Folk-prog artist Dikajee releases new video 'River Rite'
From debut LP Forget~Me~Nots, to be released 13th August
"sublime debut album" - Metal Hammer
The hauntingly brilliant folk-prog artist Dikajee has revealed her new video 'River Rite', taken from her unique debut full-length album Forget~Me~Nots, released 13th August.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/5Cs4rtS1BbE
Pre-order Forget~Me~Nots here: dikajee.com
Of the song, Dikajee comments: "I first wrote it on my toy piano that I got for my 11th birthday. A couple of days after my grandfather passed away, ten years later, I was visiting my parent's place and found it there, all covered with dust; places and events of childhood sometimes have a huge influence on us, we may not know nor notice, but all the traumas and all the happiness of the childhood are somewhere there, always with us."
Forget~Me~Nots is a stunning display from the originally Russian-based musician, which throughout places her incredible voice front and centre. It’s a fitting tribute to an artist who considers herself a globalist. In her words: “I am a citizen of the world. No age, no nationality, no gender, no religion. I know we can’t completely run away from reality, but as R.P. McMurphy said, “At least I tried”.”
Such an esoteric, worldly approach is truly typical of this brilliant artist, and an album recorded throughout Europe, and with a truly international cadre and calibre of musician. Recording and producing in Norway, Portugal, Germany, France, Latvia, Russia, Forget~Me~Nots features guest appearances from Faun’s Fiona Rüggeberg (bagpipes), Klone’s Guillaume Bernard (guitars), Erik Truffaz's Artis Orubs (drums) and Amber Foil’s João Filipe (guitars) among others.
The international, collaborative outlook pays dividends across a record that showcases the best of folk, minimalist electronic, neo-baroque, neo-classical and truly inventive progressive rock. Above all else shines through Dikajee’s voice, a once-in-a-generation talent that recalls the best of Bjork and Kate Bush. Musically, shades of Steven Wilson, Nightwish, and Gentle Giant shine through.
Across Forget~Me~Nots Dikajee’s gloriously imaginative ethos is heard again and again. Track Four, ‘River Rite’, is a self-described “pagan ritual” song, which plays on the dual parables of the energy of floral wreaths, and of the wiseman by the river. The closing track, ‘Something Mystique’ is an exploration of the state of loss, and involved the visiting of more than ten abandoned grand estates of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
An artist who previously toured Germany and Switzerland, opened for Yann Tiersen, Recoil (Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder), and Nils Petter Molvær; and placed in Prog Magazine’s Top Unsigned Bands, Dikajee will deservedly have a bright and illustrious future.
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TRACKLISTING:
1: Forest
2: Lily Of The Valley (João Filipe (Amber Foil))
3: Millions Of Flashes
4: River Rite
5: Dead Garden (feat. Guillaume Bernard (Klone))
6: Misery
7: Scriptwriter
8: Glorious Beautiful Magical
9: Gloomy Flowers Blooming (feat. Fiona Rüggeberg (Faun, Tvinna))
10: Something Mystique (feat. Andreas Ulvo)