Chinmaya Dunster presents… MELA: Beyond Tradition

There is no doubting the devotion with which sarod player Chinmaya Dunster, the progenitor of MELA, approaches his musical projects. He has spent many years immersing himself in Indian culture and has gathered some great musicians around him to produce this album, which, as its name hints, blends the traditional sounds of India with contemporary electronics and infusions from other cultures, such as lyrics in Māori for example. MELA also makes use of Celtic, Egyptian and reggae motifs in an album that is well performed and nicely produced.

I understand the sentiment behind this project – one of transcending the boundaries between cultures and peoples, to arrive at a place ‘beyond tradition,’ where all people, regardless of creed or colour, can rejoice in the universal vibrations that connect us all – a kind of musical Esperanto. While this is in many ways applaudable and in this case sincere, it feels a bit naively New Age these days, and seems to devalue and homogenise its own ingredients by adding too many to the mix; giving off more than a faint whiff of Orientalism in the process. Well-intentioned and well-presented but, perhaps, ill-judged.