Makindu

Formed by tabla player Randeep Kaur Bilkhu and clarinettist Timothy Wall, Makindu are named after a town in Kenya where expatriate railway workers from all over India would gather for the evening in the early 20th century to play music and sing songs of worship, regardless of their differing religious backgrounds. Their eponymous debut album is a re-imagining of this music, presented as a cross-cultural transcendental journey across the continents – through Australia, India, Europe and the UK, where Makindu are based.

The core duo are supported by harpist Alice Phelps, Robyn Hemmings on double bass and Matteo Boyero on mbira (thumb piano). The tunes evoke a sultry and languorous scene of tired, homesick wanderers in repose, best exemplified by ‘The Journey’. The playing is hypnotic, with repetitive rhythms that can tend towards the soporific at times. ‘Haami’ and ‘Har Kae’, on the other hand, are quirky and uptempo, benefitting from the ethereal-sounding Shreya Rai, whose ghostly vocals keep the songs on track. A promising first release.