Just two months after its formation, the jazz-rock band Dzyan, named after an ancient creation text of Tibetan origin, recorded their first eponymous album at the Rhein-Main Studio in early 1972. The quintet from Mannheim consisted of singer and percussionist Jochen Leuschner, guitarist Harry Krämer, Gerd Bock-Ehrmann on saxophone, bassist and band leader Reinhard Karwatky, and drummer Ludwig Braum. Their mainly instrumental and improvised compositions consisted of long space-rock improvisations based on jazz grooves and strange electro-acoustic sounds, obviously inspired by the Canterbury Sound of the band Soft Machine. Acoustic percussion rhythms lent the whole thing an additional mystical-ethnic sound.

The debut album with its a spectacular cover design was released in April 1972 on the small independent label Aronda in a very limited pressing. Just a few months later, this quintet line-up had already disbanded, meaning they never had the chance to perform these tracks live. Reduced to a trio following various line-up changes, the band went on to record two more LPs. Today, this extremely rare debut album is not only regarded as their finest, but is also seen as the German answer to the Canterbury scene.