Electronic fusion music had had a very specific two-person shaped hole, at least for me, for the duration the Delhi-Durham duo Anhad+Tanner went on a silent hiatus, leaving listeners with a stunning record, ‘In Other Words,’ in 2020. Every once in a while, I would put In Other Words onto my rotation and let tracks like Asheville and Naina seep into my consciousness. Now, four years later, they are back — with another project reflective of their personal developments, and an album that one can treasure if there is another disappearance until further notice chalked into the schedule.
The album starts off with ‘Attach,’ featuring Sukanya Chattopadhyay on vocals and Soumitra Thakur on sitar. A reworked electronic version of the thumri ‘Ras Ke Bhare Tore Naina,’ the track has one of the most interesting camaraderie of sitar and the tabla. Chattopadhyay’s voice is sharp, and technically precise, and paired with the electronica-sitar jugalbandi, it pulls you right into the album.
There is something odd in the playing of a flute like it has been bestowed the power of hands that can clench and pull and tug at the fibers of your being when done right — very little is needed to get me waxing poetic about Indian classical music or any form of it existing in fusion, and Vibhor Mathur’s flute playing in ‘Wonder’ is done so well — I could write a few more pages about the twisting nature of woundedness it births in the listener. The percussion is speedy, and the lyrics are a mix of Hindi and English — and the arrangement is reminiscent of ‘Gum,’ a previous number made by the duo. There is a contrast created through the lyricism — the Hindi has gravitas, is heavier in Saptak Chatterjee’s delivery, and contrasts that of Ellivia’s, which is airy, light, and reminiscent of the movements of a bird. Mathur’s flute flits through the whole track, challenging the percussion, pairing with the lyrics, pulling back in the midst of windchimes, and binding the track in a way that is extremely gratifying to hear.
‘Still’ is another such track — with Ejaz Hussain’s sarangi setting the tone for the rest of the track — and solidifying the ethos of this project. The synths do a lovely push and pull, and the hi-hats are pulsating, and it all builds up to an electronica-charged blaring emergency room where Isheeta Chakrvarty’s vocals rub against the tension created by the arrangement until it all descends into a simple tabla pairing with light synths. It is here you get a sense of the title of the album and its history. Still But Moving has a riverine quality, appearing to be predictable, comprehensible, almost safe, till it meanders into zones of surprise and pleasant strangeness.
‘Challa’ is another surprise on the album, a rework of the Punjabi folk song — later popularized by Gurdas Maan, has Avneet Khurmi utilizing her raspy, deep voice over some toned-down techno — intertwining to form a synthesis of the modern and the traditional.
The album ends with ‘Return,’ and perhaps my favorite on the album — featuring Chakrvarty and Rohan Prasanna, — I have been familiarized with the latter’s work for Kitanu and The Anirudh Varma Collective. His sarod is somber on this one, matching Chakrvarty’s voice, assuming the position of a controlled, composed accompanying instrument. A rework of Baba Bulleh Shah’s Ranjha Jogida Ban Aaya — the arrangement is reminiscent of a page taken from an Aditya Balani – Suhail Yusuf Khan playbook encased into an AR Rahman hardbound set.
While listening to ‘Still But Moving,’ one has it clarified that these are tracks informed by production, which should be obvious considering both Anhad Khanna and Tanner Willeford are primarily producers. However, it becomes crystal that the duo’s respective musical sensibilities, Tanner’s jazz, and Anhad’s techno/EDM stringing themselves into the tapestry of Hindustani music. This is definitely a step up from their last record, and evidence of their evolution into seasoned music producers with distinct repertoires that come together and culminate into a project that is thought-out, composite, and not in disarray. However, there are points on the record where you do wish that there was more to it — a little richer, more experimental compositions can be expected of the duo now, considering this hiatus has contributed to them becoming more reassured in their artistry. It is a tad bit disappointing to have a refreshing, wonderful project to have a few filler numbers. However, this disappointment only arises from the fact that the two have established themselves as some of the most reliable names in the Indian fusion music genre because very few music outfits are doing it like they are — with honesty and personality, and more importantly with careful effort, and that in itself, is a victory of music, and the record they have created.
