Album Notes

HOUSE OF THE BELOVED is a musical remembrance--a bridge between our troubled, tired, raggedy selves and the sweetest, divine, ecstatic world. Here is music that moves people in all ways: funky grooves to seduce people off the walls and into the beat, ballads that break hearts open and turn people towards each other, ecstatic trance music that sends everyone soaring, timeless mantras that drop us into the heart of silence and stillness.

Maniko clearly knows the worlds of ecstatic dance, prayer, trance and the unbearable beauties of love. Her songwriting is pure poetry of words and music, and her singing moves along the captivating edges of skill and freedom, power and grace. This album is an invitation into divine territory. Take the ride.

Tracks
1. Nature of Things (7:27)
2. Ishq Allah (8:56)
3. Just Like This (5:27)
4. And Now (8:41)
5. Spondo (6:29)
6. Open the Way (7:41)
7. Waves Upon Worlds (7:42)
8. Gauchchami (8:13)

Produced by Maniko and Kit Walker

Musicians:
Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals, Spoken Word: Maniko
Additional Vocals: Deva Premal & Miten, Sean Clinton, Ella Zarum, Robert Powell, Kit Walker, Rose Chapman
Electric and/or Pedal Steel Guitar: Robert Powell
Piano, Keyboards, Bass & Drum Programming: Kit Walker
Percussion: Marquinho Brasil
Sarangi: Hans Christian
Bamboo Flute: Manose
Trumpet: Atmo Lars Lindvall

BIO:
Maniko has been writing songs, performing and singing in a diverse array of venues for over 30 years. She has produced and recorded two CDs of her original material and worked on a variety of other recording projects. She has extensive professional and experiential training in expressive arts therapies, emotional release facilitation, meditative disciplines as well as dance and movement practices as vehicles for the integration of healing and art. Along with private sessions, she performs and facilitates workshops on the Dimensions of Voice & Self-Expression, Transformational & Ecstatic Singing, Meditation, Creativity & Healing in Europe, Asia and the U.S.

In her most recent album, House of the Beloved, she joins forces with award winning & Grammy nominated co-producer Kit Walker (Jai Uttal, Deva Premal) to create an utterly new and contemporary sound called Ecstatic Grooves. She weaves her melodies, poetry, chants, and awesome grooves to create powerful, compelling songs that move people in all ways, body, heart and soul. House of the Beloved is an unforgettable journey through the territories of the human heart.