Zorba the Buddha is a human ideal, a combination of all the valuable traditional things as well as those necessary in 2017. It would be someone who honors a good old jam but isn’t afraid of a new sound.

Zorba že ja Buddha is an international project from Ondra Hauser and Ashley Abrman who are settled in Prague. Girl fairytale soul rap, as they define themselves, is just an accurate definition of this jazzy fusion ride with Ashley’s vocals evoking Speech Debelle both rapping and singing

Who actually could be the band’s audience? Someone who likes a combination of melodic tunes and unpredictable twists in songs should appreciate Zorba že ja Buddha’s sound.

Plenty of local rappers could envy Ashley such a music production and the team she works with because of its complexity and diversity.

An instrumental “Intro” on a debut album “Rosedout Lambada” (which is to be released this month on the Slovak label Gergaz) leads us directly in a Zorba že ja Buddha’s universe, where nu soul alters to a potential hit harmony (“I be on my wasted turning point”).

Just analyzing the sounds and effects musician used is fun but it gets deeper. “Mundanus (Tribute to Ravel)” is an actual proof of looking back in time (“We don’t really know where we came from and and if you take a good look, we don’t even know where we are going”), daring to put a little turntablism over the whole thing.

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Zorba že ja Buddha on Facebook, Soundcloud, Spotify.