The supporting documents sent by artists or their PR companies range from the single sheet of A4 with a few words scribbled on it to books the length of ‘War & Peace’. The story behind Rasmus Weirup’s new single ‘After Ecstasy’ fascinated me purely by its content rather than its length.
It appears that some time ago his boyfriend, an architect, was traveling by car around Georgia (the former Soviet Republic in West Asia, not the USA) doing a study of pre-Soviet architecture, as you do, and visited a number of Orthodox churches to record the liturgical choral music on his phone. Later, Rasmus listened through all the recordings, and one haunting melody etched itself into his mind.
That sample became the basis of ‘After Ecstasy’ and he wrote the rest of the music on the old Indian harmonium that he had brought with him on the FlixBus (think of the UK Megabus) when he moved from Copenhagen to Berlin, and set it to a beat inspired by the electroclash music of the 2000s.
The sound he had in mind was the gothic harmonium works of Nico if they were produced by the DJ/Producer The Hacker (Michel Amato).
As for the lyrics they were inspired by the writings of Medieval Catholic mystics, and from visiting techno clubs and after parties.
Collectively they prompted him to realise that the “pursuit of the ecstatic was the one thing that united, let’s say, Angela of Foligno (a receiver of mystical revelations) and a girl on the euphoric but dangerous GHB dissociating on the floor.”
To cap it all the chorus came from a funny sign he saw in an airport, which forbade passengers from bringing along ‘stunning devices’ in their carry-on luggage. While referring to the captive bolt pistols used to stun animals prior in an abattoir he thought the phrasing carried a much greater mystical undertone.
So a broad palette of old and new, of religion, self expression, substance abuse and non-Halal meat.
I do like the harmonium, especially the way it is played by Mally Harpaz of Anna Calvi’s band and here it is given a new, oriental twist, a little like a sitar.
Then that mesmeric beat/melody comes in and George Harrison might be playing along with Ravi Shankar and early Pink Floyd (think ‘Arnold Layne’).
Towards the end it turns into an extended litany that might belong in the Masked Ball ritual scene from Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.
It won’t get to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 but Rasmus always delivers the mystical for those in search of it.
(Continues after the Spotify link).
‘After Ecstasy’ was premiered recently at a sold out show at renowned Copenhagen experimental music venue, Alice.
Find him on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rasmusweirup/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rasmus.weirup.7/
Bandcamp: https://rasmusweirup.bandcamp.com/
