Biography
Raāg ("colour" or "passion" in Sanskrit -a sacred Indian language) is a French, indie, progressive-folk project based in Paris. Heavily influenced by 60's and 70's psychedelic and progressive music, Raāg invites us to reach our deep, inner spirituality via ancient, traditional texts, chants and melodies (dare I say, ragas) mixed with more psych-prog-folk-oriented music.
https://zuunraag.bandcamp.com/
Starting out as a band project by guitarist Finrod Artîwelë (Sébastien Dumontier), Raāg took many forms through the months and years of its musical experimentations; from a more garage (or rather basement) rock sound with “The Unborn Fishes”, featuring longtime partners Lari Mevimann (drums) and Gabriel BB (bass guitar and vocals), into the more psychedelic-(living room)-rock with the very short-lived “The Prog’n’Delic Skywatchers” (featuring Finrod, Lari on keyboards, Nicola Hliceath on bass guitar and Wilfried Bonnet on drums), to its final form of a two-man-band project.
Raāg made its online debut with the bedroom-made albums AUM (a collection of covers and original compositions) and Psychonaut (only originals), recorded with the help of Lari on drums, percussions and keyboards in the spring and summer of 2013.
Going further away from indie-psychedelic compositions to more progressive, conceptual and polished ones, the recording sessions for the first “official” album, Raāgnarök, began in october 2013. Lasting for a year, the quite concepto-experimental (but still AUM-Made) record was the first to be pressed on CD and was released on December, 22nd 2014 (winter solstice day).
After a short break and wanting to polish the first compositions I wrote for our first projects, we gathered and re-recorded most of the songs from our two demo albums into a neo-prequel, second official album: Visions From Past Lives. A double album in essence, featuring many guests and recorded between 2014 and 2016, it was released on march, 8th 2017 on CD (as our first LP to a limited 500 copies) and digital.
Then was created AMARÖK. A side-project that evolved from the more electric and prog-jazz side of Raāg, with fellow jazzman and saxopho-keyboardist Nashoba Ashwattma (and with a switch to the BASS guitar for that Finrod guy). It explores darker and ZEUHLER territories, mixing, as Raāg, ancient traditional music and mythos, this time with jazz rock music.
Now a solo project, Raāg is back in the AUM-Made studio-hum-bedroom, for a third album; and end this first “Seasons, Time, Death & Rebirth” Trilogy of recordings…
Lots of things to come,
Peace - ॐ
Finrod
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