About
Phurpa is a Russian musical collective and performance group, recording and playing authentic ritual music of Bon, the oldest Buddhist tradition from Tibet, using ritual instruments and special tantric singing technique.
Alexei Tegin, a founding member and leader of the group, started exploring and experimenting with traditional and ritual music in the middle of the 1990s, at a legendary Cardinal Art Factory (Фабрика Кардинального искусства) in Moscow, led by Vladimir Epifantsev, controversial actor, director and propagator of trash-culture. Of crucial importance was his introduction to the spiritual tradition of Bon and Dzogchen and his meeting with singing masters of Gyumay and Gyuto tantric colleges.
Phurpa was formed in 2003, and the project is named after Phurpa Drugse Chempa (phur pa 'brug gsas chem pa), one of the five tutelary deities of the Father Tantra in Bon tradition (this unique deity has a lower part of his body shaped in a form of phurpa, or kīla, three-edged peg/knife, widely used in tantric Buddhist rituals).
Phurpa line-up included Alexei Tegin, Dmitry Globa, Eduard Utukin, Anastasia Tomskaya, Pavel Selchukov. Band members are constantly studying ancient Tibetan liturgical practices and ceremonies of Bon tradition, both theoretically and practically.
The trademark style of the band is based on a special type of tantric overtone singing/chanting, called gyukye (rgyud skad), from Tibetan words 'rgyud' (tantra) and 'skad' (sound of the voice). This singing is based on the principle of practitioner's transmogrification during chanting meditation. This technique is achieved through an extensive training, including both meditation and physical, breathing and vocal exercises. Special training includes standing on your head while rehearsing (in the inverted position, lungs and vocal cords works more efficiently) and also drinking black tea with chili pepper and cream – hot pepper is irritating your vocal cords, so they are swelling up a little, while cream (or any other kind of grease or oil) acts as a lubricant.
Phurpa uses ritual Tibetan instruments to perform their music, which includes dungkar (horn made out of huge seashell), dungchen (three-metre-long horn/trumpet), silnuyen (flat cymbals), nga (double-sided drum), damaru (drum, made out of human skulls), kangling (human thighbone trumpet), shang (bon tambourine), rolmo (other type of cymbals), etc.
Members:
Alexey Tegin (2003-)
Daniil Zotov (2014-)
Dmitry Tarakanov (Dut/Dud) (2018-)
Former members:
Dmitry Globa-Mikhailenko (2003-2011)
Eduard Utukin (2003-2011)
Andrey Grekov (2003-2008)
Cheslav Merk (2003-2007)
Pavel Selchukov (2008-2010)
Anastasia Tomskaya (2008-2010)
Nikita Korolev (2014-2020)
Alexei Tegin, a founding member and leader of the group, started exploring and experimenting with traditional and ritual music in the middle of the 1990s, at a legendary Cardinal Art Factory (Фабрика Кардинального искусства) in Moscow, led by Vladimir Epifantsev, controversial actor, director and propagator of trash-culture. Of crucial importance was his introduction to the spiritual tradition of Bon and Dzogchen and his meeting with singing masters of Gyumay and Gyuto tantric colleges.
Phurpa was formed in 2003, and the project is named after Phurpa Drugse Chempa (phur pa 'brug gsas chem pa), one of the five tutelary deities of the Father Tantra in Bon tradition (this unique deity has a lower part of his body shaped in a form of phurpa, or kīla, three-edged peg/knife, widely used in tantric Buddhist rituals).
Phurpa line-up included Alexei Tegin, Dmitry Globa, Eduard Utukin, Anastasia Tomskaya, Pavel Selchukov. Band members are constantly studying ancient Tibetan liturgical practices and ceremonies of Bon tradition, both theoretically and practically.
The trademark style of the band is based on a special type of tantric overtone singing/chanting, called gyukye (rgyud skad), from Tibetan words 'rgyud' (tantra) and 'skad' (sound of the voice). This singing is based on the principle of practitioner's transmogrification during chanting meditation. This technique is achieved through an extensive training, including both meditation and physical, breathing and vocal exercises. Special training includes standing on your head while rehearsing (in the inverted position, lungs and vocal cords works more efficiently) and also drinking black tea with chili pepper and cream – hot pepper is irritating your vocal cords, so they are swelling up a little, while cream (or any other kind of grease or oil) acts as a lubricant.
Phurpa uses ritual Tibetan instruments to perform their music, which includes dungkar (horn made out of huge seashell), dungchen (three-metre-long horn/trumpet), silnuyen (flat cymbals), nga (double-sided drum), damaru (drum, made out of human skulls), kangling (human thighbone trumpet), shang (bon tambourine), rolmo (other type of cymbals), etc.
Members:
Alexey Tegin (2003-)
Daniil Zotov (2014-)
Dmitry Tarakanov (Dut/Dud) (2018-)
Former members:
Dmitry Globa-Mikhailenko (2003-2011)
Eduard Utukin (2003-2011)
Andrey Grekov (2003-2008)
Cheslav Merk (2003-2007)
Pavel Selchukov (2008-2010)
Anastasia Tomskaya (2008-2010)
Nikita Korolev (2014-2020)
Discography
51 releasesYan-Drub Ceremony/Ritual III
Phurpa · 2024
Yan-Drub Ceremony/Ritual IV
Phurpa · 2024
Yan-Drub Ceremony/Ritual I
Phurpa · 2023
Yan-Drub Ceremony/Ritual II
Phurpa · 2023
The Perfection Of Insight
Shibalba (3) / Phurpa / Nam-Khar / Alone In The Hollow Garden / Asath Reon / Undirheimar · 2022
Hymns And Rituals Of Gyer
Phurpa · 2021
Ita Zor
Phurpa & Queen Elephantine · 2021
Lta Zor
Phurpa · 2020
Ritual Chod
Phurpa · 2020
Hymns Of Gyer
Phurpa · 2020
Bdud Khor
Phurpa · 2019
Live At XIV Congresso Post Industriale
Phurpa · 2018
Yugasanti
KHN'SHS - Phurpa · 2018
Monad
Visions (4) & Phurpa · 2018
Misericordia
Phurpa + Mare Di Dirac · 2017
Gyud
Phurpa · 2017
Gdansk
Phurpa · 2017
Ya Tog Rid Pa'i Gyer
Phurpa · 2017
Rituals Of Bön I+II
Phurpa · 2017
Chöd Ritual / Grotta Santarcangelo
Phurpa · 2017
Sacred Sounds 18.12.16
Phurpa · 2017
Sacred Sounds 22.1.17
Phurpa · 2017
Rituals Of Bön II
Phurpa · 2017
Gyer Ro
Phurpa · 2017
Chöd
Phurpa · 2016
Rituals Of Bön I
Phurpa · 2016
Teachings Of Eastern Traditions
Shibalba (3) / Phurpa · 2016
Evoking Shadows Of Death
Phurpa // Deathstench · 2016
Wal Phur Nag Ritual
Phurpa · 2015
Wal Phur Nag Po
Phurpa · 2014
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