Vancouver, Canada-based sitarist and composer Mohamed Assani recently introduced the visualizer for “Lullaby for Guli,” a track lifted from his latest album, Wayfinder.
Speaking about the song, Mohamed shares, “Often a child’s first experience of music is in the form of a lullaby sung to them by their mothers. This was definitely the case for me – my mother sang me lullabies and told me wonderful stories – stories that shaped me and how I viewed the world.”
According to the ‘Georgia Straight Newspaper,’ “Assani is both a musician who’s deeply rooted in the artistic traditions of South Asia and a one-of-a-kind innovator who’s bent on ensuring that those age-old forms will survive and grow in the modern era.”
Mohamed’s sound blends an array of styles, including Indian/Pakistani classical, Middle Eastern, jazz, funk, Western harmony, ambient, and electronic music into delightful sonic potions featuring sitar, table, mridangam, kanjira, mbira, voice, and fusions of electronica.
“Lullaby for Guli” opens with a haunting female voice, followed by flowing classical textures, at once evocative and rife with creamy leitmotifs. When the sitar enters, filling the tune with flavors more like an electric guitar, the harmonics take on an undulating, glossy stream.
The feel and flow of the music glide on shimmering layers of sound. As the rhythm arrives, the song escalates to heavy washes of jazz-laced dynamics and then descends to tender gradations of luscious hues.
The video, filmed and produced by Pool Service Productions, merges images of a mother and child on the beach and walking hand in hand through a field with Mohamed seated, playing his sitar.
Nuanced, complex, and beautifully wrought, “Lullaby for Guli” conjures up lush, nostalgic memories amid scintillating pigments.
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