The story of the hermit is as old as time. Throughout different ages, man has chosen the hermit's path - wandering away in search of truth, travelling distant lands as a pilgrimage that'll lead him to himself, only to find that the people he left behind were what gave meaning to his life. Homegrown artist Inspector Maal depicts this archetypal story through electronic sounds in his latest EP Namaste. With breakbeat, electronica, and variations of techno, it's a bonafide hermit's homecoming.
The EP is a narrative of integration. A profound understanding dawns upon the artist: existence is an interconnected tapestry, not an isolated series of threads. Like the icy peaks yearning for the ocean, the hermit realizes the futility of solitude. The 'self', a carefully constructed illusion, dissolves, revealing a universe of shared consciousness. No longer content with isolation, he seeks a final communion with his kind before his earthly sojourn ends.
This existential exploration finds its echo in the music. The journey begins with Riding Spotted Horses, a track that evokes the imagery of a nomad, exploring uncharted territories on his horse with its broken beats and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The follow-up, Seed, is a dance floor-ready anthem; a burst of kinetic energy that hints at the potential for growth and transformation. But it's the title track, Namaste, that truly encapsulates the album's essence. A mesmerizing blend of acid-infused chill garage and ethereal chimes, it's a sonic meditation on the self and the universe. Here, Maal invites us into the depths of his consciousness, a realm where boundaries dissolve. Log Fire is a fiery psy-tech interlude; a moment of intense introspection before the album concludes with the glitchy, robotic textures of I know.
Inspector Maal is essentially a conceptual project that leads an inquiry into the self through sound; ‘an adventure into the depths of the unconscious mind to find remnants of ancient knowledge and wisdom within the psyche through direct experience.’ The Kumaon-based artist intertwines spirituality and the search for meaning with electronic music through his artistic practice. With Namaste, he invites us to join him on this introspective odyssey; to question our own place in the grand scheme of things and form connections by embracing the ever-existing interconnectedness of the universe.
Follow Inspector Maal here.
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