If hypnotic, atmospheric and earthy tracks are your vice; you owe yourself a tune into The Shaman. Brought to you by Melbourne’s ACAXIA, the triple threat musicians/artists/performers bring to life a digital rainforest blooming with alternative dance bangers.
Made up of Christian Luke and Emanuele Mamo, the duo blends organic and electronic sounds to create something refreshingly uncontrived on The Shaman. Playing like a rave on the forest floor, the EP takes shape with plenty of live instrumentation. It’s keys, flutes, kalimbas and steel drums galore.
ACAXIA’s The Shaman rings like an ecosystem of sound. Vibrant and layered, the danceable EP will take you to places you’ve never been and heighten senses you didn’t know you have.
More natural elements are captured through the use of Indigenous instruments, seen through didgeridoos, clapping sticks and singing bowls. This fusion, combined with soothing vocals, allows The Shaman to buzz with an irrefutable human touch.
ACAXIA embody a sense of ritual into their own work. In establishing connections to people, places and things, we feel just a little more attuned to our environment through the record. Therapeutic and emotional, the five tracks unravel ideas surrounding freedom through art.
Opening track Birds of Paradise whips out some solid flute lines, while Levitate lifts you up in a dense auditory dream. Wild celebrates unrestrained openness whereas title track The Shaman rolls like a futuristic lullaby; instrumental and surreal. Then there’s Twin Flame. Anchored by a more acoustic twist, the jam features delicate keys and evocative vocals.
In a world marked by cultural transformations, social breakdowns and breakthroughs, The Shaman finds itself at some kind of sonic crossroads. Aligning to ideas of freedom through expression, this earthy and undeniably intriguing record makes for a thrilling addition to ACAXIA’s catalogue.
The Shaman is out now.
