Power Of Ra
Listening to the wondrous DIY soundscapes of sonic globetrotter Kundan Lal is always a thrill and a welcome diversion from the everyday drudgery. It comes as no surprise then that equally open-minded global explorers, aural tinkerers and musical wanderers of the road less travelled – such as Den Sorte Skole or DJ Marcelle – are among his "cult following". Having released his narcotic debut longplayer "Periodic Perciotic" back in 2017 and his trance-inducing "Majlis" EP in 2019, he now returns to YNFND with a brand-new deep listening journey.
His latest eight-track feat titled "Power Of Ra" sees Kundan Lal channeling the ancient Egyptian patron of the sun and father of all creation. Working from home during the worldwide lockdown, he resorted to his vast collection of field recordings, reorganised his equipment and set out to fill the void with more of his wayfaring compositions. "From the buzzing streets of Alexandria, early sunday markets in Tafraoute or a crackling bonfire down by the banks of the river Ganges. Each track takes you places. Kundan's second album is a captivating blend of dubby beats, collages, and exotic instrumentation," that is impossible to pin down.
The sheer inventiveness of his outernational downbeat scores is rooted in hip hop as much as in polytheistic spirituality and a thrill to behold. Listening to his compositions, speckled with a plethora of unique field recordings and unexpected samples is like roaming the unknown vicariously, senses heightened, discoveries lurking in every nook and cranny, from the sampled sound of a Bedouin coffee grinder in the Jordan desert to a special guest appearance by the voice of Greta Thunberg. Now go ahead, lose yourself in the fantastic handwoven tapestries of Kundan Lal and don't forget to send us a card when you resurface.
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