It was not a question of if but when.
As cannabis becomes more accepted regulatorily and socially, it was inevitable that it begins to feature more commercially, with the fragrance world not being an exception.
Mancera’s Hindu Kush and Maison Margiela’s Music Festival are two in the current collection that features cannabis in the notes breakdown.
Unmasked weed smells earthy, herbal and pungent and requires the addition of other notes in order to make it pleasing while retaining the uniqueness of the scent of cannabis. Patchouli oil was often used to mask the very recognisable odour, so much so that most people associate or mistake patchouli as the scent of cannabis.
The combination of both of these notes is also the perfect time travel machine to transport you back to the seminal Woodstock music festival which took place over three days in August 1969 in Bethel, New York.
Obviously and sadly not being of the same age group to have been there in person, the wonders of video has fortunately allowed many to savour and appreciate the raw energy and creative bomb of the performances that no doubt has launched “rock musician” to the top of thousands of ambition lists.
I’ve watched Woodstock tens of times and my favourite performances are Santana’s Soul Sacrifice that took place in the early afternoon of 16 August, Crosby Stills & Nash’s Suite: Judy Blue Eyes and Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile which took place just before and at dawn respectively on 18 August.
Soul Sacrifice featured 22-year-old Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve, Santana’s then 20-year-old drumming prodigy whose solo on Soul Sacrifice can only be described as electrifying and jaw-dropping. In my live performance playing days many many years later, this song very often featured as the closing to a set as it was dramatic and energetic enough to end the night with a flourish. Watch Santana’s video here.
To this day, CSN’s Suite: Judy Blue Eyes never fails to amaze me with its highly complex harmonies and introspective lyrics surrounding Stephen Stills' thoughts about and imminent breakup with Judy Collins. The fact that the seamless weaving of harmonies was flawlessly performed live in the days before Auto-Tune just showcases the amazing talent that was on display. Watch the video here.
Hendrix took to the stage in the early morning of 18 August as the closing act to the festival. Opening with Message to Love, it was Voodoo Chile, the twelfth song of the set, that really opened my eyes to the magic that can be conjured by an electric guitar in the hands of someone who has thrown out of the window the conventional wisdom then about the limitations of the instrument. Watch the video here.
An amazing music festival with even more amazing performances.
With Hindu Kush and Music Festival, I can hope to be transported there again if just for a fleeting visit.