Anomaly

This is the first solo release from the British sitarist and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun. It features a large cast of musicians, including a string section, tabla and guitar, and is situated firmly within a well-established crossover tradition.

The album is generous in length, which gives ample time for the listener to get to grips with his sound-world, a curious mixture of North Indian elements over a foundation of fairly innocuous Western harmony. Interestingly, his biography notes that he has worked with the Greek composer Vangelis (best known for his film work), and there is something very similar here in the scoring and melodies. Much of the album is heavily produced, which also contributes to the somewhat ambient feel (try, for example, ‘Undertow’), but when the South Asian elements shine through on ‘Rageshri’ then the skill of the musicians is evident. Perhaps, however, this style of music works best in certain contexts, and it is telling that one of the tracks, ‘Ulterior Motives’, has been released as the backing on a video featuring kathak dancer Saloni Saraf.