The title of the POROK KARPO album, „Behind the Two Mountains“,
alludes to Loten Namling’s child-hood as a refugee in India. Behind
those two moun-tains, his parents told him again and again, lay his
home country – which he hasn’t been able to enter to this day.
Once, when he was nine years old, he ran away to walk “home”. After
a very long march he ca-
The intention behind Loten Namling’s POROK KARPO project is to
bring the Tibetan freedom fight into the Here and Now. Namling, a
gentle giant of a man, is one of the most active and well-known
Tibetan musicians in Europe. Throughout his career, he has sung
songs forbidden in his home country. Now he brings the power of
their words together with the sound of Western pop and alternative
rock music.
and producer Patrick Lerjen, embarked on a quest to create an
entirely new kind of musical fusion. A sort of
“world-music-meets-alternative-rock” aiming to encapsulate the
feelings of hope, sorrow and an-ger that drive the Tibetan people’s
resistance move-ment. “Both our musical worlds had to have an equal
weight in our creative process,” explains Lerjen. The
it, is reflected in his songs. The combination of his lyrics –
often based on traditional Tibetan poetry – and Western beats,
indie licks and minimalist piano motifs makes for a heady brew to
satisfy mind, heart as well as dancing feet. With Porok Karpo, a
man raises his voice far above the crowd. Loten Namling does so
with all the might of his lungs and the power of his hope.
on a widely reported walk from one end of Switzer-land to the
other, pulling along a coffin as a symbol for the Tibetan freedom
fight which many Tibetans feel they can only carry on by committing
the ter-rible, ultimate act of self-immolation. Namling’s
martyr-like fight was impressively documented in a cinema film,
“Tibetan Warrior”. Not long after the end of this walk, Namling
together with guitarist
pitulated when he reached the foothills. The sheer sca-le of the
mountains was too much for him. It was the power of love that
brought the young Loten to Europe, and eventually to Bern, the
capital of Swit-zerland. Word spread swift-ly about the unique
talents of this dedicated freedom fighter and musician. Be-fore
long, he was invited to share a stage with the likes of the Young
Gods and Se-pultura. In 2012, he set out
result is a fitting allegory of the situation of Tibetan exi-les
and their fight, far from their home, to preserve their cultural
heritage. “I want to carry the rich culture and the message of
freedom of the suffering Tibetans into the world”, declares Namling
who was born in the Himalayas du-ring another long walk, his
parents’ walk to escape the occupied Tibet. The seri-ousness of the
cause, and Namling’s dedication to
Artist: POROK KARPOTitle: Behind The Two MountainsRelease:
February 2nd 2018Label CH: EndorphinDistr. CH: Irascible,
www.irascible.chWebsite: www.porok-karpo.comBooking: Marquito
Müller, 079 2086 84 09, [email protected] Nick Werren, 079
206 27 47, [email protected]& Label:
Documentary movie about Loten Namling «Tibetan Warrior»:
www.tibetanwarrior.ch / www.netflix.com/title/8007568
Some past Gigs:20.07.2017 | Colours Of Ostrava | Ostrava |
CZ29.07.2017 | Blauer Adler | Würzburg | DE30.07.2017 |
Bardentreffen | Nürnberg | DE09.06.2017 | Tibet Festival | Paris |
FR16.12.2016 | Casino l‘Aliança del Poble Nou | Barcelona |
ES12.12.2016 | Akropolis | Prag | CZ20.08.2016 | Bernfest
Europaplatz | Bern | CH21.05.2016 | Alhambra | Genève |
CH17.03.2016 | Kühltür | Grosshöchstetten | CH10.01.2016 | Bee-Flat
PROGR | Bern | CH 01.08.2015 | Fünf Seen Festival | Starnbern |
DE07.02.2015 | Hans-Huber-Saal, STADT CASINO | Basel25.01.2015 |
Solothurn Filmfestival Uferbau | Solothurn | CH
Loten NamlingVocals, Tibetan Lute
Patrick Lerjen Guitar (Electric Blanket, Slow Breeder, Matto
Rules)
Mik Keusen Piano (Mik Keusen’s Blau, Trummer)
Philipp Moll Bass (Simply Red, Jamie Cullum, John Butler,
Morcheeba)
Muso Stamm Drums (Tomazobi, Stiller Has, Marvin)
Tracklisting:1. Karsel Dawa 3:162. Tibetan Joy & Suffering
5:023. Gang Chenpa 4:384. The Unforgettable 2008 4:355. Mila Repa
6:106. Tashi Jatsoen 3:557. Yi Re Kyo 4:26
8. 1958 - 2008 4:219. This Is How It Is 4:3610. Khoryu Koepa
5:0111. Ser Serpoe 3:5612. Us Tibetan Nomads 4:5313. Phayul
5:19
