TANTRIC SONGS

L’artista

Praised as one of Germany’s premier progressive bands in the 70s and early 80s, Popol Vuh was founded in 1969 by keyboardist Florian Fricke. The band took its name from the title of the Quiche Mayan Indians’ bible. Popol Vuh’s first album, Affenstunde (The Time of the Monkey King) was a strong reflection of Fricke’s interest in Mayan lore and his attraction to the devotional aspects of music. Popol Vuh successfully combined sacred musical traditions from around the world with classical, jazz and rock elements. Although the band employed acoustic instruments from a variety of Western and ethnic sources, it created quite a stir as one of the first ensembles to use the Moog synthesizer in the early 70s. As such, Popol Vuh influenced several generations of electronic and contemplative artists. Popol Vuh also gained considerable attention for its scores to films by the celebrated German director, Werner Herzog, including Nosferatu and Aguirre, The Wrath of God.