Ka’g Bak’tun - Omsphere Remember how the world was supposed to end on December 12, 2012, when the Mayan long-count calendar finished? Well guess what, we’re still here! You know why? Well, it turns out the only thing that ended that day was the Oxlajuj Bak’tun (era), the thirteenth such Mayan Bak’tun, and beginning the following day was the fourteenth, the K’ag Bak’tun. Bet most of you didn’t know that, what with the mainstream media concentrating on the greatest attention grabbing feature of the story, the end of the world, but that is not surprising especially as the K’ag Bak’tun is the era of enlightenment and enlightenment is not something the mainstream, sadly, appears to be too concerned about. Alas, do not fear, for we have found our guide to this new era of enlightenment and his name is Omsphere from the fearless warrior-tribe Free-Spirit Records and he has provided the accompanying soundtrack; a new album called, you (may) have guessed it, K’ag Bak’tun. As Omsphere he is Free-Spirit Records’ Progressive divine leader and this his third full-length album, K’ag Bak’tun, sees him readily tap into the Mayan connection to nature, of seeking the spiritual significance found in all living things, revering each plant, animal and, by extension, human being. The Mayans celebrating these beliefs in the form of ritualised festivals and dances in much the same manner as those ofmodern, global, psy-trance devotees. This album’s ten tracks are destined for such festivals for the inner peace that they engender are such that they will be best enjoyed in communality. There are no rapid rises and descents of emotion, sending listeners off into different dimensions, rather the crispy highs and solid bass lines are moulded into a consistent mood with only slight variations in the ethereal consistency. Each tune an entity of its own withdistinct sound elements, degrees of quirk and tempo fluctuations that allow them to stand alone but the dynamic production fundamentals across all ten mean this is a creation that is best consumed whole so that the true excellence can be fully appreciated. Go on, get your K’ag Bak’tun groove on. For enlightenment is at hand.