London-based sarod maestro Soumik Datta’s latest EP, Jangal, has been composed in response to a crisis—about the global environment.
He admits that it was not planned. “I guess it had just got to me, the astonishing facts and figures in the news, the shots of forests burning and the face of one 16-year-old girl, Greta Thunberg taking on governments of the world. Somewhere a switch had been flipped and I couldn’t think of anything else. I realised that there were these unruly melodies crackling in defiance, raging and simmering under the surface,” says Soumik.
For the five-track album, the artiste drew from instruments and styles across the world. The title track opens with a heartbeat-like rhythm on the native Latin American bombo drum.
‘Wildfire’ features the steel hang drum from Switzerland. Other instruments used include the Naga bamboo resonator and bamhum.
While shifting electronic textures graft the fabric of the soundtracks, at the centre is Soumik’s sarod, tying all the elements together. “At one point, I thought to add vocals but the notion of making an electronic protest album was a challenge that I felt drawn to,” he says.
Soumik reveals that for months, his dreams were filled with vast expanses of harmonies and textures, some even violent and disturbing. The only way he could exorcise them was to record and release this material.
By the time he reached the studio, he knew exactly which musicians to collaborate with on them.
“I wanted to feature players who I had shared vital life experiences with, outdoors, in the wild, in nature, whether it was mountain climbing or forest hiking. I knew that their passion for nature would come through their playing these songs,” he says.
Jangal features collaborations with several international artists such as Manu Delago, Bernhard Schimpelsberger and Ayoze de Alejandro Lopez.
In the past, he has also collaborated with the likes of Javed Akhtar, Nitin Sawhney, Anoushka Shankar and City of London Sinfonia for albums such as King of Ghosts, Anti Hero, Anant and Circle of Sound.
Soumik also has a new three-part music-focused TV series called Rhythms of India that will premiere on BBC World News on November 23, which explores the diverse musical traditions of India—from devotional to folk, from classical to Bollywood and pop.
Apart from this, Soumik also runs a UK-based charity, Soumik Datta Arts, which promotes South Asian music and showcases young, under-recognised talent in festivals across the UK.
One of its projects that has been screened across the world is Tuning 2 You, a six-part TV series on the plight of rural Indian musicians. The charity aims to release another big project next year, which explores the connection between music and mental health.
Going forward, Soumik plans on using music as a medium to draw attention to important social and environmental issues. “As an artist, I believe there hasn’t been a more crucial time to raise awareness and inspire hope,” he says.