It's the namesake of the site, so let me explain...
It's far from the most important space drug in Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece Dune, but semuta has always had a special place in my heart. While the spice Melange imparts longevity, heightened awareness and even precognitive ability, semuta is entirely recreational and intrinsically tied to musical experience.
In his 1965 novel, Herbert describes it as "the drug-music combination that played itself in the deepest consciousness" and "the second narcotic derivative (by crystal extraction" from the burned residue of elacca wood." He describes the effect of its use a "timeless, sustained ecstasy -- a sort of rapture."
If that were all, of course, semuta would have numerous parallels in real-life pharmacology. We might well compare it to marijuana, mild hallucinogens and MDMA. But while these Earth drugs are often paired with music, semuta use depends on a very specific sort of musical pairing. Marijuana use is enjoyed in congress with countless and diverse musical genres, but the semuta experience depends on pairing the drug with so-called "semuta music."
Herbert described semuta music as characterized by "atonal vibrations" and the general idea is that very few people would ever choose to listen to this sort of thing without the aid of the drug. Now, I don't know to what extent this is developed in later work of Brian Herbert, but I frequently turn to The Dune Encyclopedia from 1984 for additional ideas about this sort of thing. I realize the book is no longer considered cannon, but it's excellent and I fondly remember reading a copy of it from the library when I was a kid, so it has a special place in my heart.*
The entry, by Christine Watson, provided additional insight. She describes Semuta music as "rhythmic atonal vibrations set up in the sympathetic nervous system" and she elaborates on the source plant elacca and the drug's effects. Basically, the elacca drug on its own subdues the fear of death. This is obviously most useful for warriors and assassins, but if we consider terror management theory, we must consider that most aspects of human culture and behavior are tied to this overarching confrontation of mortality. As such, it should come as no surprise that there would be a general interest in its usage. However, she writes that it was also used as a chemical weapon in an attempt to lessen opposing warriors' will to live. As such, its actual practicality is somewhat doubtful.
In its refined form, via crystal extraction, elacca wood becomes semuta (AKA starsong) and, for reasons that I don't believe are ever explained, the atonal vibrations of semuta music become essential to its usage. The drug could be taken in a capsule form, or discovered in wine, and then one listened to the music in order to command the intended experience.
LSD, Culture and Cake
One could argue that this was a mere cultural trapping, in the same way that listening to the psychedelic music of the 60s often accompanied LSD usage at the time, but was not necessary. However, I always leaned toward there being something deeper. Semuta wasn't just a superb narcotic, but a superb style of music that unlocked the door -- like two keys that must be turned in unison. Psychedelic experience has always been linked to music in one form of another, dating back to ancient times, so it makes sense that a precise musical structure might accompany a precise molecular structure.
I suppose that is why I chose Semuta Music as the tile for this website and blog. Music is a psychedelic experience. Music is a space drug. There is nothing mundane about it. It is as cosmic and surreal as our wildest sci-fi vision.
Of course, I also appreciate the humor in there being some sort of awful music that must accompany the use of some weird space dope. The same vibe, which I presume was inspired by semuta, pops up in satirist Chris Morris' 1997 Brass Eye episode on drugs. Cake, a "bisturbile crenobolic amphetamoid, which is a made up psychoactive chemical" -- and we're told it also accompanies its own specialized, atonal DJ music. Go to 18:20 if you want to hear the cake music for yourself.
So that's semuta (as well as cake). Please use responsibly.
* I should also note that The Dune Encylopedia has been out of print for a long time. I was lucky enough to grab a used copy several years ago at a somewhat decent price, but I notice that used prices on Amazon are absurd at the moment. We'll likely never see it back in print, but I imagine there are some PDFs making the rounds.
Image Credit: Photo by Connor Botts on Unsplash