We’re circling around a pit. Several figures are dancing above the flaming hot coals, balanced on an elevated pedestal. Their movements are precise and animated, lively, exuberant, full of an earthy energy. Above their hands, the stars turn slowly, smearing white acrylic streaks across the sky, mimicking echoing the wailing bed of feedback that backs Nihiloxica’s songs on their incredible album, Kaloli.
The fusion of electronics adds to the organic feel already brought on by the hand-drummed percussion; this is counterintuitive because I usually associate a stilted, quantized electronic instrument with pulling the song away from the human-performed sound. This infusion of electronics resonates differently, however. The electronics feel as lively and ever-changing as the slipping, sweaty human hands that no doubt skated across the surface of those bongos laced throughout this record.
I appreciate the experimentation with sound. The rhythms dance and sway against static and feedback, and I can’t help but sway back and forth, following the oscillating tones. The rhythms are pronounced and keep me engaged during the more hypnotic moments. The unpredictable nature of the electronics winds me up into a frenzy. I’m enchanted by the thought of joining those dancers on the pedestal, conjuring the spirits to smear the sky into a psychedelic, acrylic masterpiece.