- The London producer returns with an epic and exploratory album that serves as a counterpart to 2019's Music for Psychedelic Therapy.
- In a solo career spanning more than two decades and high-profile collaborations with Coldplay and Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins has increasingly looked inward to the therapeutic effect of his music. Immunity and Singularity—two of the essential electronic albums of the '10s—found tranquility at the end of their respective journeys, while accompanying remixes traded in his warped techno beats for pure ambient bliss. What often remained was the reflective sound of the piano, the instrument he grew up playing. At the end of RITUAL, Hopkins' seventh full-length, it also appears as a familiar gift following a mystical psychedelic trip.
RITUAL is intended to be the "serious, emotional" follow-up to 2021's Music For Psychedelic Therapy, a gorgeous ambient album meant to soundtrack psychedelic-assisted therapy. That record, an expedition into a pearly, beatless world, was inspired by Hopkins' frequent ketamine sessions at the time—lasting for just over an hour, the album is timed to the length of a ketamine trip. Miles away from the glitchy synthlines of his earlier albums, the project established his drift in and out of nature, patiently weaving twinkling chimes, bird calls and wispy synth pads together, many of its sounds inspired or recorded from within a 200-foot-deep cave in Ecuador. RITUAL bears a similar goal of self-purpose and wonderment, but this time, sans drugs.
The album began taking shape in 2022, originating from music Hopkins wrote for an installation called Dreamachine, named after a 1959 invention heralded as "the first art object to be seen with eyes closed." The device flashes lights at specific frequencies, which trigger visual hallucinations when viewed with eyes closed. When Dreamachine toured the UK in 2022, participants lay in a round with a blanket draped over them, and as the space blackened, they closed their eyes. The multicolour light flickered above was set to Hopkins' pulsating composition, resulting in intense visual patterns. As with Music For Psychedelic Therapy, Hopkins's storytelling is moulded by a deep curiosity for how music can better one's health and well-being. "I wanted to create a form and structure to the experience," Hopkins told Wallpaper at the time Dreamachine was touring. "A kind of narrative arc but also to create a feeling of grounding and comfort, give people a sense that they can be free to explore their minds in a safe way."
On RITUAL, Hopkins adapts the Dreamachine project into a 41-minute piece meant to be listened to in full. The composition expands into eight parts that unfurl like a guided meditation: a calming intro cleanses the space with chiming singing bowls and resonant bells—building gradually toward a glorious peak before free-falling into a clear-eyed return to reality. Since the Western New Age movement began in the '70s, researchers and musicians have sought to pair psychedelic experiences with music that enhances their personal significance. Hopkins sets out to accomplish this on RITUAL, enlisting past collaborators, including vocalist Vylana, violist Emma Smith, guitarist Leo Abrahams and producers Clark and 7RAYS, to flesh it out. The result is an ingeniously crafted album that, under the right conditions, heightens the senses and inspires heartfelt reflection.
Commonplace objects found in many rituals open the album. In "Part I - Altar," someone flicks a lighter to ignite a candle presumably, and the chime of a singing bowl interrupts a sharp inhale. As the ceremony begins, the nearly ominous hum of silence settles. "Part II - Palace/Illusion" and "Part III - Transcend/Lament" offer a path forward, introducing a peppy synth line that drifts in constant vertical movement. As "Part III" progresses, Smith's strings and Vylana's wordless aria cast the song's peripheries in an attractive golden light, revolving around each other as if drawing energy from the blipping synth. Hopkins indulges in the journey before the journey, weaving these lines together and exploring how they relate to one another, bringing his electroacoustic world to life.
RITUAL shifts dramatically in tone on "Part IV - The Veil," challenging the listener's perceived sense of safety established in the album's opening. This is mainly the result of a crenulated bassline that throbs over the deep boom of UK producer 7RAYS's ceremonial drums, elements that steadily morph and build in intensity before flowing into "Part IV - Solar Goddess Return," the album's beatific climax. Here, Hopkins thrusts us away from our past comforts with heavenward drones that roar like engines during a rocket launch. As we leap forward and up, he keeps his hand on the throttle and teases a drop of epic proportions, tying in earlier motifs like seraphic vocals and plinking synths.
After years of searching for answers down caves and K-holes, Hopkins reaches an insurmountable event horizon on "Part VII - Dissolution." He kills the bass, drums and engines, leaving behind only pools of hushed, layered strings that gently lap against the quiet. "Part VIII - Nothing is Lost" brings us back to a glistening atmosphere familiar to those who listened to Music For Psychedelic Therapy—the windswept ambient piece unfolds over a ruminative piano refrain, bringing the ritual to a close, and us to our fast-paced lives. The self-reflection that follows feels more than earned. As these weightless sections on RITUAL fade, we're left utterly enraptured by this deeply personal experience, each revelatory insight appearing only after the last notes of amplified piano float into the air.
Tracklist01. Jon Hopkins - part i - altar
02. Jon Hopkins - part ii - palace / illusion
03. Jon Hopkins - part iii - transcend / lament
04. Jon Hopkins - part iv - the veil
05. Jon Hopkins - part v - evocation
06. Jon Hopkins - part vi - solar goddess return
07. Jon Hopkins - part vii - dissolution
08. Jon Hopkins - part viii - nothing is lost