A vibrant mix of creole heritage. The music of Sakili is from the island Rodrigues, a small volcanic island just east of Mauritius. The island’s European and African influences - waltzes, polka, mazurka, Scottish - all blend harmoniously with the ségadrum rhythms to intertwine the past musical traditions of African slaves with the western world. The three members of Sakili (Francis Prosper, Vallen Pierre Louis and Ricardo Legentil) had their own solo careers and were put together in 2019 by Mauritian artistic director Percy Yip Tong. The purpose of the group’s formation was for a European tour to introduce the rarely heard music of the Rodrigues island.

Indian classical music has certain modes and ragas dedicated to the seasons, which have been explored by many generations of musicians. In accordance with the Indian calendar, spring runs from mid-February to mid-April, and is known as Vasant (or Basant). The festival Holi celebrates spring’s arrival. In this album, Baluji captures the rapture of spring, expressing seasonal feelings of renewal and hope through the subtle nuances of the chosen ragas. He celebrates his mastery of the sitar with wonderful sensitivity and dexterity. There are also some thrilling moments enthused by the distinctive tabla playing of Sukhvinder Singh “Pinky”, with his vivacious renditions of 1relas and 2chakradas. Baluji cannot see the colors of flowers but he has heard their voices, and they sing out through this joyous album – Voice of Flowers.

For Baluji Shrivastav to be such an accomplished and respected musician is a minor miracle. Blinded as a child, Baluji is largely self-taught. His skill, as well as his versatility, is what makes Baluji shine as a musician. Baluji has accompanied such major stars as Coldplay, Massive Attack, Annie Lennox and Noel Gallagher. He received the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to music by His Majesty the Prince of Wales in 2017, and is founder of the blind Inner Vision Orchestra. Baluji is widely recognized as an ingenious musical pioneer. Indian Classical Interactions is an album of vibrant instrumentation, choral prayers and musical revelations. This intriguing new album of original compositions truly highlights Baluji’s poetic and philosophical insight into Indian Classical music.

Nayan Navaa is an album full of life, sun, kindness, compassion and joy. NAMGAR contribute to the preservation of the Buryat language, one of the listed endangered languages of the world. NAMGAR’s aim is to save and promote traditional Buryat melodies by working with archives, collecting songs, and performing them both in their homeland and around the world. In 2019, band members Evgeny Zolotarev and Namgar Lkhasaranova worked in the archives of St. Petersburg, Moscow and Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, collecting 100 forgotten traditional Buryat songs, a selection of which feature on this album.

Seasons of India has captured the essence of Indian life that is infused with the customs and cycles that have shaped generations over millennia. There are regional variations in the timings and precise nature of the seasons, but there are major seasonal festivals celebrated throughout India alongside local customs. Baluji Shrivastav grew up in rural India experiencing first-hand the rhythm of the seasons flavored by sounds, smells, songs, dances, legends and poetry. Although India is being modernized, for the majority of people those seasonal festivals, foods and customs remain the same. The intense power of nature and her influence on music is encapsulated through the knowledge and imagination of this great multi-instrumentalist virtuoso and composer. It is the reflection of a life dedicated to the rich and boundless beauty of Indian music.

Producer Joji Hirota writes: “The Italian taiko group KyoShinDo is very unique in their approach to taiko music. They are not only taiko drummers, but also karate experts. Their mentor, former karate champion Luciano Parisi, has influenced them enormously. I met the group in 2003 when they came to see my concert at Genoa’s Mediterranean Music Festival. They were fascinated by taiko music as an ensemble, both its sound and its movements. I have been teaching them for over ten years in the techniques of both traditional and contemporary Japanese taiko music. Their skills as karate experts adds a unique flavour to the technique I teach: taiko with a martial arts touch. I trust that their drive and ambition to develop further makes them one of the great and most unique taiko groups. I am proud to present KyoShinDo to the world.”

The guqin zither and pipa lute are the two oldest and most celebrated traditional Chinese stringed instruments, both with over two thousand years’ history. Their musical tradition is closely liked with the self-cultivation of literati and scholars, and the four arts of the Chinese gentleman- guqin, Chinese chess, calligraphy and painting. The strings were made of silk and plucked with the fingers. This album features not only traditional pieces, but also many spontaneous improvisations and contemplations that were inspired by the musicians’ contemporary thoughts, current socio-cultural context and surroundings. It is largely a reflection of 21st century Chinese literati’s musicianship and sentiments. The album was recorded in the context of the London International Guqin Festival in August 2018, organized by the London Youlan Qin Society in collaboration with SOAS, University of London with funding by Arts Council England.