Independent
Release
I’ll Have What He Is Having
Romania is in a
unique position. It is in the middle of the European continent and benefits by
thousands of years of history. It is in the Balkan peninsula that boasts some
of the most remote and beautiful terrain on the face of the earth. And it is
the home of electronic composer Kamarius.
His ambient/electronic music has many ethnic influences and crosses more than a
few genres. The result is an astonishing album called Wine of the Mystic.
Kamarius started learning
music at an early age and mastered the synthesizer. Imagine him beginning with
a Casio CZ 101 or the like. From humble beginnings comes great things and in
this case, it is great music. First of all, I have to admit I played this album
rather loud in my vehicle. The percussion is so pronounced and addictive that I
could not help myself. I often imagined myself driving down the street in a
metropolitan area and turning heads with this pumped up music. Second, the
compositions are very well written with global influences like Middle Eastern,
Oriental and world fusion. And lastly, Kamarius did everything right on this
recording.
Imagine a
sandstorm in the desert that billows for days until, suddenly, a large form is
revealed. It is a towering edifice of cream-colored sandstone with round top
windows, long corridors and a central room built for one express purpose, to worship.
It is as Kamarius’ song suggests, the Forgotten
Temple. The walls are carved with ancient frescoes, the floors paved in
marble, and resounding from every corner of the temple is music. The voices of
the ancients resonate in prayer.
Seasonless Love is the song with a wonderful driving
beat. I often wished while listening to this one that I could have been in on
the recording. I just could not help bobbing my head or tapping my toe. Sweet
female intonation graces the melody reminding me that pure love knows no
season, no time limit. Of the eight songs on the album, this is my favorite. Somebody
pass me the tabla.
The Prayer Service or Deha Puja is a remarkable tune for its
mixture of electronic background and ethnic instruments. There is a tremendous
energy flow in the music that purges the mind and relaxes the body. It is like
an introduction or an overture to what is to come, that which is the experience
of meditation.
Magic Nights
is a fantastic atmospheric tune, emphasis on the fantastic. There is a kind of
hypnotic rhythm to the music that draws me in and makes me think of stories
that feature ebony skies studded with starry jewels, fires that crackle with a
coppery light and dancing that starts deep in the heart. The smell of jasmine
fills the air and all my dreams swirl about me.
The final tune, Light Oasis is a true electronic tune
with ethnic singing as the foundation. I think its message is a direction to
travel in the desert of the spirit. Many think that an oasis is a place of green
where water and food are found to bestow salvation on the lost. There are
however, other kinds of oases. Imagine the spirit in need of nutrients, not
water or food as in the physical, but enlightenment as in the metaphysical.
Sometimes the “light” is found after a lifetime of study and sacrifice and at
other times it is found within.
There seems to be something
mysteriously subconscious to Kamarius’ album. The gems we find are like hidden
treasure. One has to open the mind and dig or we can just sit back, listen and
let the music takes us to a place where we are awake inside our daydreams. I
suggest we drink deeply of the Wine of the Mystic.
Rating: Very Good
