Lekursi Turns Ancient History Into Music on “Amarna Letters”

As I always say, music has a way of surprising you, especially when you least expect and that’s why we love music. Cos tell me how some of us just sleep and we can’t even remember what we dreamt of, yet some comes out of dreams with magically gifted music that the moment you start listening, you realize this was gifted and not just written. So if you think your favorite indie band is a bit weird, wait until you hear about Lekursi. His new song, “Amarna Letters,” isn’t about a breakup or a night out. It is inspired by a 3,000-year-old Egyptian pharaoh named Akhenaten who decided to fire all the old gods and start his own solar-obsessed religion.

Christian Licursi is the mastermind behind this project. He is a songwriter based in Blackpool, UK, who gets his best ideas from lucid dreams. While most of us wake up from dreams remembering a giant talking sandwich, Christian wakes up and writes a song about ancient clay tablets.

The sound is just as interesting as the history. BBC Introducing described it as a unique mix, and they weren’t kidding. It features a sitar—which gives it a cool, old-world feel—mixed with rock instruments and modern electronic beats. When you listen carefully, you do realize the beats goes back into this feeling like you’re running from a very dark place into the light. This brooding atmosphere is beautiful and makes the song sound even more impressive. One thing is, it doesn’t just sound like a history lecture, though. It feels more like a trippy, rhythmic journey that somehow bridges the gap between ancient Egypt and a rainy street in England.

Now the song focuses on Akhenaten’s revolution. Yes, he was a pharaoh who basically told everyone to stop worshiping their usual gods and focus on one creator in the sky( the Almighty ). Yet we all still struggle with whom to believe in anyway. So Lekursi uses this story to talk about how we still struggle with belief and power today. Everyone’s got their own thing going, some say there’s only one true God, some too say there’s no God and others also worship whoever they wanna worship. So why do we have to struggle to be like Akhenaten? If we all agreed to believe in one God, I think the world would be much better. Buy well it’s a deep topic, but the music keeps it moving with a steady, hypnotic pulse that keeps listeners glued and entertained.

One of the coolest parts is how the sitar winds around the electronic drums. It is a bold choice, but Christian makes it work without it feeling messy. It is the kind of track that makes you want to put on headphones and actually pay attention.

If you are bored with the same three chords on the radio, “Amarna Letters” is a breath of fresh air. It is smart, it is different, and it might even make you want to look up a Wikipedia page about ancient Egypt. It’s rare to find an artist who can make a lesson from the human past feel so relevant to right now.

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