As has become abundantly clear in recent times, the human being will wander down a vast number of unlikely, if not often incomprehensible, paths in search of some sort of framework to make reality liveable – artefacts of some of these, and refutations and/or critiques of same, can be found herein. No border is recognized here between so-called ‘legitimate’ and spurious or even fraudulent belief systems – all are symptoms of something else entirely that underlies the entire edifice, and no overt attempt to editorialise has been made. Includes documentary material of diverse origins, real and fake religious and ritual music and sound from around the world, at least one piece of sacred choral music composed by a strict atheist, testimonies from various people as to various alleged facts of existence, and more besides. We leave it to the listener to sort all this out and decide what, if anything, holds water.
Con-Dom | Prologue: Lord, I am not worthy | Have Faith (Broken Flag, 1987)
AS11 | Monotheism (excerpt) | Monotheism (Antifrost, 2006)
Fanaticism | Sancta Mater Ecclesia, Dominatrix Populorum (excerpt) | The Church Eternal (Fanaticism, 2015)
Jonathan Briley | Requiem to a Small Blind Boy | The Will to Power (Inner-X Musick, 1985)
Les Archives Sonores Sub Rosa | 8 perspectives romanes (excerpt) | Myths 3: La Nouvelle Sérénité (Sub Rosa, 1987)
Crass | Reality Asylum | Reality Asylum/Shaved Women (Crass Records, 1979)
Janis Mattox | Soli Deo Gloria | Swarm of Drones (Sombient/Asphodel, 1995)
Akn | Psaumes au début de l’office de la nuit | Pénitance et Résurrection (AlSur, 2005)
Les Archives Sonores Sub Rosa | 8 perspectives romanes (excerpt) | Myths 3: La Nouvelle Sérénité (Sub Rosa, 1987)
Current 93 with the Black and Red Menstrual Show | Forever Changing | Christ and the Pale Queens Mighty in Sorrow (Maldoror, 1988)
The Gelugpa Sect | Moulin à prières, Thami | Musique RituelleTibétaine (Ocora, 1969)
Glossolalia – prophecies, Pentecostal community, USA, 1960s | Okkulte Stimmen – Mediale Musik (Recordings Of Unseen Intelligences 1905-2007) (Supposé, 2007)
– Delta t | Child of God | The Bangkok Project – Das Bangkok Projekt (Ata Tak, 1984)
Sufi group, Baghdad, Iraq | Tahlil | Music in the World of Islam, 1: The Human Voice (Tangent Records, 1976)
David Toop | Caberima night insects, birds and moths | Lost Shadows: In Defense of the Soul (Sub Rosa, 2015)
Yanomami | Cuntinamo: Piaruainai, solo shaman | Lost Shadows: In Defense of the Soul (Sub Rosa, 2015)
Capricorni Pneumatici | Monte Meru (excerpt) | Capricorni Pneumatici (666 Production, 1987)
Yahowa 13 | To the Principles for the Children (x) | To the Principles, For the Children (Higher Key Records, 1975)
Tongues of Light | Awakening Side (excerpt) | Channelled Messages at the End of History (Pre-Cert Home Entertainment, 2016)
Shoko Asahara | Vajrayana | Vajrayana (Aum Shinrikyo, 199?)
Capricorni Pneumatici | Monte Meru (excerpt) Capricorni Pneumatici (666 Production, 1987)
Elizabeth Clare Prophet | Decree 10.05 | The Sounds of American Doomsday Cults (Faithways International)
Metgumbnerbone | Taghairm | Anthropological Field Recordings for the Dispossessed (Metgumbnerbone, 2020)
Zero Kama | Town of Pyramids (Night of Pan) | The Secret Eye of L.A.Y.L.A.H. (Nekrophile Rekords, 1984)
Hermann Nitsch/OM Theaters | Stierschlachtung | Der 6-tage Spiel des Orgien Mysterien Theaters (Cortical Foundation, 2003)
Bonpos Tibetains | Tambourinement de louange à Shenrab | Tibet : Traditions rituelles des Bonpos (Ocora, 1993)
Phurpa | Emanating the Retinue of the Deity | Trowo Phurnag Ceremony (Sketis Music, 2010)
Eliane Radigue | Jetsun Mila (excerpt) | Jetsun Mila (Lovely Music, 2007)
Gyuto Monks | Mahakala (excerpt) | Freedom Chants from the Roof of the World (Rykodisc, 1989)
Ana-Maria Avram | On the Abolition of the Soul (excerpt) | Five Pieces (Edition Modern, 1997)
Dave Phillips | Truth is Invented by Liars (excerpt) | Homo Animalis (Schimpfluch Associates, 2014)
Healer, North Amazon, 1912 | Okkulte Stimmen – Mediale Musik (Recordings Of Unseen Intelligences 1905-2007) (Supposé, 2007)
Augur | Inventing the Ashes of the Sacred (excerpt) | Sacred Engines (Augur, 2002)
György Ligeti | Lux Aeterna | Lux Aeterna / Volumina / String Quartet No.2 / Etude No.1 (Deutsche Grammophon, 1983)
Column One | Religious Tools, Part 1 (excerpt) | W.Transmission 3 (Stateart, 2000)
U.G. Krishnamurti | Snap out of it! (excerpt)
Les Archives Sonores SR | Dervish Ceremonial – Music Of The Mevlevi (Myths 4: Sinople Twilight in Çatal Hüyük (Sub Rosa, 1989)