By turns devotional, empowering and nurturing, Jon Hopkins'
forthcoming RITUAL is a 41-minute ceremonial epic built from cavernous
subs, hypnotic drumming and transcendent melodic interplay.. Tense, immersive and ultimately triumphant, it is a culmination of
themes explored throughout his 22-year career, and acts as the kinetic counterpart
to 2021's Music For
Psychedelic Therapy.A single piece unfolding over
eight chapters, RITUAL is personified by depth and contrast.
Taking ceremony, spiritual liberation and the hero's journey as inspiration, it
taps into an ancient and primal energy.Featuring long-term collaborators Vylana, 7RAYS, Ishq,
Clark, Emma Smith, Daisy Vatalaro and Cherif Hashizume, RITUAL came
together within the second half of 2023, but initial seeds were sown in 2022,
when Hopkins was commissioned to compose for the Dreamachine* immersive
experience in London created by Collective Act, in collaboration with a team of
artists, scientists and philosophers. A project that felt ceremonial from the
outset, this shorter piece was the embryo of RITUAL, with Hopkins
gaining inspiration from the feeling of intention that is inherent in the
Dreamachine space.
RITUAL is both emotionally and sonically heavy,
whilst retaining a warm, live feel, where the juxtaposition between softness and intensity forms
the core of the whole. So take time, prepare and immerse in RITUAL for 41 minutes of uninterrupted
listening: sonic divination of the most potent form.