Sacred Spirit

Sacred Spirit is a German musical project by Claus Zundel, Ralf Hamm, and Markus Staab. The music is of electronic, new age, world, and ambient genres. Sacred Spirit's total worldwide album sales are estimated at over 15 million copies.[1] For each album sold, donations are made to the Native American Rights Fund, a non-profit Native American organization devoted to restoring the legal rights of Native Americans.

Sacred Spirit
Genres
Years active1993–present
LabelsHigher Octave Music
MembersClaus Zundel
Ralf Hamm
Markus Staab
Websitewww.sacredspirit.de

History

The first album, Chants and Dances of the Native Americans was released in 1994. The album was nominated for best New Age album Grammy Award.[2] In keeping with the Native American theme, Zundel adopted the pseudonym 'The Fearsome Brave', and on his many other projects he is simply credited as 'The Brave'. The music conveys the stories, legends and plight of the Native Americans by combining sampled chants of the Navajo, Pueblo and Sioux tribes and Sami people yoik with synthesizer backings, all driven forth by a combination of traditional drumming and electronic dance-beats. The first single released off the album was "Yeha-Noha" (Wishes of happiness and prosperity) which was largely responsible for catapulting Sacred Spirit into the limelight. The single reached #1 position in number of countries, including 6 weeks at #1 in France. In the US, "Yeha Noha" sung by Navajo elder Kee Chee Jake of Chinle, Arizona reached top 20 in Billboard Hot 100. The album is arguably one of the most successful enigmatic projects ever, garnering sales of more than seven million albums worldwide.[3] It reached top 10 and charted for twenty seven weeks in the UK Albums Chart.[4]

A second album was released by Sacred Spirit, but it was a complete divergence from the original. The focus this time was around the blues singing of America. In keeping with the change of theme, the American release saw the group name also being changed, to Indigo Spirit.

Virgin Records released the third Sacred Spirit album in 2000. The album was nominated for best New Age Grammy Award in 2001.[5] This time the project's name was slightly altered to Indians' Sacred Spirit (and in some areas even that was abbreviated to Indians' Spirit), probably to inform listeners that it was different from the second album. The subtitle is More Chants and Dances of the Native Americans. The album continues the mood and production of the first, however the album was more instrumental. Although all the tracks did feature chants or speech, each song was composed of many short samples pieced together, unlike the first album which tended to use one extended sample per song.

In 2003, two Sacred Spirit albums were released on Higher Octave music label. The first one, Jazzy Chill Out, featured the vocal samples from Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Anita O'Day and Ella Fitzgerald.[6]

On the other 2003 album, Bluesy Chill Out, Zundel collaborated with fellow Ibiza resident Dave “BK” Jeffs, a Northern Ireland native and former street musician, who plays regularly at a local club named Teatro Perera. Each track was created organically, with Jeffs (who also sings and plays flute and harmonica) composing improvisational slide and steel guitar riffs as a foundation for The Brave to build upon.

Controversy

On the first album, the song "The Counterclockwise Circle Dance" was presented as a native American chant, however the main vocals are an authentic Sami yoik ("Normo Jovnna" by Terje Tretnes), recorded in 1994 by Dutch Channel 4 during an interview as an example of a yoik. The recording, despite Channel 4's denial of having sold it, then ended up in a Virgin Records studio in the Netherlands. The Sami organisation Sámi kopiija demanded royalties from Virgin Records[7] but this has so far been unsuccessful.

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
GER
[8]		 AUS
[9]		 BEL
(FL)
[10]		 BEL
(WA)
[10]		 FRA
[11]		 NED
[12]		 NOR
[13]		 SWE
[14]		 SWI
[8]		 UK
[15]
Chants and Dances of the Native Americans
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Virgin
  • Format: CD, cassette
 92561—2628989
Sacred Spirit Volume 2: Culture Clash
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Virgin
  • Format: CD, cassette
 5966—42—59—53—24
Music for Fading Cultures (Pieces of Time)
  • Released: 1998 (Japan only)
  • Label: Virgin
  • Format: CD
 ——————————
Indians' Sacred Spirit: More Chants and Dances of the Native Americans
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: Virgin
  • Format: CD, cassette
 95———3788————
Volume 8: Jazzy Chill Out
(featuring Eric-Jan Harmsen)
  • Released: 2003[23][6]
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Higher Octave Music
 ——————————
Volume 9: Bluesy Chill Out
(featuring Dave "BK" Jeffs)
  • Released: 2003[2]
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Higher Octave Music
 ——————————

Remix albums
List of remix albums, with selected details
Title Details
Sacred Spirit (Dance Remixes)
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD, 2×LP
  • Label: Virgin

Extended plays
List of EPs, with selected details
Title Details
The Club Tepee
  • Released: 1994
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Virgin

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
GER
[8]		 AUS
[9]		 BEL
(WA)
[10]		 FRA
[11]		 UK
[15]
"Yeha-Noha (Wishes of Happiness and Prosperity)" 1994 —763137 The Club Tepee
"Ly-O-Lay-Ale Loya" 1995 ————— Chants and Dances of the Native Americans
"Tor-Cheney-Nahana (Winter Ceremony)" ————45
"Legends" 1997 100———— Sacred Spirit Volume 2: Culture Clash
"Roots" —————

References
  1. "Sacred Spirit". Radio King. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  2. Archived April 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Home.global.co.za
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 478. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. Archived June 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Archived December 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Millionkrav til Virgin Records". 21 December 2007.
  8. "Sacred Spirit Germany". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  9. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 242.
  10. "Sacred Spirit discography Walona". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  11. "Sacred Spirit discography France" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  12. "Sacred Spirit Netherlands". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  13. "Sacred Spirit Norway". Norwegian Charts. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  14. "Sacred Spirit Sweden". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  15. "Sacred Spirit Chart Search". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  16. "Die GOLD-/PLATIN-Datenbank". Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  17. "Goud en platinaAlbums 1995". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  18. "BRIT Certified". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  19. "1987-1988" (PDF). Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  20. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  21. Suffy, Thom (14 October 1995). "Charly & Theo Sees 'Stars' On European Pop Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  22. "ALBUMS CHANTS ET DANSES DES INDIENS D'AMERIQUE INDIENS SACRED SPIRIT VIRGIN FRANCE/VIRGIN RECORDS LTD". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  23. Sacred Spirit at AllMusic
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