Inside the gilded walls of Club GOA, an exotic enclave where Rumi meets Kabir in the nape of Hollywood, the ethno-trance project, NAID came alive. It’s also where Kosmic Music officially launched the project with a release party.

Centered in the heart of the exotic lounge atmosphere, keyboardist Martin Landquist, one half of NAID’s creative engine, led a trio of Johan Carlson (also on keyboards), Chris Garcia (on percussion) and Jesus Florido (on amplified violin). Joining them were Avnee Mithaiwala (on vocals), adding some wonderful chant to NAID’s cross-pollination of ambient groove and bouncing bajhans. Enzo Buono, the other half of NAID’s production team, anchored the sound from the board, pumping the swirling beats to all corners of the club.

While it was a great excuse for me to go to L.A. and check into NAID in person, it was also obvious that there was a buzz in the air as music industry insiders like Matt Marshall of Cyberset were in attendance along with music managers of indie artists and members of the local press.

Here’s to hoping that NAID can bring their sound to other venues so that I can plan a few more getaways to experience their ongoing excursions in the realms of sacred musical synthesis.

by Robert Phoenix
Robert Phoenix moves freely among a vast array of realities, but tends to focus-in on music and human evolution.

Photos by Christopher Van Buren

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