Mystical Mix-Tape: Darshan Gives a Shout Out to the Divine Feminine with Inspired Rap, Lush Vocals, and Global Sensibility on Raza
Centuries later, two artists of the same faith also long to sing a new song. They dive into to the communal pool of poetry and prayer to engage the wisdom of the past in a creative musical conversation.
“Those earlier mystics took an active role in their tradition, creating a musical montage of sacred texts, including selections of older canonical works as well as their own poems,” muses NYC-based MC EPrhyme (Eden Pearlstein). “This mystical mix-tape of sorts became the standard liturgy for generations to follow. Because they are so densely symbolic, Kabbalistic lyrics are notoriously hard to translate or incorporate into popular form or fashion. But we decided to take the leap.”
The leap from esoteric liturgical tradition to gritty rap and world grooves may seem huge, but it’s a natural one for New York’s Darshan. Jewish-soul singer, multi-instrumentalist, and recently ordained cantor Basya Schechter (Pharaoh's Daughter) and neo-Hassidic underground rapper ePRHYME spent two years working on Raza (Chant Records; release: March 9, 2018). With oud and flow, with exultant choral arrangements and spitfire lyrics, Raza transforms the traditional prayers and mystical poetry recited on Friday night into a work of sacred pop art.
“These songs have a lot of entry points. Although, some of the lyrics are in Hebrew and even Aramaic, which you may not understand if you didn’t grow up Jewish, you can dig into the meta-poetic raps, sink into the cyclical trance, or dance to the deep rhythms” reflects Schechter. “There are a lot of diverse elements at play on this album, from ukulele inflected singer-songwriter choruses to Middle Eastern taksims, classic breakbeats, North African rhythms, and free-form improvisation. While the vibe of the music is very urban and even electronic at times, the roots of the music come from mystical artists whom you might consider the hippies of their age.”
Centuries later, two artists of the same faith also long to sing a new song. They dive into to the communal pool of poetry and prayer to engage the wisdom of the past in a creative musical conversation.
“Those earlier mystics took an active role in their tradition, creating a musical montage of sacred texts, including selections of older canonical works as well as their own poems,” muses NYC-based MC EPrhyme (Eden Pearlstein). “This mystical mix-tape of sorts became the standard liturgy for generations to follow. Because they are so densely symbolic, Kabbalistic lyrics are notoriously hard to translate or incorporate into popular form or fashion. But we decided to take the leap.”
The leap from esoteric liturgical tradition to gritty rap and world grooves may seem huge, but it’s a natural one for New York’s Darshan. Jewish-soul singer, multi-instrumentalist, and recently ordained cantor Basya Schechter (Pharaoh's Daughter) and neo-Hassidic underground rapper ePRHYME spent two years working on Raza (Chant Records; release: March 9, 2018). With oud and flow, with exultant choral arrangements and spitfire lyrics, Raza transforms the traditional prayers and mystical poetry recited on Friday night into a work of sacred pop art.
“These songs have a lot of entry points. Although, some of the lyrics are in Hebrew and even Aramaic, which you may not understand if you didn’t grow up Jewish, you can dig into the meta-poetic raps, sink into the cyclical trance, or dance to the deep rhythms” reflects Schechter. “There are a lot of diverse elements at play on this album, from ukulele inflected singer-songwriter choruses to Middle Eastern taksims, classic breakbeats, North African rhythms, and free-form improvisation. While the vibe of the music is very urban and even electronic at times, the roots of the music come from mystical artists whom you might consider the hippies of their age.”
Once they got into the studio, the groove became more anchored through Shanir Blumenkranz’s (Yemen Blues, Abraxas, Zorn) driving bass and Aaron Johnston’s (Brazilian Girls) unwavering pulse, moving effortlessly between kit and live-triggered 808. They also joined forces early on with producer Frederik Rubens (Brazilian Girls, Avishai Cohen, Forro in the Dark), who gave the album a well-honed electronic edge (the synthwave pleasures of “Let there Be Light”). Together, the core group embraced everything from Manu Chao-tinged reggae (“Sing a New Song”), to North African gimbri-driven trance (“Arrives the Bride”). Perfectly placed guest spots from keyboardist Jason Lindner (Bowie, Now Vs. Now), guitarist Gabriel Gordon (Natalie Merchant), cellist Noah Hoffeld (Natalie Merchant, Krishna Das), and multi-reedist Jessica Lurie (Zion80), expand the sonic palette even further.
Miraculously, these wide-ranging influences never lose their focus throughout the album: welcoming the bride and renewing one’s connection to the Divine through poetry, creating community through song, honoring the deeper layers of text and tradition. “Our main difficulty was cracking the nut of these mystical texts,” says Pearlstein. “With her melodic arrangements, Basya is trying to speak through the poems, or let them speak through her, in a way that unpacks their inner essence. My lyrics aim to convey my own personal experience of an often self-reflexive and soul searching conversation with these prayers and practices. In our own ways we’re both attempting to distill some of the core elements embedded within these highly coded poems in order to make them accessible--and danceable.”
“Raza’ means secret in Aramaic, and it’s the title of a selection from the Zohar included in Kabbalat Shabbat,” says Schechter. “The main metaphor is that of the above and below, time and eternity, feminine and masculine, all uniting on the Sabbath.”
This dynamic combination of erotic and esoteric, sensuous and sacred, personal and divine lies at the heart of how Darshan expresses their experience of the Sabbath. Darshan’s interpretations of these classic texts make this tension palpable, turning traditional prayers into something contemporary people can relate to, be moved by, and ultimately move with.
