Mantra (Material song)

"Mantra"
Single by Material (band)
from the album Hallucination Engine
Released	1993
Length	5 min., 17 min. mix
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Bill Laswell and Lakshminarayana Shankar.

"Mantra" is a 1993 song and single by Material (band) 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.

References

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"