Kukai Reggae

OOPARTS TRAX presents Kukai Jazz Reggae.

What if Kukai returned from Tang China carrying not only Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, but, for some reason, reggae as well?

Kukai Reggae is a 15-track concept album that reimagines Kukai's philosophy, mantras, legends, and spiritual ideas through jazz reggae, dancehall, funk, acid jazz, and jazz hip-hop.

"Attaining Buddhahood in this very body" turns the idea of becoming a Buddha in one's present body into an energetic sermon live show. Tracks such as "Preaching of the Dharmakaya", "Garbhadhatu Mandala", "Diamond Realm Mandala", "The Sutra of the Ultimate Principle", "Ajikan", and "The Ten Stages of Mind" reinterpret esoteric Buddhist thought through contemporary Japanese lyrics, Patois, ragamuffin flows, jazz harmony, basslines, and riddims.

Even Kukai's life-threatening journey to Tang China becomes a carefree voyage in "Envoy to the Tang Dynasty", while "Wonderful Ways" looks back on what he received there with gratitude and a desire to pass it forward.

The album closes with "Entering Eternal Meditation", fading away while Kukai, the world, and the groove seem to keep singing and dancing beyond the recording.

This is not a Buddhist lecture.

It is a sermon you can dance to.

Bass, brass, riddim, jazz, and mantra share the same stage in a musical relic from a timeline that should never have existed.