Paracas Ritual by Manongo Mujica and Terje Evensen is an exploration of the vast potential of electronic and ambient sounds inspired by the desert and bay of Paracas, south of Lima, a record that blends ambient, sound art, meditative percussion music, free improvisation and jazz. Terje Evensen in this exclusive explains the story of the making of the album and as he evocatively relates tells how ''You never know when a sandstorm is going to suddenly blow up.''

''I met Manongo back in 2003 during a 6-week long tour I did with the Peruvian guitar player Andrés Prado. Some of the gigs we did involved different collaborations with various artists, and that’s how we met. We did a lovely concert together with the legendary percussion player Julio “Chocolate” Algendones down in Miraflores in a club called Jazz Zone. So we were three drummers that night: Manongo, Choco and I plus Andrés on guitar, the British bass player Mat Elliott and the saxophone player Rafael Fusa Miranda. Think it might have been part of the Lima International jazz festival, cos I remember Ingrid Jensen turned up as well and did a few songs. The club was packed and the atmosphere was great. Will never forget that night.

''Manongo and I didn’t have much contact after that until I went back to Lima in 2015. I was there to do some workshops and masterclasses at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and he invited me one night to his studio for a jam session/party. An amazing night with lots of great musicians, and I even think the whole of Peru Jazz was there. It’s something special about the way Peruvians enjoy music. It’s very unique and I haven’t come across anything like it here in Europe.

''In 2017 I went back again. This time to study the cajón, which is a very old Peruvian instrument, that was officially declared as “Cultural Patrimony of the Nation” by the Peruvian government. I was lucky and had the possibility to study with the great player César Pudy Ballumbrosio. He is one of the best cajón players in Peru, and I found it very interesting to learn the traditional rhythms and get to know the history of Afro-Peruvian music. The rhythms are incredibly complex, and so full of tradition, it’s amazing.

''Manongo then invited me to Paracas. He has been there every year for the last 20 years, I think, and it was something he really wanted to show me. That trip was the very beginning of Paracas Ritual. We stayed in a beautiful little hotel called Inti-mar on the coast, which is also a scallop farm. So we had lovely fresh scallops every day, and after breakfast we drove into the desert and stayed until after dark. We visited lots of different parts of the desert, did a lot of field recordings, some of which we used on the album. We walked and talked, and listened to what Paracas had to tell us. Every new place had its very own special uniqueness to it – atmosphere, vibe, smell and sound. It all changed with every new place we visited.

''Like I wrote on the album cover: it’s like existing in the now at the same time as existing thousands of years ago. Paracas is a place on earth that has taken care of its own memory so well that everything still exists today, time hasn’t passed! We had some drums with us too, so we spent time playing together, discussing art, music, and the history of Peruvian culture.

''In 2019 we made a new trip to Paracas, but this time we brought tents with us and stayed in the middle of the desert for some days. It was a great experience and I got to know the place better. Paracas can be quite cruel. You never know when a sandstorm is going to suddenly blow up. One day, when I was at the top of one of the dunes, Manongo suddenly called me back to the car in a hurry, and we only just managed to get back down before the storm hit.

''On this trip we did more field recordings, but also some drum recordings which ended up on the album.

''Back in the studio we started to develop the electronics. I always aim to give every project a unique sound, and therefore it’s important to explore new ways to treat and process the sounds and lay down a bespoke set up.

''We brought back the spirit of Paracas, and were searching for ways to somehow tell the story of the desert’s epic dimensions and record the moods of Paracas’ sacred landscape. It was not about finding musical forms or structures in a traditional sense, but rather about searching for sound qualities that gradually could lead us to unusual territories and to dare to tread the path unknown.

''We developed a unique unspoken understanding of each other, of each other playing, and of what this was all about: Transforming thousands of years of existence into an aural story.''

Out now on Buh