Sometimes, creating a plan that should be carried out by a group of people can be very stressful, and often this plan fails to reach its futuristic goals. Sublunary proved that good organization and communication among group members can indeed achieve all goals and most definitely lead to success.
A UK-based group, with multinational origins from across the Mediterranean, and countries including Egypt, Syria, Portugal, and the UK, Sublunary are Ahmed Diaa (Piano, Keyboards), Carlos Bras (Drums), Gamaleldin Ghaffar (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar), Hadi Birajakli (Lead Guitar), Ramy Abul-Ata (Bass, Guitar), and Tom Bell (Guitar, Sound Design).
After years and years of passion and dedication, Sublunary succeeded to play their music internationally by playing live in the UK. After that, they put all of their efforts into releasing a self-titled EP. ‘Harmonix’, the third track of their debut release, is the track that I will be focusing on today. What I am about to give my impression on here is beyond a new track for a band, it’s an idea, a dedication, a plan, and if I may say: a new path for the music industry!
While listening to ‘Harmonix’, the natural harmonics technique, which is the core of the track, and graciously adapted by Gamaleldin Ghaffar (vocals and guitars) is pretty clear from the first second. “While we try to invest a lot of thought into everything we do, the name for Harmonix eluded us and so we settled on naming it after the natural harmonics which open the track,” they explained. It’s a smart move indeed to name your track based on the music technique itself, well, I am a guy who likes to listen carefully to every instrument while listening to a song, and this is exactly what they did throughout their composition and arrangement. Ramy’s basslines are just brilliant combined with the energetic drums of Carlos Bras, the good core of melodic music lines by Ahmed Diaa on keyboards, and Birajakli’s guitar licks and solos which are very rich and introduce a progressive blend for the alternative atmosphere. And the track’s missing ingredient was delivered through Ghaffar’s upbeat rhythmic riffs and his confident stunning vocals techniques.
“It is written from the perspective of a protagonist provoking humanity on its inclination to cling on to, and blindly persist in its beliefs. We are all familiar with that attraction to wanting to be right, in conversation, within ourselves, and in our perception and beliefs relevant to the world around us. Our whole idea as a band is diverse thinking, and it’s important for us to send a message to our audiences to try and overcome stigmas, and challenge their own way of thinking.” The music for these guys isn’t like any other bands, they take it as a philosophy and a life perspective, in fact, this is one of my favourite styles.
As for the production, while most of the indie or international acts invest a lot in decoration, stage setup, lights, and sound, in addition to the latest technologies, trying to attract as many audiences in their shows, Sublunary took a totally different direction. They chose to film their performance to present their music where it most fits, the roman theatre. Yes, you read it right! What is better than the historical atmosphere, the beauty of the Roman architecture, and the acoustics of an open ancient theatre to enjoy music that is actually all about the art of sound…..Amazing, right?
They recorded live in Ganoub Studio in Cairo, with the help of Amr Hefny (sound engineer), and then it was transported back to the UK and placed in the hands of Tom Bell, who recently joined as the sixth member of the band and long-time band producer. And finally, they released one of 2020 alternative rock masterpieces ‘Harmonix’ which is taken from their debut self-titled EP, where you can feel its 4-track vibes on Spotify through here.
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