Beyond the Desert Kush

Azumini's second album 'Beyond the Desert Kush' is an Eastern infused, defiantly confident, Psychedelic Britrock record, with a cheeky hint of 90’s swagger from London & Kuwait.

Written and recorded on a laptop (using a condenser microphone and a guitar), 'Azumini's' second LP 'Beyond the Desert Kush' was written whilst travelling across the Middle East and Asia. It is heavily influenced by these travels and a a short trip to taste Berlin's Absynthe!

A far more confident record than 'Last Fire Burning' and singer songwriter Oliver Borrow explains the process of recording 'Beyond the Desert Kush':

'After years writing with a band I was used to writing openly. It allowed other band members space to add their creativity to the process. When it came to writing and recording alone and without the input of others, I hadn't realised I was still leaving that space. The result was a hollow sound that lacked bass. You can hear it on 'Last Fire Burning'.

In writing 'Beyond The Desert Kush', I spent a long time focussing on the bass parts to fill out the sound. This wasn't easy as I only had my guitar (no bass) to hand, but it was nothing a de-tuned E-string couldn't fix. I also double tracked all the vocals to add warmth.

The result of all this attention and focus was that having struggled to write anything other than mid-tempo ballads for ages, suddenly I was writing Rock and Roll again. I found myself absorbed by this new groove as it quickly became the backbone for the second album.

All that travelling in the Middle East also had a major influence. This started to show towards the end of recording 'Last Fire Burning' (I had completed the mixing and mastering in Kuwait). 'Beyond the Desert Kush' was written and recorded the entirely in Kuwait and the influence of my new surroundings can be heard throughout the record. There are some unashamed eastern guitar chord progressions on this record and somehow even a Santoor made the final cut!

Strangely though, there's also an eighties theme on this record. I love those simple synth progressions you used to get in eighties tunes. They seemed to help add light, lifting the darker tunes. I set out to write a more upbeat record from the start. I wanted people to want to move with the groove.

Lyrically, the defining themes will always be a very personal spiritual journey, but I try to write openly so people can relate it to their own lives. This time though I'm convinced the desert Jinn played their part. I found myself writing about blood, sex and magic and these very quickly became the overarching themes. This wasn't about the exploration of darkness though and that's important. Don't get me wrong, you have to explore the darkness to find the light (I think that played its part in the last album). This album however, was very much about discovering light and it's a journey that no doubt, will continue to play a role in future recordings.

I'm really excited to share this eastern infused slice of Psychedelic Britrock with you. I believe it to be a defiantly confident second effort, that perhaps at times even contains a cheeky hint of 90’s swagger from London AND Kuwait'. - AZ

All music Composed, Arranged, Performed, Produced, Sound Edited & Mixed by Oliver Borrow. Lyrics & Album Artwork by Oliver Borrow. Mastered by LANDR. Recorded in Kuwait 2016. www.azumini.org.uk

© 2016. Oliver Borrow All Rights Reserved. Warning: unauthorised reproduction is a violation of applicable laws.