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Hues of Imagination Album is Released!


Swarupa Ananth and Melisa Yıldırım’s album “Hues of Imagination | tabla & kamancha duo Improvisation” was released on all digital platforms on March 18.

The Collaboration

In a small wooden cabin amidst the forests of Florida was the sound of the tabla being heard by those passing by. It was Swarupa simply sitting by herself practising her craft to the sounds of birds and chirps, sounds of the wind and trees. Many footsteps walked past the cabin but one chose to stop.

Melisa walks in with her Kamancha in tow, and the music briefly stops. The two artists exchange pleasantries then seek each other’s willingness to play together for the very first time since they met a week ago at this music residency they were in. The kamancha was set up while the tabla waited.

A deep breath and the first note released by Melisa. Slowly the tabla began conversation word for word, note for note. A strange familiarity gripped the two artists who were until then strangers to each other. 30 minutes and two improvs later all they could do was sit in utter silence staring at each other with tears failing to stop.

The wooden cabin now played back the tunes and the artists just listened. Time stood still that day.

“We have played a lot of music together in many past lives & I am grateful to the universe for connecting me back to you, my soulmate” was all that was said.

Two souls meeting beyond the perceptual curtains of time are reshaping the silence on earth. Silence… waiting for two souls to unite with thousands of possibilities. And then the music began to speak in silence, no thoughts, no words. Silence… the sound vibrations of ancient instruments continuing in the environment penetrate the atoms of the air, this is the intuitive encounter of consciousnesses.

The unique journey of two different traditions and musical memories.

Quote:

“This EP you hear today is a result of that moment of magic when the stars aligned and music filled the air and our hearts. We almost instantaneously without saying anything to each other ran straight into the studio that same day and simply let the tabla & kamancha speak to each other, to their heart’s content.” Melisa & Swarupa

Melisa Yıldırım

Melisa Yıldırım

Melisa was born in Istanbul as a child of a family with Alevi culture. In the early years of high school, she discovered kemane (kamancha) and began developing herself on the instrument. After completing her high school education, She started undergraduate studies in 2014, progressing to the state Conservatory of Turkish Music in Istanbul Technical University (ITU). She graduated from University (ITU) with first class honours. She released her first percussive composition, ‘Dreamer’, in 2017. She won first prize in the “kemane” category in the ‘Teke Region of Folk Instruments Competition’ in Turkey. She participated in the ‘Making Tracks’ project as a performer in October 2019, in which they had musical residency and musical tour all around the UK. In 2021, she released an instrumental duo album (anatolian kamancha & fretless guitar) ‘Taluş’ with Gilad Weiss. In 2021, she opened the concert of Womex Award-winning artist Aynur Doğan at the EFG London Jazz Festival at Barbican Centre with a solo kamancha performance. She participated in the Wow|Women of the World Festival 2021 with a solo performance. In 2022, she participated musical residency program OneBeat 9, in Atlantic Centre for Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and fully supported by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Melisa is working with various professional artists around the world and she composes music close to traditional Anatolian music forms. Her styles and influences range from Sufi music to Anatolian folk, as well as Iranian genres and contemporary world music.

Swarupa Ananth

Swarupa Ananth

Swarupa AnanthSawkar is a bold young Indian percussionist and producer, ranked in the ‘Forbes India 30 under 30 list’. She has been a prolific entertainer from a young age, under the mentorship of Ustad Allarakha & Ustad Zakir Hussain. Her debut album ‘Raagatronic’, released in 2014 with collaborator Shriram Sampath, reached #1 on the iTunes India charts. As a performer and producer, Swarupa has collaborated with many national and international artists, also having performed at many venues & festivals around the world including Glastonbury Festival (UK), Kala Ghoda Festival (Mumbai), Alchemy Festival (Southbank Centre, London) & Wassermusik Festival (Berlin). Swarupa runs an online music school, Tablanaari’s School Of Music, that promotes Indian Classical music. In 2022, she was one among 21 artists from around the world selected for a music residency program OneBeat 9 that took place at the Atlantic Centre for Arts, Florida and was fully supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She is on the artist advisory board of Drum Summit & ‘hitlikeagirl’ a global community empowering women through drumming. Swarupa has recently released her debut solo album titled ‘Recomeçar’ on all digital platforms. In 2023, Swarupa was chosen by Hershey’s India among 8 women achievers across fields to celebrate Women’s Day. They have created commemorative chocolate packs to honour the achievements.

Tracklist

Sepia Earth 7:14
Tinted Water 10:15
Vivid Fire 8:16
Two Tone Air 6:42

Credits

Tabla: Swarupa Ananth (India)
Kamancha: Melisa Yıldırım (Türkiye)
(Live improvisation album)
Album Artwork: Jherlândya Ferreira (Brazil)
Recorded at: OneBeat Residency, The Atlantic Center For The Arts (Florida, USA)
Recording Engineer: Christopher Botta (USA)
Mixed & Mastered: Ahmet Gökhan Coşkun (Türkiye)

Links

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/in/album/hues-of-imagination/1676735340
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3gidktnlFwGCH7lX7nv3zf?si=1QSqcr6uQOC95r1kmv6_Mw
Website: www.huesofimagination.com
Social: https://www.instagram.com/melisakamancha/
https://www.instagram.com/swarupaananth/


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