Where Did You Go?

Having released their first EP way back in 2018, Sandman Project’s aptly titled first full-length Where Did You Go? poses a great question. Travelling the world is, evidently, the answer. Led by Tel Aviv-based guitarist and composer Tal Sandman, the group’s primary influences are the sounds and rhythms of Ethio-jazz as pioneered by Abate Barihun and Mulatu Astatke. But there is an enormous variety of other musical genres here too: psychedelic rock, South Indian Carnatic music, electronica, surf music, Afrobeat, funk. Trumpet and guitar are the dominant sounds throughout. ‘Karnataka’ is built around an exotic melodic line, while the title-track is an Afrobeat-funk fusion. ‘Chinese Box’ is a stripped back duet, and the closing few tracks lean heavily on samples and squelchy synths. Sandman’s Where Did You Go? is an enjoyable listen certainly, although the eclectic genre pick-and-mix feels a tad superficial and highlights a frustrating absence of focus.