Dhruv Ghanekar Flawlessly Combines Indian Folk and World Music on New Album

Nine years after delivering a stellar blend of Indian tunes with African beats on ‘Voyage,’ renowned composer/guitarist Dhruv Ghanekar is at it again, releasing a follow-up with ‘Voyage 2,’ capturing diverse sounds and styles with artists worldwide.

In a press statement, Dhruv shared, “Voyage 2 is a continuation of Voyage (2015) but with a deeper exploration of Indian folk melodies seen through my unique global lens.”

“Voyage 2 is also a look back at my influences from the 1990s onwards. Music is not static and is constantly evolving, therefore my responsibility as a composer is to draw from all these rich pieces of music from across the world and marry them to Indian sounds,” he elaborated.

Dhruv Ghanekar’s second collaborative record dishes out Indian folk music wrapped with varied musical tapestries, such as Brazilian Samba, Balkan music, reggae, drum & bass, funk, and jazz, while also spotlighting female vocalists in India. Celebrated Rajasthani folk singer Ila Arun and famed playback singer from Assam Kalpana Patowary, present on ‘Voyage,’ return to leave their imprint on this compilation.

Multilingual and multinational ‘Voyage 2‘ records contributions from a celestial talent pool of artists, namely bassist Mohini Dey, folk artist Asha Sapera, DJ and rapper Bobkat, hip-hop artist Illa Straight, drummer Lindsay D’mello, musician Gina Mirenda, singer Nandini Srikar, drummer/producer Gino Banks, bass guitarist Tim Lefebvre, saxophonist Artur Grigoryan, trumpeter Sam Dechenne, vocalist Vaishali Samant, percussionist/composer Taufiq Qureshi and heaps more.

“Half of the collaborators are artists that I have worked with before and the other half are new connections,” revealed Ghanekar. “One of the biggest fallouts of the post-Covid world is the comfort in collaborating without leaving our spaces. So ‘Voyage 2’ in a way is a celebration of this new travelogue of meeting people from different parts of the globe without ever setting foot out of my studio.”

Nandini Srikar ushers in sturdy Tamil vocal segments on the opening track ‘Suprabhatam,’ which stitches up flashes of drum & bass with Sanskrit shlokas. Meanwhile ‘Deuri’ supplies a bopping blend of traditional Assamese folk and funk music drizzled with Brazilian samba beats. This composition is driven by bellowing vocals courtesy of Kalpana Patowary, fiery guitar riffs, and a rap verse by Illa Straight.

‘Jatra’ matches the traditional Marathi lavani music, performed impeccably by Vaishali Samant, with danceable rhythms, upbeat horn sections and Portuguese vocals courtesy of Gina Miranda. Truly celebrating music culture and concocting a world music album, Dhruv’s ‘Jatra’ was recorded in Mumbai, with horns in Boston, bass in France, drums in New York, and vocals in Costa Rica.

‘Bego’ follows next with its striking jazzy-funk tonality merged with Rajasthani folklore, elevated only by spirited work on the bass by Mohini Dey. Ila Arun contributes her raspy vocals to this track and is also heard on ‘Charkha,’ ‘Nacho’ and ‘Jadu.’

‘Jadu’ essentially sees Ila Arun embrace the role of a DnB MC over an impeccably designed speedy drum & bass mix that also fuses Rajasthani folk elements. It seamlessly incorporates Bobkat spitting bars and rapping over a reggae bop. Dhurv, Ila Arun, and Bobkat were also previously seen together on Coke Studio with ‘Nimoli,’ a Rajasthani folk tune folded with Arabian themes.

‘Assam’ delightfully closes out this 10-track album with its soothing sonics. Dhruv methodically plugs in a pacifying soundscape opening with mellow key arrangments and gentle string details. The instrumental piece gradually courses through with rich flute features and electric guitars. Angelic vocal harmonies soon ensue as the melody unhurriedly comes to a close.

Talking about the record and each artist roped in, Dhruv voiced, “It has been an exciting and wild ride, and the casting of each musician for every song has been something I have put a lot of careful thought into.”

In the works since 2021, the producer envisioned the album as a project he could perform live. Speaking about this album’s strategy, Dhruv expressed, “The approach is to find contrary styles and fuse them at a deep level with folk melodies from various regions of the country.”

Find Dhruv Ghanekar on: Instagram | Spotify

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