Serge Bulat, Wurmenai Review

Serge Bulat is a multi-disciplinary artist and musician that combines electronic, contemporary classical, world, and experimental sounds into a genre-bending experience of sounds and colors. Bulat was born in the Moldovan-Ukrainian border town under the Soviet Union, in 2009 he immigrated to the United States to pursue his musical career. He received his education in Moldova, attending Academy Of Music Theater and Fine Arts, and NYU Steinhardt in the USA. Building a well-deserved reputation in the electronic and avant-garde music genres with his IMA-winning LP Queuelbum, released in 2016, and Third World Walker project, the audiovisual installations, exhibited in the UK, Argentina, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the USA. Bulat’s inspiration comes from a holistic approach and is a meditation of arts, philosophy, science, and society. His wide-angle as an artist is also colored by his multicultural upbringing as he strives to be an artist who breaks borders by finding similarities between cultures via music and art. Bulat is opening 2020 with a new multi-media project titled, Wurmenai. The twelve-song album is paired with the “Wurroom” video game, an interactive art experience rooted in Bulat’s new music universe and developed in partnership with Michael Rfdshir.

Wurmenai maintains a concept of the cultural crossing and focusing on music through the mindset of arts, philosophy, science, and society. Bulat expresses his thoughts on the record, “It is largely about our perception of reality, identity, and the endless quest to find the answers. Wurmenai is a map we can gaze upon and figure that identity is not based solely on our birthplace. That migration and interaction with knowledge, technology, arts, and philosophy are what shape us. Being from Moldova, I quite literally had to explain where the country is located by pointing at the globe, often catching myself thinking that I talk about a lost civilization. That non-existent-until-proven factor turns into people’s search for a label. And if there is no label, that means it doesn’t exist. Since labeling doesn’t do anyone any good, why can’t we be all of these different things, influences, and interactions? In the end, that synergy rules our reality. And it doesn’t need a label.”

 Positives: Wurmenai flows with exciting sounds and collaborations that traverse many genres, but always maintains a musical flow that is enjoyable and creative.

 Bottom Line: Wurmenai features twelve compositions written, produced, and mixed by Bulat. The artwork, design, and Wurroom video game are created by Michael Rfdshir with creative direction by Rfdshir and Bulat. The lead single, “Foundations,” is a beautiful marriage of cultures through electronic sounds and acoustic instruments. Pavel Vit guest on the track and performs on flutes, jaw harp, and didgeridoo. Bulat’s production matches the acoustic beauty of Vit’s playing. The percussion and harp are supportive and flowing. “The Border” song also features the haunting sounds of Vit’s instruments paired with Bulat’s keyboards, synths, piano, and drum programming.

Built around a solid dance beat, “Kalah Folklore” is based on the traditional Argentinian copla “Ya Viene la Triste Noche.” Bulat teams up with vocalist Miriam García to create a sound the is part electronica, dance floor and world all rolled into a moving musical experience that is beyond genres. Bulat also reinterprets a Mordovian traditional wedding song that is sung in Erzya by the vocal group OYME and again features Zit’s flutes. Bulat’s synth sounds are impressive as they cradle the vocal ensembles’ delicate sound without distracting. The various sounds that float in and out are building. Overall, Wurmenai has a world music overtone that is intertwined with Bulat’s keyboards, synths, piano, and drum programming in a way that is natural and flows organically. His focus on compositional balance and clarity paired with outstanding collaborations with the guest artist makes Wurmenai a unique and imaginative project from start to finish. That’s the short of it!

Connect with Serge Bulat: Website |

Wurroom is an immersive experience of a surreal utopia, taking the form of a short exploration adventure game.
Experience a 10-minute dive into the unknown depths of the multiverse!

Free on Itch.io and Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1153130/Wurroom/
https://michaelrfdshir.itch.io/wurroom