Masma Dream World : PLEASE COME TO ME
Immersing yourself in the sprawling vistas of Masma Dream World—the avant-everything project of sound artist Devi Mambouka—is akin to a religious awakening that penetrates body, mind and spirit. The “dream world” in Mambouka’s moniker is built on underpinnings of swirling ambience and throbbing drones that suggest ritualistic vibes which can be traced to her lineage and is reflected in her fearless deconstruction of myriad genres therein. The disparate worlds of sound Mambouka creates, inspired by her roots in the South African country of Gabon and in Singapore, is a vision wholly unique and a transcendental force of nature.
PLEASE COME TO ME, her stunning second full-length, is all that and more. It seemingly floats in from another dimension, first as flickering transmissions from the otherworld then laying bare an expanse of soul-crushing emotion and profound expression through its arresting wordless chants and cries. The eleven pieces that make up PLEASE COME TO ME are not so much songs proper but deep, majestically crafted meditations that invoke a sacred mysticism and spiritual being. Mambouka’s haunting dronescapes elicit shots of pure ecstasy but they also strike an unsettling tone. This light-dark synthesis was first set in motion on Play at Night, her promising 2020 debut, and is fully realized on her sophomore effort.
What makes PLEASE COME TO ME a revelatory listening experience is its underlying mystery. Here, the sonic possibilities are seemingly endless as she ventures into the unknown. Like a solo free-improv session, Mambouka—equipped with an instrumental stockpile at her disposal—entered the studio without a plan only to emerge with a cohesive, powerful statement. With the combination of a heady electronics-driven din and hushed, seance-like vocalizations, it’s a given that you’ll immediately fall under the spell that Mambouka casts as soon as album opener “Only Wish” commences. The synth tones and textures only get more intense—and gloomier—from there. “Hells Bells” and “Pordeno Me” are dystopian hellscapes that sound like Alice Coltrane sitting in on an impromptu jam session with EVOL/Sister-era Sonic Youth while the garbage can-banging skronk-storms “Seeking Your Protection” and “Without a Body” are on par with the psycho-jazz of Wolf Eyes under the influence of speed.
The stylistic umbrella that PLEASE COME TO ME fits under is a vast one. Label it ritual music, ambient, electronic or doom metal (I could easily see a collaboration with The Body in the cards). That’s the level of claustrophobic terror that rises to the surface on its sinister investigations. However, this much is certain: Masma Dream World is a virtuosic sculptor of murky sounds and PLEASE COME TO ME is a thing of both beauty and brutality.
Label: Valley of Search
Year: 2025
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Masma Dream World : PLEASE COME TO ME
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