Nashaat Salman begins his Universal Melodies, Vol. 1 with Summer Night Joy , a track that builds off of the classical (Spanish) guitar tradition. With overtures made to the grandiose dance music of the late seventies, Salman is able to create a light and airy composition with this initial effort that will immediately draw in listeners to this EP. The goodwill created by Summer Night Joy is continued with the interesting interplay of styles during Dancing Star. This effort has Salman marry together a flute opening with a middle Eastern set of arrangements.
A quicker tempo ensures that spirits are kept high. While the compositions on Universal Melodies, Vol. 1 are instrumental, fans will easily discern a story being told through each of the tracks on the release. Salman’s ability to make each note mean something is a skill that is rare in music, and is something that is present on the album’s final track, Chasing. Chasing is a fast-tempo track that will astonish; there are so many occurrences happening here that one will need to spin the track multiple times before hearing everything that Salman has hidden during the track’s run time.
For those individuals that are wanting to make a tight mix or run a podcast, the Universal Melodies, Vol. 1 album concludes with a radio mix of Dancing Star. To hear samples of Salman’s music, his Bandcamp is a great resource; Salman’s domain is a perfect way to find out more information about this fun and catchy performer. I have no doubt that Salman will be able to craft a full-length release that continues to build upon the trends and themes that are introduced to listeners on the Universal Melodies, Vol. 1 CD.
Top Tracks: Summer Night Joy , Dancing Star
Rating: 8.5/10
Nashaat Salman Universal Melodies, Vol. 1 CD Review / 2015 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.universalmelodies.com/music-and-video / https://universalmelodies.bandcamp.com/ /