Sounds of the East

A surprising collection of field recordings and re-arrangements of traditional pieces, Sounds of the East follows on from Beronja's Sounds of Varanasi, expanding his frame of reference out of India to the Middle East and the Balkans. His percussion ties the album together and crosses genres, with the darbuka and daf drums accompanying Indian violin and sitar as well as some gorgeous oud (lute) compositions, and the tabla joining the pan-flute melody on ‘Shepherd's Love Song’.

The real appeal of this album lies in its guest musicians, however. Sitarist Dhruv Nath Mishra's ‘Raga Puriya Kalyan’ and violinist Sukhdev Prasad Mishra's ‘Raag Jog Dhun’ provide the soul of the Indian tracks while oud players Marina Tošić and Stefan Sablić are entrancing on ‘Maqam Bayati Oud Taqsim’ and ‘7/8 Oud & Tarabuk Time’ respectively. Field recordings of a snake charmer, fireworks and a water-wheel lend atmosphere, highlighting Beronja's interest in locating music in unconventional places. But while it is impressive, the album doesn't sound entirely cohesive, perhaps because of the sheer breadth of Beronja's travels. Too limited to showcase Beronja's full talents as a collaborator and composer, too broad to be representative of the regions covered, Sounds of the East is best enjoyed as a travelogue – an interesting account of one man's musical experience that doesn't quite do justice to its rather comprehensive title.