Oud Velvet Mood Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2013

What do we do with this little guy? Kurkdjian's exclusive ouds are worthy of all honor; the three of them form a microcosm of oud for me, a self-contained microcosm.
What drives OVM? Smokiness intertwined with woodiness, woven with connection. I perceive saffron distinctly. A cloud that permeates the entire fragrance, like an air bubble in the liquid of a spirit level.

The scent is a surface tension. No screw should be turned, or it would cause the fragrance to overflow. Oud Velvet Mood is pure fulminance in extravagance. I do not detect any significant nuances in OVM. It is a homogeneous whole, a unity, a large holistic system. No breaks; the wood is contained in the smokiness, and the smokiness is contained in the wood. OVM is a grand interplay of itself and the wearer, demanding of both. In terms of format, I would like to mention OVM in the same breath as Bois d'Ascese. The large caliber in eccentric olfactory dimensions corresponds. Rough and bitter, indestructibility; that is what OVM wants to be, and it does not miss the mark. Fortunately, it does not miss that mark, because if OVM were not perfectly balanced and integrated in its storminess, it would be a threatening monotony. Yet the complexity of the heavenly balance creates a dream in which it is no longer about right or wrong, where beginning and end cannot be distinguished.

Oud Velvet Mood reminds me of an old book. A book that stood long in a forgotten library and has now been brought back to life.
The scent of OVM is reminiscent of the scent of old paper pages of an ancient book. One page resembles another, exuding the same smell as the others. Just as intertwined as OVM is, creating a unique scent, the book creates its own story through the same, yet always differently described pages. The pages all speak the same language, and thus, in their sum, arrive at a unique narrative.

The book tells of a dense forest, permeated by clouds of smoke. The scent progression does not differentiate any divisions, just as it is impossible for the forest to yield different sections of itself. The secret of not revealing is the access to OVM; therein lies the key. Beginning and end merge. The entrance and exit of the forest coincide. The "how" of the inner interplay of OVM is the wonderful mystery to be enjoyed.

The forest is misty, and one can only see a few meters ahead. Occasionally, a fleeting flash of cinnamon-colored gold is mentioned. However, this light is so harmoniously integrated into the mist, as if the mist were momentarily transformed and still visually echoed the flash. A humidity lingers in the air, resulting from previous downpours. The saffron provides a certain smoothness and fluidity. For a fluency and inner permeability of the interplay of the fragrance notes. It unites the fragrance notes and frees the scent from its tension. The forest is enchanted, yet not dark. A thicket that invites you to want to learn more about it. You willingly surrender and sink deeper into the depths of the book. You rummage through the pages, which may seem endlessly monotonous, yet have so much to give back. They draw you into their impenetrable cosmos and lead you through its enticing labyrinth. You think you might get lost, but in this case, you don’t mind. The forest has neither beginning nor end, which is what makes it fascinating. The sky is visible above the forest, but you do not need to recognize it. Although it occasionally peeks through the branches, it is not found in the time and space of the forest and is also not important.

The forest wants to remain united, just as OVM does within itself and the narrating book, until the last page is laid over the previous one and closed.