"Six Bardos" featuring tracks by artists including RY X, Peter Gregson and Hang Youth to raise funds for cancer

One month ago, Mark Brounen, manager of Joep Beving, passed away due to cancer. In 2022, Mark and Joep collaborated with Dutch artist S10 to release a new version of 'De Leven' ('The Life') to raise funds for his foundation De Leven, which supports research on immunotherapy. Mark wanted to ensure that the foundation continues to have sufficient income to support this vital research even after his passing. As a result, he reached out to national and international artists to contribute songs for his new album 'Six Bardos'.

RY X, Tom Trago, Echo Collective, Peter Gregson, Mari Samuelsen, Colin Benders, and Hang Youth have contributed to the album by writing new songs, adaptations, or covers that specifically align with one of the six bardos - the six transitional phases in Tibetan Buddhism that one experiences between death and rebirth.

The term "bardo" translates to "intermediate state" or "transitional period". The first bardo begins at our birth and lasts as long as we live. The second is the bardo of our dream world. The third is the bardo of concentration and meditation. Following this is the fourth bardo that occurs at the moment of death. The fifth transitional period is known as the state after death; the Intermediate State of Reality. Finally, the sixth phase is rebirth. Each song represents one of the bardos which the artists' have chosen themselves.

Kaj Bos on behalf of Hang Youth: "I'm proud that we, Hang Youth, could do something meaningful for Mark in his final phase of life by recording our version of the Dutch punk classic 'KANKER!' originally written and performed by Cold War Embryo's. It's one of our favorite Dutch punk songs."

Peter Gregson: "When Mark calls and asks you to do something, you say yes and figure out what it is later. This time was harder, because I knew it would be his final request. Nevertheless, it was an inspiring challenge to create a musical piece for the 'Six Bardos' album! I hope people find solace in this music; it's a reflective adaptation of Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden,' urging us to simply 'be' for a moment."

Echo Collective: "Within classical music, Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' is considered a masterpiece. It's an emotional work that speaks to the soul. When Mark asked us to work on the second movement of the quartet for his 'Six Bardos' album, we understood why this composition resonated with him. It was inspiring to collaborate with Peter for the first time, and an honor to create this piece dedicated to our dear friend Mark."

As a bonus bardo, a conversation between Jo Confino (former Guardian and Huffington Post journalist) and Mark about life has been included.