Invested in Love – Mahamaya Experience (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

As anyone who has been paying attention will be aware, Mahamaya Experience is a very fluid and unique experience, a sonic experiment that can bridge worlds. Depending on the story to be told, whether it is a tale of ancient wisdom or poignant modern observation, whether it is told through traditional sounds or modern sonics, or a deft combination of both, this is not music that you can go into with any preconceptions or expectations, even if you are basing those expectations on the music that you have heard them make before.

Invested in Love is a modern-day parable where we see a Stock Broker fleeing the turmoil of the 2008 financial crash and seeking solace in the rural idylls of the landscape and serenity of Southeast Asia. He wanders its lush rice fields and rolling hills, climbs its mountains and follows its rivers, eventually finding a soul mate. As they partake in the Thai festival of Loi Kratong together, he realises that he has discovered the only currency and capital that ever mattered. Love.

For such a timeless tale retold in modern terms, it is only natural that this Mahamaya Experience is one where the sounds of the contemporary world mix freely with the traditional. The sitar, as always, is the star of the show, contributing deft runs and delicate interludes, but contemporary guitars shoot through, too. The gentle drive of tabla beats is replaced by suitably explosive kit drums, and the vocal message dances clearly over the top.

And it reminds us of something that is both obvious and revolutionary. If love is the real currency, it says, then poverty is not only not what we think it is, but it is easily solved. Loving each other makes us all truly rich. It’s as simple as that.

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