Desire Marae(simakade/he/him) On The Romance of Being

There are many ways of dying! One can die in body, spirit, and soul.  After a two years of training as a traditional healer. Desire is back after his debut self titled album “Desire”, to heal people through his music with a 13-piece band for an album of divine jazz, gospel and orchestral soul, channeling spirit through drum rhythms and bass guitar. On The Romance of Being is inspired by Marae’s journey to become a spiritual healer,it explores expressions of death to see romance in the simple act of being. Being true. Being real. Being here and most importantly being free.

“With making music, there’s a bigger intention, but we were doing it in a lot of places that weren’t very intentional, or safe, and it just didn’t seem to go right. I ended up moving back home, and that was the year I fully accepted my calling… In my work as a sangoma, ancient songs and drumming sequence are used to invoke spirits who live in me, so I enter into a trance state.” – Desire Marae

The eight tracks EP is a collaboration of some of the country’s finest artists. Working with several key figures in South African Jazz such as Andrei van Wyk, Sibusiso Mashiloane, Sbu Zondi, Sanele Ngubane and Portia Sibiya.  The album art cover is an oil painting by Athi –Patra Ruga, the oil painting is of Desire with a peach in his mouth. The painting was inspired by Rotimi Fani Kayode a Nigerian photographer whose work explored the complex theme such as race, sexuality, spirituality, and the self.

The albums opens with “Ezulwini” which sounds like a plea where Desire stretches his vocals over his triumphant post-rock stomp:  “I want to see you levitate”. He repeats this like chant. In “Be Free” the lyrics are sung in English and IsiZulu are erotic and philosophical. Marae recognizes the limits of his emotionally unavailable lovers.” Makhukhu takes a gentler approach and sensual, while “Skhati” is intimate, yearning and remembrance of Desire’s mother.  “Rah”, a duet with Zoë Modiga is a deeply haunting, engaging with the soul with demanding vocals from Modiga, and lyrics describing humanity’s destruction of the earth.  The EP closes with “Banzi” with furious drums, growling vocals and it ends with tumultuous laughter. The album is a difference kind of medicine that liberates and transcends one towards oneself to be free.