It is Wednesday. And so … something both past and future.

By which I mean, for some no doubt intriguing reason, the Runes being Throat-Sung … to a modern trance (well, faster – almost hard dance) beat and backing, courtesy of Ummet Ozcan.

We are reminded of Charanjit Singh basically laying the foundations for the invention of Goa Trance by producing ‘Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat’ – which was exactly what it says on the tin. Ten traditional (Indian / Hindu) Ragas (‘Leitmotifs’ associated with a particular deific or theme) … done on synthesizers, in a then-modern (well, very early 1980s) Disco style.

In that case, what eventuated – ultimately – was something that … yes, yes can most definitely be utilized in a devotional context, and resulted in ‘Techno-Theology’ most definitely being a thing. (long story – doesn’t mean all deployments of a track with a mantra sampled in count, either)

There has been a rather easier ‘encounter’ between Modernity and the archaic-yet-eternal dimension as applies the Hindu sphere. Because there was never any such disunity. Things didn’t get ‘frozen’ in the 10th / 11th Century AD like they did with the Nordic sphere in the minds of many. Things just kept developing.
And so we find rites to bless cars, firearms, etc. are pretty conventional and commonplace. As, increasingly, are the integration of internet and communicative elements into some offerings of Puja etc. services where necessary.

However, culturally speaking … while there is most definitely a Nordic religious revival going on today, and while it is very easy to find half-a-hundred artists out there who are actively integrating religious or mythic elements drawn from said sphere (whether sincerely or otherwise) into, say, metal …

It has often seemed a lot more ‘restrictive’ in terms of what’s ‘acceptable’ or felt to ‘work’. Metal? Yes. Folk? Very yes. But something as much more modern and ‘hard-tech’ as various dance genres ? ‘Too far’.

Or is it.

I disagree. ‘Trance’ is labelled thus for a reason. Repetitive Drumming is a strong religiously salient element for metaphysical and meditative use. As is ‘dance’, itself.

Perhaps the labelling for the original ‘Techno-Viking’ clip we have all seen, was onto something after all …