Music often finds its way across boundaries, but for the city’s ensemble Lakkshya, the journey involves bringing different musical languages into a common space. The group’s second album, Tonics in the Stone World, brings together seven original compositions featuring five international musicians from the Netherlands, Uzbekistan and the US. The album’s first track, Thrillana, is slated to release on November 27, while the album is expected to go live early next year.
Founded in 2019 by KJ Diliip (violin, composition) and Ila Diliip (violin, voice and composition), Lakkshya: The Sound of India draws from its members’ grounding in Carnatic music while exploring contemporary sounds. Apart from the duo, the ensemble also features Sunaad Anoor (Khanjira, hybrid percussion ), Vivek Santhosh (piano and synths), Bruthva Caleb (bass) and Gopi Shravan (drums). The team also has sound engineer Srikrishna Bhat as the ‘behind-the-scenes’ member.
The new album, produced by Pramath Kiran, features Colombian-American pianist Jesus Molina, Dutch musicians Ned McGowan, Oene van Geel and Mark Tuinstra and Uzbekistani percussionist Abbos Kosimov. Explaining the album’s title, the band describes it as a contrast between the rigid and the fluid. While the stone world represents the structures, tonics point to musical possibilities that keep shifting and evolving.
McGowan, Geel and Tuinstra first met the ensemble during their tour of India. The practice sessions developed into friendships and subsequent performances in India and Europe. The trio features on Saunter Vaunter, composed by Diliip and arranged by Geel.
Kosimov’s association with the band began during his India tour, when the musicians spent time working together. He later joined them for concerts across the country. He features on Malabar Express and Just About Midnight. Molina, whose playing the band had
followed online, joined the project for Planetonic after being approached with the composition. “Each musician brought their own vocabulary, instincts and sensibilities, taking the compositions in directions we might not have imagined ourselves. The result is a genuine musical exchange rather than a fusion created by simply putting different styles together,” says Diliip.
The seven tracks travel through varied musical moods. Thrillana reimagines the traditional tillana through Latin,Indian and pop influences, accompanied by synths and intricate rhythmic patterns. Sung in Kannada, it carries an uplifting message about embracing life’s possibilities through victory and defeat. Malabar Express takes listeners through a day in Kerala, while Saunter Vaunter unfolds as a romantic waltz in three-quarter time. Planetonic draws on grahabhedam, a Carnatic technique of shifting the tonic to transform one raga into another. Usiru, meaning breath or life in Kannada, explores longing through a love song. Just About Midnight experiments with an unusual 11.5 time signature, while One Step At A Time closes the album on an upbeat note.
However, for the ensemble, Carnatic music remains a foundation. “We draw from its melodic and rhythmic depth while remaining open to influences from jazz, rock, pop and other musical worlds. The idea is to let the music evolve naturally sans losing its identity,” Diliip shares.
Bengaluru’s diverse cultural environment encouraged the musicians to experiment while taking risks and building connections. The album launch in the city will bring four of its collaborators alongside percussionist BC Manjunath, who collaborated on the ensemble’s debut album Ecstasy. “Bringing these musicians together with Lakkshya’s six-piece lineup in our home city is a dream come true,” says Ila.