As winter grips the East Coast with its icy fingers, bringing relentless snow and chilling winds, many of us find ourselves longing for a respite from the harsh elements. In this frostbitten setting, where the cold seeps into our bones and the days feel endlessly grey, a beacon of warmth emerges through music. Today, we’re thrilled to offer you an exclusive first listen to a piece that is the balm for frigid souls and weary hearts. Hailing from the SF Bay Area, the healing project known as Destani’s Piece presents ‘I See You,’ a collaboration featuring the talents of Petros Sakelliou and Destiny Muhammad.
The song is a masterful fusion of elements that transcends the typical boundaries of the genre. The keys, played with a depth of emotion that feels almost tangible, intertwine seamlessly with the ethereal vocal stylings of Wolf and the enchanting harp of Destiny Muhammad. Together, these elements create an experience that is both mesmerizing and spellbinding. Each note is a harmonic vibration that is crafted in sure a way, that it’s sure to transport you away from the mundanity of a stressful Friday and into a realm that feels almost otherworldly, perhaps even on the verge of the astral.
And during this time when the world outside seems so unforgiving, this track offers a sanctuary. The combination of Destani Wolf’s voice and amazing harp talents of Destiny Muhammad, with Sakelliou’s piano creates a blissful healing haven, a place where the soul can find solace and the mind can wander freely, unburdened by the weight of daily life. And for us, it lets us jump right into an inviting realm of peace and serenity, and a much-needed escape for anyone caught in the clutches of a harsh winter or a hectic schedule. So, as the week draws to a close and the moring settles in, let yourself be carried away by ‘I See You’ – a track that will leave you feeling like you’re in the embrace of a warm blanket on a cold night.
Destani Wolf offers us a glimpse into the creative process that birthed this bewitching piece. Her reflection on the song’s inception speaks to the spontaneous magic that can occur when artists are deeply connected to their craft. She gives us a small window into the soul of the song, revealing the layers of emotion and collaboration that went into its creation by saying:
In year two of covid, my Cirque du Soleil bandmate from Greece Petros Sakelliou, sent me a dreamy yet grounding piano track that moved me to tears as I sang down a stream of consciousness where the lyrics flowed in one take. Destiny Muhammad, representing Compton claimed by Oakland, then embraced the song with her angelic harp. “I See you” came from a moment of longing and self reflection. An internal place where we truly see the hearts of those we love and a reminder to see our purest selves, timelessly through sound and space.
The track spans nearly nine minutes, yet its duration feels like a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of its embrace that you very quickly find yourself wrapped in. This track is an immersive experience, one that envelops you completely, making time seem inconsequential as you surrender to its flow. Whatever you choose to listen to this track for, be it mindfulness, or background music, it will serve you well.
What strikes me most about this piece is its demonstration of the immense power of minimalism in lyrics. Or rather, in the first half. The song doesn’t rely on a complex web of words to convey depth and emotion at the start. Instead, it will grab you with the simple, repeated phrase ‘I See You.’ This repetition becomes a powerful tool in Wolf’s hands. Each utterance of the phrase is laden with emotion, her voice clinging to every syllable, imbuing them with a weight that will strike you deeply. It’s a reminder of how much can be said with so little, how emotion can be conveyed in the space between words as much as within them.
And I do think a big shutout is deserved for Greg Papania’s outstanding mixing work on this track. The song’s production, masterfully mixed by Greg Papania, utilizes stereo panning very well here. This effect is brilliantly employed to enhance the emotional impact of Destani Wolf’s vocal delivery. As her voice gracefully traverses from one earpiece to the other, it creates a dynamic and almost tangible sensation. This movement of sound across the field is felt, giving you an almost pronounced experience.
The way her voice seems to dance around you, shifting from left to right and back again, induces a kind of euphoria, sending shivers down the spine – those goosebumps that are a hallmark of deeply great music. And I must say music of this caliber truly justifies the investment in a high-quality headset. Every cent of those few hundred dollars feels well-spent when you’re enveloped in such rich, immersive sound.
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