by Robert Phoenix
In 2005, Maneesh De Moor and Bahramji created the now classic, Call Of The Mystic on Blue Flame Records. A recording that has enough sacred essence to take a yoga class deeper and deeper into the heart of the asanas as well as provide the spiritual atmosphere and ambient groove to any environment needing a bit of a relaxed, yet heady chill, it was the perfect meeting ground between producer and prophet. The union of De Moor and Baharmji on the recording was an exercise in divine opposites, fully complimenting one another. Since then, both men have gone onto other projects and seemingly abandoned what looked to be a very promising collaboration.

To understand their inherent differences, you have to understand them both.

Ibiza Beginnings

Ibiza is a shining jewel, glistening in Balaeric straits off the coast of Spain. It’s temperate climate and warm waters have attracted Europeans in greater and greater numbers over the past thirty years. In the mid-eighties, a group of Brits were throwing parties and experimenting with mixing a variety of music together, from The Gypsy Kings to Enya to the great African percussionist, Olatunji, all under the sparkling night skies, well into the light of dawn. Amongst this group, was a young Paul Oakenfold, and together, they helped give birth to rave culture at the end of the eighties. Since then, Ibiza has become a sensualists paradise, blending the pleasures of the flesh amidst the backdrop of natures splendor, often evoking feelings of a broad spiritual nature and oneness. In this giddy space, along with Rave culture, Human Design, a very sophisticated astrological technology also emerged. It’s also where Bahramji, a Persian mystic and devotee of Osho, who had studied in India and immersed himself in the poetry of Rumi alighted in 2003. Of course the island was rife with DJ’s and producers and this is where he De Moor comes into focus.

He and De Moor couldn’t be more different in some ways. Separated by twenty-one-years and vastly different upbringings in different religions, the two managed to find a common ground that cracked open a doorway to musical transcendence. Bahramji’s smoky and spiritually seductive vocals and entrancing stylings on the santoor were a perfect foil for De Moor’s expanding knowledge of the studio. But while critical acclaim and some commercial success was to be their reward, the two have gone their separate ways. Let’s see how the split has worked out for them.

Bahramji’s Latest

Bahramji’s latest record is Sufi Safir on Blue Flame. This time, he’s joined by a different producer; Mashti. Sufi Safir features Bahramji’s trademark chants and devotional love songs, but this one is much more suited to the dance floor, as Mashti kicks it up around 110 BPMs throughout most of the recording. Make no mistake, this is a great record to shake your butt chakra to, but it lacks the contours and complexity of his work with De Moor. Listened in conjunction with the Call Of The Mystic the same ideas are getting worked out to some extent, but with a different goal in mind—to move the body as well as the spirit.

De Moor’s Latest

Meanwhile, De Moor has gone in the other direction, slowing things down on his latest mix compilation, Om Deeksha (Sounds True), subtly blending the likes of the divine Deva Premal with Sudha, Yogini and others. It’s pretty clear that the overall atmosphere that made Call Of The Mystic so compelling was due to De Moor’s guidance in the studio, evoking the timeless qualities of Bahramji’s singing and playing. On Sadhana, his own solo disc, De Moor goes deeper into ethno-ambient zones, transcending the chill effect and offering a very compelling, deep-listening-experience. In addition to those releases, he has also remixed the music of Prem Joshua on Shiva Moon.

Are Bahramji and De Moor, irreconcilably disconnected? One look at Bahramji’s Myspace page would seem to reject that notion as De Moor’s beaming visage rests atop Bahramji’s friends list. But at this point they appear to be heading toward their own, individual, blissful vectors, which means more great sounds for the rest of us.

Bahramji & De Moor Sample…