In the 1990's recordings of the Bhutanese Lama Gyurme and French keyboard player/genius Jean-Philippe Rykiel circulated as one of the earliest contenders in religious chant genre that later included Benedictine Monks and others. The Lama's Chants/Songs of Awakening didn't make the hit in the USA as others would, but sold greatly in Europe. There is an ethereal tone throughout the works, with the solitary monk laying out a vocal texture that is doubled by the appropriately ambient tone of the keyboards. Very New Age! Very amazing work. The chants are repetitive, but they work their purpose in creating a mood to open a door for enlightenment and meditation. There are live recordings, in front of audiences on the later works. Jean-Philippe Rykiel & Lama Gyurme are "World" genre, and on Taktie Music label in 2005 and Last Call Recordings. The Buddhist significance of this work is monumental in that it provides for the world audience essentially esoteric material that now is widely available, and used for practice by individuals who are not connected directly to any sangha. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.