SARATHY KORWAR - KALAK

Guardian (UK) review Release 11/2022, LTD green vinyl, alternative cover. Sarathy Korwar has a light touch behind the drum kit. Since debuting with 2016’s Day to Day, where he mixed the folk music of the Siddi community from rural Gujarat with west African rhythms and Indian classical melodies, Korwar’s playing has been soft and subtle enough to encompass the intricacies of disparate rhythms, while still possessing a grounded metronomic solidity. Korwar makes himself heard not through power and volume, but in the guiding steadiness of his hand. On his fourth album as a bandleader, Korwar reaches the apex of this open drumming technique. Made in collaboration with electronic producer Photay, Kalak is a beguiling body of work, enveloping the listener in undulating synth melodies, layered horn fanfares and vocal features – all driven forward by Korwar’s ever-present percussion.