VIDEO PREMIERE: Gus De Beauville’s ‘Oh Grand Djinn’ (‘Blessed Is the Sky’)

We’re pleased to premiere the music video for “Oh Grand Djinn,” the instrumental lead single from Gus De Beauville’s album, Second Sun. Gus De Beauville is a Monster Riff contributor and multi-instrumentalist from Calgary, Canada, and the video was created by Ryan Donnelly of Empire Music Promotions. 

About ‘Oh Grand Djinn’

“Oh Grand Djinn” is also called “Blessed is the Sky,” a consequence of streaming platforms’ discomfort with using the word “djinn” in a song title. This secondary title comes from the lyrics of an alternative version of “Oh Grand Djinn” that appears on Second Sun as a bonus track: 

While listening to “Oh Grand Djinn” will likely call to mind Tool’s Ænima and Lateralus albums, the song was actually heavily inspired by Fear Inoculum (the band’s 2019 release), as De Beauville used Joe Barresi’s mix of “Invincible” as a reference track throughout the recording and mixing process. 

Although Gus De Beauville plays the guitars and bass on “Oh Grand Djinn,” he leans on software to achieve his final sound (a fact that’s true throughout the entire Second Sun album). De Beauville relies on a drumming program to build his percussion section, and he also leverages the power of a few different guitar amp plugins to avoid ruining his eardrums in search of tone. To learn more about De Beauville’s process, read his article on recording Stoner Rock on a budget.  

For the “Oh Grand Djinn” music video, Donnelly pulled inspiration from the song’s expansive, cinematic feel and wrapped all of it into a sci-fi experience. 

About Second Sun

While the Tool influences can be felt throughout Second Sun, De Beauville was also inspired by Stoner Rock classics and contemporary giants like Yawning Man (read De Beauville’s review of Sky Island), Kyuss, Stoned Jesus, Earthless, Valley of the Gods, Planet of Zeus, Nightstalker, and My Sleeping Karma. 

As a result, De Beauville describes this album as a Stoner Rock tribute filtered through a Progressive/Grunge aesthetic. 

For De Beauville, Second Sun is an album of self-acceptance, an act of creating art for art’s sake without any predefined expectations. The final product is something slick, ethereal, and moving. 

Where to Learn More About Gus De Beauville

If you’d like to learn more about Gus De Beauville, follow him on Spotify, subscribe to his YouTube channel, or keep up with him on social media (Facebook or Instagram).