Welcome to THE jamhouse
Morning Rain
ALIMUSIQUITA & SHAELS
Released on June 21st, 2025
Morning rain
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Morning rain is a song about our connection with nature, recognizing it as a teacher - inviting us to open, listen, and receive its ancient wisdom. The lyrics liken rain to intense emotions - sometimes heavy, sometimes painful, but always vital, nourishing our growth and transformation just like rain renews the Earth.
This song was originally written in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Colombia by Alimusiquita, and later produced by Shaels. It evolved into a music video which features the Kogui tribe, whose way of life deeply inspired the message behind this song.
The Kogui, who refer to themselves as “Older Brother”, are one of the 4 indigenous tribes based in the Sierra Nevada. For the past 5 years, Alimusiquita has worked closely with the Kogui family featured in this video, witnessing firsthand how they embody a daily practice of reverence, communication, protection and living harmoniously with Mother Nature. They see themselves as guardians of the Earth, understanding that the health of nature is directly tied to the health of humanity.
Morning Rain serves as a vehicle to amplify the voices and messages of the Kogui to modern society - whom they refer to as “Younger Brother”. Their message reminds us that over ambition and over consumption are symptoms of disconnection. These patterns harm nature, our very life source.
The invitation within this song is to slow down, to listen, and take inspiration from the natural pace of life. A tree doesn’t bear fruits overnight, it requires rain, fertile soil, sun and the support of its surrounding forest. Likewise, our own growth requires time, nourishment and community.
In a world driven by urgency, the Kogui offer a powerful reminder: to walk with patience, grace and trust in life’s unfolding rhythms.
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- ALIMUSIQUITA & SHAELS
Credits
SONG:
Written by: Alice Culligan
Vocals, Guitar, Quena: Alimusiquita
Synth, Guitar & Drum programming: shaels
Bass: Diego Alfaro Oyarce
Produced & Mixed by: Jorge Alessandro Berrini (shaels)
Mastered by: Alejo Calderon, Chango Records
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MUSIC VIDEO:
Filmed, Directed and Edited by: Emanuele Nutile, Buena Pinta Studio
Camera Assistant: Erika Milena Domínguez Piñeros
Screenplay: Alice Culligan
Location Scouting: Alice Culligan, Johanna Galindo Sánchez
Wardrobe and Makeup: Erika Milena Domínguez Piñeros
Choreography and Dancer: Marcela Delgadillo Rojas
Actors:
Patricia Nuevita Nolavita
Fernando Nuevita Labata
Maeva Patricia Conchacala Nuevita
Thibault Fernandez
Alice Culligan
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With special thanks to:
Johanna Galindo Sánchez
Maritza Elíana Rincón Calderón
Margault Fleury
Chow Lee Tung
Mateo & Jupiter
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Our gratitude to the following locations:
Waira Sacha, Palomino, Colombia
Casa La Floristeria, Palomino, Colombia
Flamingo Coworking and Coliving, Santa Marta, Colombia
La Brisa Loca, Santa Marta, Colombia
Released on June 21st, 2025, Jamhouse Records
More about the project
This project is a reflection of one of the most biodiverse places on the planet: the Sierra Nevada mountains of Colombia, ancestrally known as ‘Gonawindua’, and later named by the Spanish as ‘Pico Colon’. From sea level to snow capped mountains, it hosts life such as the Jaguar and howler monkey. The territory sits on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, which is ranked number 1 for biodiversity of birds in the world. The highest snow-capped peak of the Sierra Nevada sits at 5,700m above sea level.
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​The song and video remind us of the life force that nature is. Nature gives us water, food and medicine, it purifies the air that we breathe. Recognising ourselves as nature gives us peace and tranquility, our relationship with nature requires reciprocity and consciousness. Lifestyles of over ambition and over consumption lead to huge damage in natural environments; they also cause huge damage and displacement to the indigenous communities that expertly and ancestrally know how to nourish and sustainably live in these biodiverse territories. Nature itself and many indigenous peoples teach us so clearly about sustainability, respecting and honouring natural rhythms.
"Thank you to mother nature for the time borrowed"
​- Morning Rain lyrics
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NATURE GIVES US LIFE.
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Nature is the greatest healer and teacher, its technology and wisdom give us life and vitality. We can observe the incredible capacity for health and vitality of, for example, members of Amazonic indigenous communities to understand this. The Tsimané people of Bolivia, an Amazonic tribe (studied by Dr. Andrei Irimia), boast the “healthiest hearts and brains on the planet”.
The separation, lifestyle and disconnection from nature that we live in modern society causes illness physically, mentally and spiritually. Over processed foods, stressful and sedentary lifestyles accompanied by too much scrolling and toxic mindsets are examples of this.
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The Kogui
What are the Kogui trying to tell us?
The Kogui have a message for "Younger Brother", their term for modern society -
The overambition, overconsumption, and unconscious lifestyle choices of today are damaging the Earth. The time has come to make more conscious decisions and to listen to the voices of those who live in harmony with nature.
Kogui Culture
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The Kogui tribe continues to wear their traditional white garments, reflecting the purity of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains. Their first language is Koguian or Kaggaba. Spanish may be spoken depending on how close they are to modern society and access to formal education. They live barefoot in the mountains without electricity, practicing a self-sufficient lifestyle based on sacred plants, traditional medicine, and a deep relationship with weaving.
Weaving, known as el tejido, is not just craft but spiritual practice. As they weave, they concentrate deeply and materialize their thoughts. They weave with plant fibers and even their houses are woven from materials from the jungle around them. Each mochila (woven bag), holds symbolic meaning. The designs reflect sacred plants, animals, family lineages, and core spiritual concepts of the Kogui cosmovision.
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The Kogui regularly make spiritual payments (offerings) or ‘pagamentos’ to mother nature to maintain a reciprocal relationship. They believe in ‘el poder del pensamiento’ the power of thought - we are and we vibrate what we think.
The Kogui ("Older Brother") has maintained their ancestral knowledge and connection with Mother Nature whereas the "Younger Brother" has forgotten. When comparing the Kogui’s pagamentos (spiritual payments) to the way the Younger Brother pays, we see a huge disparity in our awareness and reciprocity to mother nature. Younger Brother pays for water, food, electricity and housing materially, via bills, money. The Kogui don’t pay mother nature with money, they pay spiritually before they use a resource from mother nature. They pay for their clean drinking water via their spiritual payments. They ask permission spiritually before chopping down a tree. They pay spiritually before planting or harvesting a crop. These ‘pagamentos’ are guided by the spiritual leaders of the tribe the ‘ Mamo’ or ‘Saga’. Pagamentos can also be used to heal sickness and remove negativity from a person.
Mother Earth is one of the Kogui’s Gods/Deities - this is why they live in harmony with nature and protect her.
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Alimusiquita and the family featured in the video collaborate musically and work regularly together in events that educate the public about their ‘cosmovision’ , sacred stories and philosophies of life.
Resources & Ways You Can Support the Kogui
This project is a vehicle for raising the voices and messages of the Kogui people - true guardians and messengers of mother nature. Below you can find some links and ways of supporting them.
Selvatorium:
​A donation-based school and educational project for the Kogui and Arhuaco tribe.
Music, Sacred Stories & Art:
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A song written by the Kogui about the importance of water:
Short documentary about the Kogui:
How to visit a Kogui-led indigenous ecotourism project in person:
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Email to visit Kogui ecotourism project: movementmusicmedicina@gmail.com
About the Artists
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Morning Rain: The songwriting
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The song was written in the Sierra Nevada during the rainy season by Alimusiquita, while hearing the call of Toucans and Howler Monkeys. After channeling this acoustic song, she met shaels, a music producer also living in Sierra Nevada at the time, known for shaping raw acoustic material into expansive sonic landscapes.
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When they met, they instantly agreed on the beauty of the song in its original form. A sweet melody and a bright composition that stood strong on its own. They also sensed its potential to unfold into something deeper, more vivid. What followed was a shared journey: a tribute to the song’s organic roots, while allowing it to breathe and blossom with new layers of sound, color, and emotional depth. ​Starting from its gentle bossa nova rhythm and samba-inspired melody, the track slowly transitions, gathering soulful harmonies and textures that evoke introspection and invite transformation, before expanding into a euphoric electro-folk release that is immersive, and full of life.​ The mix is a colorful rendition to the biodiversity of the area. It features a diverse array of instruments and its recognizable whistled chorus comes and goes in a dream-like manner, tying together the acoustic instruments and electronic sounds. The quena, an indigenous Andean flute played by Alimusiquita is also key in the song’s fusion. It is an instrument that truly brings the aires (air) and freshness of the Andes. With shaels’ experimental mixing, we can hear the isolation and amplification of these native textures.
The lyrics mention how the rain and our emotions are transient, yet intense, and how our connection to Mother Nature allows us to transform, heal and grow. There's an invitation for the listener to ‘prepare for the beginnings that follow when you go your own way’, highlighting the importance of walking your own path with curiosity and humility.
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The artwork for the song is a still from Marcela Delgadillo Rojas’ dance and choreography in the music video. Alimusiquita knew she had to work with Marcela after seeing a live performance of Marcela’s. Marcela and her feather instrument are an important symbol in the video. This is her instrument of freedom and a way in which she awakens the characters of the video. Spiritually, the Guacamaya parrot represents music, art and creative flair.
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