Formally of Jazz group ‘The Portico Quartet’, Nick Mulvey’s solo work is now under scrutiny as the iTunes single of the week. With a diverse musical background stemming from his music and art studies in Havana, Cuba and Ethnomusicology studies at the school of Oriental and African Studies; our expectations are already set for experimental musings that don’t quite gel with the mainstream.
The term Juramidam is derived from the spiritual practice of Santo Daime which was established in Brazil in the 1920s. Established by Irineu Serra, the religious ceremonies involve drinking Ayahuasca or ‘Daime’ which was highly regarded for it’s divinatory and healing properties by the native Amazonian people of Peru. Juramidam translates as ‘God and His Soldiers’. Mulvey’s lyrics, although they appear random at first, directly reference the drink of Ayahuasca.
Juramidam opens with a deep bass sound that makes you think it’s going to break into something dubstep like before being interrupted by the heavy, distorted acoustic guitar that makes the track change route immediately. Mulvey’s vocals enter in an ethereal manner with ghost like echoes that make the texture muddier, it puts me in mind of the heavy tension in the air before a dramatic storm. The track doesn’t become any clearer or lighter, building the texture and tension with additional percussive elements and string motifs that accompany the vocal element.
Verdict: Although not an immediate feel good track like last week, this track is musically mature, texturally stunning and rouses stormy wild emotions.
-Kristine
Download Juramidam from First Mind
Find out more about Nick Mulvey
Facebook SoundCloud Twitter Website
