Äk​ä​sh आ​क​ा​श by Chandra Shukla

 

I have known Chandra Shukla from his previous monikers e.g. Travelogue and Xamubca +++

and was very keen to hear his new solo album.

Not having any expectations is a great way to start any listening experience and in this case it helped a lot.

Chandra lets the listener to access his musical modal in a very slow-paced, peaceful way. The electronic aspect of it - the modular synthesis is placed somewhere between a moderate experiment and a classic ambient. That is one aspect of it. The other one is the sound art that is neither too inaccessible or too complex to be a good auditive trip for literally any listener who would like to take the chances and just immerse in the swirl of sound. The ambience is both evocative and has quite cinematic feel to it.

The next level is the reference to the North Indian classical ragas which come in the form of the sitar usage which Chandra drops in with taste and blends perfectly with the rest of the compositions.

If you are looking for some sort of soundtrack to both gently uplift your sense and also stay within the modal of a bit more demanding music - then this album is a perfect balance of all those elements.

released September 6, 2024

Chandra Shukla: acoustic sitar, electric sitar, electric guitar, effects, electronics and the Buchla 100 Modular Series. 

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Recorded March 2023 at EMS Stockholm, Sweden and recorded and mixed 2024 at Dissimulata Asheville, NC USA.

Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye (Thai) Mastering. 

Artwork by Philip Marshall.

Special thanks to drøne, Leif Elggren, Marja-leena Sillanpää and Lary7.

Dedicated to the memories of Imrat Khan and Bernard Parmegiani.

Published by Touch Music/Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd.

Bandcamp Link