Luka Šipetić (aka Nemanja), hailing from Pula, has spent years weaving together a trilogy of esoteric albums, culminating in the final instalment — Voodoo Beat — the most colourful chapter yet. Nemanja’s Voodoo Beat feels warm and strange, full of glimpses into another world.
It’s built on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth — Nemanja tries to lure a lost lover (a voodoo priestess) into the underworld through dreams, hoping she’ll bring him back to the living. Instead, she falls for the devil, leaving him suspended between two realms. He credits Cocteau’s Orpheus and Camus’ Black Orpheus as inspiration, and the record definitely carries that cinematic, mythic energy.
The sound is hypnotic. Nemanja pulls from Afro-Colombian rhythms, Caribbean dub, tropical exotica, Turkish psychedelia, and Southeast Asian motifs — all layered over modern electronics and playful synth work. And by the way, it’s worth shouting out Dino Santaleza, who is credited with the cover art for all three records in the series. This one in particular is fiery and striking.
The album opens with Lungomare — atmospheric, mellow, and curious. The synths immediately give a neo-psychedelia feel to the opener, swirling and cosmic. It reminds me a little of how Sampha’s Process opens with these space-like announcements from Neil Armstrong on the moon.
When Altas Horas begins, the energy is immediately lifted: samba drums pulse, steel drums shine, and the bass grooves like it’s daring you to dance. The vocals float above the arrangement, playing the role of an ethereal instrument themselves. There’s also synths mixed in, providing a house/electronic vibe to it that is immediately groovy. Nemanja follows up with Noćni Leptiri, merging warm dub with electronic haze; it’s gentle but alive, an echo in the dark, a downtempo lost cut from Suba’s Sao Paulo Confessions. The vocals are again hypnotic, and mixed with the dub, the track feels quite psychedelic. The only drawback is the vocals: the high-pitched, dreamy delivery works, but it can feel repetitive across multiple tracks, almost too locked into the same hypnotic loop.
Orfejev Ples feels mischievous as flute lines prance around the rhythm. It almost feels like a chase with Nemanja navigating a magical forest. The jazzy undercurrents are full of joyful spirit and positive energy. Tropical Sheitan lands in a similar space between dub and Caribbean echoes, but this is where the record hits a small lull for me. The track is pleasant and laid-back, yet it feels slightly repetitive and doesn’t really build towards anything. A few sharper turns could’ve given it more presence in an otherwise stellar set of tracks.
Korzika, a more popular track on the record, swings into synth-pop territory. It’s light, breezy, and upbeat, not as wild as some other songs, but it keeps the mood playful and funky. Later on, we get Opsane Igre, which carries this brightness forward further — a funky, 80s-synth-fuelled closer with a ripping guitar solo that feels like a heartfelt farewell. Upon first listen, it might feel a bit retro-kitschy transitioning from the previous softer tracks, but once it clicks, it’s a genuinely strong ending to the trilogy.
Towards the end of the record, dusk settles in as we’re met with hazy, pastoral tracks like Zov Okeana. These instrumental tracks slow everything down with an added psychedelic Americana feel to them. It’s an emotional peak in the album for me, with the dreamy guitar and cinematic synths. Euridikin Ples is similar in tone, albeit slightly more upbeat. I see these tracks as the album’s twilight; both are minimalist and warm, soft and swirling.
The album is a joyful and spiritual journey that successfully explores the fascinating avenues of world music. It begins full of energy and rhythm, before drifting into a more introspective and mysterious atmosphere. It’s a genuinely interesting portrait of how artists can process a huge range of musical influences without it feeling forced or derivative.
Four decades from now, it’s easy to imagine Voodoo Beat being rediscovered as a cult classic — a world-groove odyssey inspired by various traditional sounds. For anyone who loves global fusion, funky rhythms, or hazy psychedelia, this is one to dive into ASAP!
Where to Find Them
- Instagram: @nemanjabend
- Bandcamp: listen & support on Bandcamp
