The desert airs of Marfa, cosmic axis of West Texas. Creosote shrubs and sumac primed with Chihuahuan mesa woods–mesquite, oak, and pinyon pine. Created for our friends at the El Cosmico hotel in Marfa.
El Cosmico is both a difficult, and an easy, place to explain. On the one hand, it’s almost impossible to succinctly describe this campground-turned-venue-turned-hotel-turned-landmark, or the remote, artists’-haven town of Marfa where it resides. On the other hand, when you’re sitting around a roaring fire under the West Texas stars, it’s simple to pick a single word: magical. This is at the core of David Moltz’s El Cosmico, an ode to a truly remarkable place where the rustically timeless and the bleeding edge of hip coexist in beautiful harmony. Originally conceived for a 2015 performance where a proprietary olfactory instrument circulated scents throughout an outdoor crowd while his band performed, Moltz has since synthesized that experience into a single fragrance that perfectly captures the aura of the high plains desert: citric sumac plays against darkly smoky creosote and a zing of mesquite, while robustly fresh pinyon pine and oak lend a woodsy backbone. Above it all floats an enchanting, gently sparkling, and almost ozonic note- perhaps the sand accord?- that perfectly evokes the astounding glow of the stars out far beyond any city lights. Suspended between the luminous cosmos and the rugged frontier, El Cosmico is a delightful, surprising, enchanting new scent from D.S. & Durga.