Album Review: KHAZNA - Kiss Facility
After a single listen to KHAZNA, it makes a sense that the duo Kiss Facility are together and in love. Their debut album is intimate yet expansive. It’s not love as in ‘soppy and performative’ but love as in connection and transcending the self. Its lush quality comes equally from its electronic and acoustic elements - which is great news for the shoegaze loving fans of their earlier work. KHAZNA is a bold collision of cultures and genres - resulting in something not necessarily new but timeless.
In an interview with Dazed Mena, producer-half, Salvador Navarrete said “It has to be two worlds meeting, rather than me going into her world or her coming into my world.” His, a world of production honed across ambient, off-kilter electronic and dance. Hers, Mayah Alkhateri’s, a world of poetry and vocals exploring her life, struggles and history.
It’s no wonder that Navarrete’s latest solo ambient album under Sega Bodega, was aptly named: “I Created the Universe so That Life Could Create a Language So Complex, Just to Say How Much I Love You”. KHAZNA as an album takes a step further and asks, would you still understand the feeling if you didn’t understand the language? The album itself, described by the duo on instagram is “in …khaleeji dialect, Emarati and Egyptian’ yet also features “ …my own made up language that I couldn’t find the right words that resembles its feelings..” Where language has limitations, feelings come through in noise and intention. In the Dazed Mena interview, Navarretre said while he wish he spoke arabic, he often ended up choosing the best take - letting Mayah’s sonic efforts really shine.
In regards to genre, its atmospheric and driven - think immersive trip hop. For fans of shoegaze, dream pop and any of the other artists Salv has had a hand in (Bjork, Sevdaliza, Eartheater, Caroline Polachek, Donna Missal). Songs like “Kotshena’ could easily rival any current indie darlings who lead with angelic vocals into a big band crash. ‘Magneta’ is personal highlight - it’s a swirling melodic mass atop the bones of a somewhat 80s pop song. It featuring the loving ode - “I give you everything and it's own shadows too”. (Lyrics translation sourced from Genius). ‘Flesh Mix’ skates closest to shoegaze - exploring the range of Mayah’s singular voice and Salv’s jangly guitar. In the track ‘Noon’, Alkhateri interpolates lines of Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish’s poem 'State of Siege’ - a poem about a 2002 Israeli siege - it is a poignant move that is heartbreakingly topical.
KHAZNA is a sumptuous that unravels itself after every listen. Every day I heard a favourite in a new light. After my first week of listening, I knew I wanted to write about. It became a little more apparent to me how I felt about it after seeing a post by the duo on their instagram, describing why the debut track is called ‘Lynch’. The song was worked on the day, cult Director David Lynch passed. KF said that they both looked up to him as an artist especially his focus on transcendental mediation.
This framework is a great way to listen to the album if this isn’t your language, don’t focus on any one part and don’t scramble for google translate. Sit with it, experience it and meet it where you are at and it’ll meet you.
Check out the person-made playlist featuring Kiss Facility, related productions, related artists and locals who share the Venn diagram.
Listen to KHAZNA by Kiss Facility below.