Madhara
Gunkali
So thankful that bands like this exist. It’s so easy to get swept up in the 3:00 minute song, the perfect lyric, the killer hook. This industry has a way of turning works of art into assembly line pieces of consumption. But, there’s also a massive need in our world for art like this, music like this, presentations that remind us of the larger connectivity. I never understood music like this until I had to take “Intro to Ethnomusicology” in Music School, and it changed my life. I gained an appreciation for instrumentals, tonality and scales that I never knew existed. I became a better musician, and person, because of it.
Madhara is based in The Netherlands, an septet of multi-instrumentalists who are combining jazz, fusion, world music and electronic into their own unique sound. What we’ve seen in performances on their social media shows a band that’s not afraid to take chances, to show every ounce of their soul in the music, and to push the boundaries of genres. All that, plus they’re damn good. Here’s our review of “Gunkali.”
Track starts with some acoustic tones, sitar, steel string - it’s meditative, ethereal, peaceful and somber, working off of an a minor, flat five scale. Vocals come in on the 6, with gentle tablas and string tone mimicing the melody. Slowly, a bass and kick filter in in a Western feel, until they set the vibe in 7/4. Killer jazz / prog groove with an 11th chord under the vocals, and then we get to what I think is a bit of a chorus, moving down to the flat seven. We’re only halfway through the track and we’ve hit elements of classic Hindustani classical music, jazz, prog, and even an ounce of pop with that build up.
As the ”chorus” moves, we get a cool arpeggio in the background, and some nice Rhodes type tones before there’s a sitar solo before the 2nd verse. We could dive into the theory and talk about Coltrane, seven note thaat scales, but it’s best for you to listen - find your own motivation - and research them yourselves. We love how the second verse picks up where the first left off after the solo, and the addition of the soprano sax is gorgeous. Underneath that is a cello drone on 8th notes that is really heavy, if even for just a few bars. These final vocal sections add just the right amount of intensity to bring the track up, and it ends with a beautiful set of decrescendo hits. Now that we’re at the end, go back and listen again. Count all the instruments you hear, count out the sections and the time signatures to gain an appreciation for the complexity, and pay attention to how it makes you feel. Now, listen to it one last time and focus on your breathing (seriously, it’s a trick I was taught years ago), you’ll hear it differently if you do it right.
You would be dead wrong to dismiss this band as just a “new age meditative hippie” thing. Listen to their other tracks and you’ll be blown away by the vocal arrangements, chord progressions and production. Listening to “Colors of the Wind” I’m hearing Manhattan Transfer and Weather Report. Listening to “Water” is like a down-tempo EDM trance. To use modern fusion drums and bass as the backdrop against a cello, tablas, violin, sitar, and clarinet, with vocals in multiple languages is such a great combination. The level of musicianship in this project is stunning, can’t wait to see what they do next!