Mantrica

Anant Jesse | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2001)
• Original Release Date: June 19, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Etherean
• ASIN: B000008QXT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,698 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #60 in Music > World Music > India & Pakistan > General

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Anant Jesse is the product of a unique yogic upbringing, constant world travel, intense spiritual practices, and a series of major label rock & roll releases. Former MTV darling as part of art-pop outfit Dramarama, AJ recorded four albums for Capitol/Chameleon Records • Completed four extensive North American tours and three European tours • Videos reached MTV Buzz-Bin regular rotation • MTV live appearances and numerous radio and syndicated tv appearances • Was taught sanskrit, vedic chanting, Hatha Yoga, meditation and vedic scripture from childhood • Made first trip to India at age thirteen and remains a long-time resident of both India and New York City.

Product Description

Sample Track:<br><br>3.)     Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra <a href="http://www.whiteswanmusic.com/sample_tracks/ET&ndsh;74012&ndsh;MANTRI_3.mp3">Play MP3 sample</a><br><br>This album is a link between what is strong,pure and ancient; and what is alive,electric,and grooving! This is a marriage of ancient and modern. The Sanskrit mantras that focus this album come from the Vedic tradition of ancient India. Over 400 centuries of vibration bring them into the NOW. <br><br>About the Artist:<br>Anant Jesse is the product of a unique yogic upbringing,constant world travel,intense spiritual practices,and a series of major label rock & roll releases. Former MTV darling as part of art&ndsh;pop outfit Dramarama,AJ recorded four albums for Capitol/Chameleon Records Completed four extensive North American tours and three European tours Videos reached MTV Buzz&ndsh;Bin regular rotation MTV live appearances and numerous radio and syndicated tv appearances Was taught sanskrit,vedic chanting,Hatha Yoga,meditation and vedic scripture from childhood Made first trip to India at age thirteen and remains a long&ndsh;time resident of both India and New York City.<br><br>

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flowing and Rockin' and very addictive, April 16, 2003

By 

C. Hawks "cgh1" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mantrica (Audio CD)

As a recording engineer/producer, I have a fair amount of experience working with "X meets West" music (i.e. toured with Sandip Burman's 'East Meets Jazz', and recorded/produced many "World" music performers.)

I recently returned from a one month trip to India where I bought music in droves. I heard nothing like Mantrica while there. I purchased it just a couple of days ago here in the States. It is trance inducing and dance inducing at the same time! I have found it quite addictive.

It builds to a middle rhythmic climax with 'Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra', which smokes. This piece would not be out of place in any dance club that plays trance or house, nor on any late night rock show on FM. It then spools back down, finally arriving at 'Savasana', which translated apparently means Supreme Stillness. Indeed. This mededtative drone piece induces altered states of deep relaxation, but not no much so that you pass out while driving ;-) The entire CD could be used as meditation music though.

AJ uses many authentic Indian instruments and as stated above speaks Sanskrit for lyrics. You don't have to understand Sanskrit to feel the energy provided by the songs. I give this CD 5 stars because the East/West blend is so good that it provides access to Indian music for many people who may have pooh-poohed it had they not heard how much it ROCKS!

Excellent. I can't take it out of my player!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a gleeful romp through the 60s. . .yoga-delic, July 18, 2001

By 

Fortune R. Elkins "girlz-luv-macs" (brooklyn, ny United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mantrica (Audio CD)

i was never a fan of anant jesse's previous band, the alt-pop group dramarama. so when i first heard this album, i was surprised at how much i liked it.

the five 8- to 13-minute long tracks consist of a gleeful romp through 60s psychedelia with moments of peter gabriel, george harrison, and deep forest tossed in. however, anant jesse does use many authentic indian instruments on the album.

unlike other sanskrit chant or "kirtan" cds, anant jesse doesn't play it serious. he goes right for the groove. if you're a 60s- or kirtan-purist, you probably won't like this album. on the other hand, if you're willing to toss your preconceptions to the wind and dance, this album is a lot of fun.

it definitely makes the chants accessible to a younger, more modern audience, who would probably just dance to it without any idea they were listening to sanskrit.

anant jesse chants the sanskrit verses in an ultra-reverb enhanced drone for a george harrison "within you/without you" (on the sargent pepper album) effect. unlike the wispy gossamer of that beatles' song, however, the vocals here feel muscular, sinuous, and sensual, serving to underscore the dance grooves. maybe the sanskrit pronunciation isn't perfect, but the steady rhythm of the voice weaves in and out of the music in a pleasing way.

my only criticism is aimed at the liner notes. while they do give the english transliteration of the chants, the very poetic interpretations of them may confuse people as to their meaning. i wish anant jesse had given a "plainer english" translation of the chants as well as his literary ones.

i find doing yoga to this music completely effortless. i highly recommend it for a vigorous, flowing yoga practice. actually i find it's pretty good to listen to on headphones at work as well.

if you *were* a fan of dramarama, you might like to buy this album just for a stroll down memory lane. however, it's much different than the kind of music they were playing in the late 80s and early 90s.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This grooves pretty hard., February 10, 2003

By 

twitchery - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mantrica (Audio CD)

This is simply put an amazing cd. I was turned on to this cd from a friend, and in turn I have purchased 3 for other friends. One friend loves playing it while giving massages to his clients!

It journeys through meditative grooves and trancends the listener through the ancient and beautiful language of Sanskrit. A far more groovy album than one expects from "spiritual music."