Kamarius - Wine Of The Mystic Mp3

" 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
R J Lannan, independent reviewer for the Zone Music Reporter