Ikaro for 24-channel sound --- duration: 10’

Listen: Ikaro-Stereo.mp3 (poor), Ikaro-Stereo.aiff
Download: Ikaro-Stereo.aiff.zip, Ikaro-8Channels.zip

In the tradition of the indigenous people of the upper Amazon, Ikaros are the sacred healing songs sung by medicine people during ritual ceremonies. My composition, Ikaro, is based on a collection of Ikaros sung by the Amazonian shaman/healer don Felipe Collantes Sinakay, a master of the Ayahuasca plant medicine. Don Felipe's beautiful voice impressed me greatly during ceremonies that demonstrated the healing power of this spiritual music. The particular songs used here were recorded by Mauricio Ardila in the Amazonian jungle in the summer of 2008.

At one level, this work mimics the traditional stages of an Ayahuasca ceremony. It also reflects elements of the Peruvian soundscape---the various native flutes, the community brass bands that parade on special holidays, the sounds of the jungle and the constant presence of running water. All of these have had some influence on this composition inspired by deep encounters with the traditions of Andean and Amazonian spirituality.

Ikaro was originally created in 24 channels for the Sonic Laboratory at Queen’s University Belfast.