Travelers Dosti Music Project is the result of several artistic residencies involving 20 leading Pakistani, Indian, and American musicians, and sponsored by the Brooklyn-based artist collective Found Sound Nation.
About Travelers Dosti Music Project
Beyond the artistic values, this collaboration has political significance as it involves participation from artists representing a number of very different religions and cultures. The album is symbolic of the kind of connection we need to find during these especially troubling times of religious extremism, nationalism, and authoritarianism.
The veritable smorgasbord of sounds and musical styles on Travelers serves to both fascinate and delight the listener. This highly creative and original work reinvents traditional tunes, incorporating everything from Appalachian fiddle to Karachi minimalist electronica to classical Hindustani song. Musical elements that would be considered disparate become unified in a new global sonic experience.
About the Album and Favorite Tracks
Travelers opens with “Majare,” an intriguing blend of lovely folk guitar and Indian instrumentation (I believe I hear both sitar and banjo on this track–of course those two instruments go together!) and lively, upbeat female vocals from Debasmita Bhattacharya. The tune “Janiya” intriguingly marries traditional Indian instruments with European reeds such as the clarinet and saxophone.
This interesting project takes a very surprising turn on one of my favorite tracks, “Travelers.” A song both dreamy and ethereal that toggles between singers and languages, with fiddle as the leading instrument supported by what sounds like psychedelic guitar with lots of reverb. It’s a gorgeous tune that ends way too quickly at 2:38 minutes.
“Patience” is another favorite, with a pensive, chilled-out, Zero 7 vibe from the opening Rhodes keyboard and topped by faerie-like, dream-pop vocals of female music producer Slowspin from Karachi, Pakistan. Slowspin is definitely someone I’ll be watching and listening to from now on.
The final tune, the mysterious “Carmen”, features stop-you-in-your-tracks, heart-breaking vocals from Nandi Rose Plunkett, also known by her artist name, “Half Waif.” It’s tricky to decipher which instruments are being used on this track. The liner notes list “keys and synths,” but I also hear something that sounds like Chinese erhu combined with a sitar.
The outburst of vocalizations you hear at minute 1:38 is incredibly genius and intricate, similar to something you’d hear from Imogen Heap (and that comparison is a pretty high bar to achieve, in my opinion).
Like “Travelers,” “Carmen” is over way too quickly and almost feels unfinished, like a thought trailing off… I’m not sure if that was the intention, but it has compelled me to listen to the track about a dozen times in a row, trying to decrypt the lyrics and meaning. I love music that makes me think and question.
A Big “Thank You” to Travelers Dosti Music Project
I’m so thankful to Found Sound Nation collaborations like Travelers Dosti Music Project, that expose me to entirely new kinds of complex, layered musical fusions and amazing female musicians.
McKenna caught the “yoga bug” as a little girl, watching Lilias Folan on PBS. She leads an active life hiking, running, sometimes snowboarding, and once was a nationally-ranked equestrian. After years of working in the digital industry for clients in entertainment, publishing and fashion, she took a sabbatical to acquire her yoga teacher certification. A desire to help people heal soon followed. Also a successful musician and composer, McKenna shares cutting-edge music during yoga classes, recruiting musicians and DJs to perform with her. She owned and operated East Hollywood’s Chakra 5 Yoga studio throughout 2011, creating a vibrant community on and offline, but decided to shift to a mobile model. Now Chakra 5 brings yoga classes on site and by appointment to businesses, schools and organizations throughout greater Los Angeles. McKenna was certified in Hatha/Kundalini at Karuna Yoga, and has additional teacher training in Restorative Yoga with Master Teacher Judith Lasater. She teaches yoga at Chakra 5 classes and international retreats.