“The Wizard,” by Roma Nebo is an adventure unlike any other. The album is an experiment in ancient music as seen through a modern lens. It’s world music, space music. At its heart the album is a testament to the fact that they are all one and the same.
There is not much known about the artist. His only social media presence consists of seven images of Hawaii and Southern California on Instagram. However, his music belies any assumptions about location. In both style and substance the songs on “The Wizard” span cultures and centuries. At times they seem to span the cosmos as well.
The record opens with the Middle Eastern vibes of the title track. A blend of electronic and organic instrumentation and exotic chanted melodies introduces us to the parallel musical world the Wizard has created. From there we circle the globe. “Ne Hiyama” finds guest vocalist Alex Yong evoking ancient Asian vibes. On “Florentinas,” singer Luciana Peru explores blooming Latina flowers over a chill acoustic groove with flashes of Bossa Nova and Jazz.
Despite the Western religious implications of its title, “Trinity’ circles back to Asia and the South Pacific with Koto melodies and Island rhythms. In title and content “Rama” implies a Hindu influence, but then morphs into some wildly creative modern electronic music. Linguistically, we travel through Western Europe on songs like “My Universe,” “Unì” (Italian) and “Galaxy’s Calling Me.” However, as the titles imply, we do not stay grounded for long.
Throughout this journey, song titles are merely starting points. We may begin in ancient Kyoto on one song, but by the end of that same song we are as likely to find ourselves on a German dance floor or in a Native American ritual. For instance “Лелеки” (Ukranian for ‘storks’) is ancient, futuristic, Eastern European and Southeast Asian all at once. Vocalist Lissava sings and chants over a wild mix of acoustic and electronic percussion.
Roma Nebo closes the album with a track appropriately titled, “Reality.” However, the track is not a cessation of mystical exploration. On the contrary, the reality represented here is universal. This is all reality at once. We are no longer travelling through the known world. We are now fully embedded in the beautifully hypnotic reality which the Wizard himself has created.
Check out “The Wizard,” below. Follow the links below the audio to connect to the mystery. Roma Nebo’s galaxy is calling. Get lost in his universe.
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