Search - Marti Nikko, DJ Drez :: Dreaming in Sanskrit

Black Swan Sounds is pleased to release Dreaming in Sanskrit, the debut album from Marti Nikko.

In collaboration with producer/turntablist (and her husband) DJ Drez, Marti has created a diverse collection of songs with a devotional focus and hip-hop foundation.

Dreaming in Sanskrit is grounded in Drez's unmistakably funky signature and gift for sonic construction, but the album is absolutely Nikko-centric. Marti's enticing, fiercely soft voice permeates a diverse collection of musical styles including dub roots, Indian hymn and Balkan beats. The common thread woven throughout is Nikko's spirit of love and devotion.

Nikko's innate spark illuminates Dreaming In Sanskrit. Her soul-soaked vocals dance and play in the spaces impeccably arranged by DJ Drez, highlighting a natural chemistry developed and enhanced through years of performing, living and loving together. The result is a beautiful, eclectic collection of music made for all moods and conscious movement practices.

One of the purest expressions of Nikko's divine vocalizing is the simple but achingly beautiful track, "Shiva's Piano." The song's simplicity is potent, and Marti soars above twinkling keys and jazzy sax embellishments.

Dripping in dub-style that's so joyfully laid back it hurts, "Maha Devi" pulses with blissful vibration. Awareness of each particular name of the Goddess called is not at all necessary to appreciate the overflow of playful adoration. Though most of the chants on the album are directed toward traditional deities in the Hindu tradition, also included are an extremely healing Tibetan Buddhist mantra ("Om Mani Padme Hum," and "It's Peaceful," an original, English-language track.

Such variety means there is something for everyone: tracks for your next romantic mixtape, beats to bump on the dancefloor, and several songs you'd expect to hear your local yoga teacher use to set the mood, whether you're heating up or cooling down.

The abstract and spectacular is qualified by the real world application of tracks like "Driving with Ganesha." What begins as rapid mantra repetition transitions into sweet, easy singing as the car horns fade. This is pleasing because it so accurately represents the way many people actually put mantra into practice -- struggling through traffic is a perfectly appropriate time to invoke Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.

Applied with great variety, Nikko's timeless voice is consistently seductive. Whether playfully lilting in the high end or expressing the full intensity of her low range, there is a certain determination, a keen sense of mission in her vocal expressions.

The daughter of a jazz pianist, Marti Nikko spent her childhood in nightclubs, absorbing the art and wisdom of many great musicians. Enthralled by what she heard, she began to sing and perform her own music, infusing her innate grasp of jazz and soul into a warm, natural voice.

Marti met DJ Drez shortly after high school, when they began performing and recording together. Over nearly two decades, they have developed an intimate musical language. Dreaming In Sanskrit crystallizes this conversation, capturing the depth and range, the power and nuance flowing between these two artists.

Reflecting the intimate, personal space in which it was forged, Dreaming In Sanskrit is intense, gentle and infused with joy. Nikko's mantra-inspired lyrics married to Drez's beat-savvy turntablist magic illustrate the natural connection between the sacred and the street.