PREMIÈRE: Uji Explores Ancient Rituals on First Video from Upcoming Visual Album

The first release from Timebeing, Uji’s upcoming visual album, “Oropo”, is familiar yet unexplored territory at the same time.

Uji, a musician, producer and ethnomusicologist, is well known within Latin America’s experimental electronic scene, and “Oropo” is certainly not a track that will disappoint his fans. The familiar influence of natural landscapes is still very much evident in his work, but there is innovation at play too.

Opening the piece is a manipulated jaw harp, an instrument symbolic of spirituality and meditation. These ritualistic themes continue on the accompanying Jazmin Calcarami-directed video, with the jaw harp acting as musical backing to the ceremonial style of dancing. The group of dancers, concentrated in a circle in an almost possessive ritual, are clearly evidence of Uji’s ethnomusicological background and the traditional ceremonies he has experienced around the world. Here’s the synopsis for the video:

“A group of 8 women gather to perform a ritual, as ancient as time itself. Among them we see a young woman, ASUKA, with an ouroboros tattooed on her neck. She places the mercurial object into a fountain filled with water, giving way to her activation.”

Soon after the opening, we are treated to electronic beats which initiate what turns out to be an almost meditative state of listening. The music builds upon this sensation to a climax when the chant-like vocals enter, again re-emphasizing the chanted theme of “Oropo”.

“Oropo”‘s music video is subtitled “Chapter 2 – Asuka’s Activation”, and is the first of eight tracks that will feature on Timebeing, with each track accompanied by a short film from Jazmin Calcarami, who is making her directorial debut on the project. Timebing will be released in October by ZZK Records.

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