Ancient Lights

Uniting of Opposites is a trio that have pursued radically different musical trajectories. Bassist Ben Hazleton cut his teeth on the London jazz circuit, performing with the likes of Tony Kofi and his quartet, while Clem Alford has been playing sitar since 1968 following an expedition to India to learn under Pandit Sachindra Nath Saha. Tim Liken made his name in speed garage, of all things, under the moniker Double 99. For their debut record, Ancient Lights, the trio have enlisted impressive young drummer Eddie Hick of Sons of Kemet, clarinettist Idris Rahman, Manjeet Singh Rasiya on tabla and the vocalist Marcina Arnold.

For all their divergent paths, it's a pleasantly cohesive listen. Both the opener ‘Mints’ and the esoterically named ‘Car Number 27/Mr Alpo’ are playfully built around ragas, while washy vocals from Marcina Arnold pervade the title-track, with Rahman soaring alongside. Centrepiece ‘Vortex Number 9’ opens with a brooding, dub-effects-laden heavy groove, with Alford riffing off Hazleton's languid bass line. It bubbles along nicely, before making way for the deeply meditative ‘The Uniting of Opposites’. Indeed, this group's name is very fitting, with this track in particular foregrounding the mixing of disparate palettes to create something bold yet bewitching.