Neither of our space nor time, “Dervishes” beckon with soothing chants and tribal rhythms. The hearth warm and surroundings safe. Sensory delight is accentuated by the psychedelic sheen of mystic Arkia Jahami. His guitar lends splashes of colour left and right before coiling and becoming one with the “I Shall Rise” recitation. “Journey of the Godheads” is then ushered in with more force, like a thunderclap, which subtly subsides into another tranquil pattern. Flurries of guitar punctuate, inspire vigour and all reach for the skies. On and on the ritual rolls, twists and turns, with graceful flow, hypnotic and serene. There is no real sense of linear passing. Only the to and fro of the current gently lapping against the shore. Hymns overlap without becoming lost. The praise poetry, almost phonetic, hovers around the periphery of subconscious. The repetition spellbinding. With a shift in tone, “Khalifa’s Visions” burrow underground. The brooding bass lines and the percussive rattle and roll echo in the cavern. The vocal drone gradually becomes stronger. Haunting and ominous. “By the Candlelight…” the instrumentation has ceased. All that remains are droning throats and that little tickle in the eardrums as the trance ends…
Gut instinct will accept or reject. Thereafter, it’s a matter of experiencing the earthy textures and deciphering that rich tapestry. Layer by layer. Inch by inch. Again and again. Enigmatic, the lure is certainly strong. Many moons on, you too may still be waking in that same shamanic cave.