Psychedelic Music for the New Generation 🌀

20 years before the emergence of STS9, NASA sent Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 on a mission to the farthest reaches of the solar system and beyond. Each of these probes was equipped with identical Golden Records, special messages attached to what Carl Sagan called “a bottle launched into the cosmic ocean.” They contained numerous images and sounds from throughout the world, pieces of music from various cultures, a map identifying the location of our planet, and other information for whomever, or whatever, might find them.

While the Golden Records included greetings in 59 languages, they made no mention of nations and borders, wars and rivalries, or anything else that divides us. What they did mention was life, love, peace, birth--the things that bind us to one another and to the planet we call home. 

The Universe Inside is a reflection of this message. It is a story about human identity and the magical truth of who we are, where we’re going, and our place in the Universe. It says we are one, made of stardust and the forces of nature that evolved over billions of years. Connected by the sun, moon and stars, we are the living, breathing conscience of the Universe. 

"We are one, made from dust of the stars / down here we bear the weight of the pain and the scars / just want to live with nothing to hide / every one of us a universe inside."

Oakland Raider, Richmond Rap Practitioner. Hieroglyphics / Deltron 3030 / GATE 13 / GOODXLUCK. Keep the FUNK alive.

You've got to hurt to heal. Through painfully honest self-reflection, Nadim Azzam addresses depression, addiction, and the dysfunctional realities of our times with his songs rooted in hope and connectivity. A singer, rapper, and songwriter who makes his own beats and plays multiple instruments on his tracks, Nadim has spent years evolving to where his music is at today. 

A symbiosis of programmed drums and organic live instruments creates a warm, sometimes surreal sonic environment. Smooth keys, angular guitars, and lush synth pads swim alongside melodic vocal hooks and bars that waste no time getting straight to the heart of things. The energy is chill, friendly and open-hearted, but the songs open up from this unassuming approach into statements of vulnerability and bracing honesty. Nothing is hidden, and nothing is off-limits. Graceful vocals and smiling lyrical flows reveal a personal truth that's sometimes almost hard to look at but always comes from a search for real understanding. 

Making songs for the deep-thinkers, the over-drinkers, and other sensitive souls, Nadim faces his own struggles head-on in hopes of offering some sense of solace to anyone else walking similar valleys of their own. These songs seek to remind that there's more to life, and that the pain any given individual feels can be transformed from a solitary torment into a vessel of connection.

Five Gap is 22 year-old Nate Choukas and 17 year-old Phin Choukas, coproducers and brothers.

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