UK artist and producer Arman Ray works with Zen master Hyon Gak Sunim on the daring new EP “Form Is Emptiness.” It’s a rare confluence of meditative mastery and modern sound design. The project translates centuries-old Zen wisdom into a modern electronic environment that feels both entirely new and timelessly still. It’s seven tracks and 26 minutes long, short but extremely immersive. Every tone, interval and texture has a purpose to be.
This EP follows on from the first album in 2023, which was the 12-track “The Formless Track”. It was a multidisciplinary music-and-video project whose purpose was to take actual Zen teachings and put them in the context of music. With “Form Is Emptiness,” they stretch that concept even more, carving out a sound space in which art, guidance and contemplation converge. Together, the two take on what they see as the modern music industry’s propensity to release too much music throughout their seven-song journey. Rather, each track has been whittled down to its essentials, akin to the downstream effects of the Zen notion that taking away what isn’t needed makes everything clearer.
“Form is Emptiness,” is the beating heart of the project from its first note. It contains a gentle pulse, atmospheric textures and subtle rhythmic currents, as well as Sunim’s teaching presence, which is palpable even when his voice is not present. The song sits between meditation and modernism. It reminds listeners not to flee from the world but to enter it with a clearer and calmer mind. It’s an excellent piece that lingers long after the final note is out. "Form Is Emptiness" is an invitation to stop, listen and release everything else.
An alternate take of the excellent EP “Relax, nothing is in control” captures that strange tranquillity at the heart of Zen practice. Arman Ray’s music tends toward pillowy pads and drifting loops, an evocative minimalism that never reads as empty but always has a point to make. The piece is telling you to let go, and I think that ties in perfectly with the general philosophy of the EP, you don’t need to hold on to anything or force things through. In a world that moves fast, Arman Ray and Hyon Gak Sunim offer something else: a reminder that stillness is not an absence but a place where meaning becomes very clear.
Connect with Arman Ray and Hyon Gak Sunim on INSTAGRAM
.png)
0 Comments