Masma Dream World, the experimental project of Devi Mambouka, returns with Please Come to Me, an album steeped in mysticism and raw emotion. Sounding by turns meditative, tortured, and exultant, it transmutes the abyssal language of devotion and the divine feminine through cavernous electronics, spine-chilling noise, and a powerful voice that succumbs to forces beyond her control. It makes the void sound like an embrace, and the embrace immortal.
Born in Gabon and shaped by a multicultural upbringing spanning Singapore and the Bronx, Mambouka draws on her heritage and life experiences to create something that feels both deeply rooted and otherworldly. Her father’s indigenous Bahoumbou roots, her mother’s Bengali and Cantonese lineage, and her immersion in NYC’s nightlife and spirituality inform every note. From rainforest rituals to Catholic school corridors, her path has been marked by the constant presence of spirits, both real and imagined.
Please Come to Me was recorded over two weekends, though its essence has been years in the making. Inspired by Hindu mysticism, meditation, and sound therapy, Mambouka combines technical mastery with spiritual depth. Field recordings from Gabonese rainforests, Balinese temples, and Italian church bells blend seamlessly with chants and reversed language, pulling the listener into a dreamlike state. The album includes echoes from her past—damaged spiritual tapes from her late aunt and cave recordings from France—woven into compositions that defy conventional structure.