to an internment camp, or the outer suburbs of København, into the mines of Lusus or who knows where! I love it! This is Brian Eno's 1980s Ambient work taken further: into the subliminal! I could see how this could be disturbing for some, but I find it exhilarating! (19/20)

3. "Chonyi Bardo - A Path Of The Lights" (28:54) deeply engaging and hypnotic. A great trip-inducing passage of electronica--as if escaping the gravitational pull of Self to fly freely among the Truth. Flawless! (60/60)

4. "Sipai Bardo - Crossing The Bridge Of Existence The Eternal Cycle" (17:34) deeply echoing gongs and Tibetan instrumental and vocal sounds drawn out over seventeen minutes. Not nearly as engaging, transportive, or transformative as the previous two--though the intensification of Tibetan overtone throat singing and volume rise in the eleventh minute does kind of lock one in for a few minutes--but then things begin to back off and let one go for the final three minutes. Too bad. I'd much rather be thrown into the fire and left to simmer and seep like the previous two songs. (30/35)

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and a sure-fire masterpiece of 21st Century Progressive Electronica.