This Moment Records is a record label, “… which is dedicated to producing and promoting field recordings from around the world, in addition to crafting innovative soundscapes for relaxation and meditation,” at least according to their Bandcamp site. As we have never reviewed any music from Gabon before, I looked forward to what I would be hearing, and was, of course, not at all disappointed.
Again, from the Bandcamp site:
“This collection of music comes from the Missoko Bwiti tradition of Gabon, a spiritual path that includes five different branches, spanning over a thousand years in equatorial Central West Africa. Central to this oral tradition is the use of root bark of the psychoactive shrub Iboga (tabernathe iboga), which is used in a variety of ceremonies. Within this tradition, it is said that Iboga taught the Bwiti how to construct the instruments they play, in addition to conveying the musically rich language utilized to awaken the connection to the spirit world. The recordings presented in this collection were made by Tenali Hrenak and Kristen Blinne in 2018 in Gabon whilst they underwent full initiations into the Missoko Bwiti tradition with 10th generation Bwiti Shaman, Moughenda Mikala.”
