MUMBAI: Get ready to immerse yourself in a kaleidoscope of sound! Anupam Shobhakar's highly anticipated album, Liquid Reality, is set to release on March 14, 2025, coinciding with the vibrant Indian festival of Holi. This deliberate alignment reflects the album's core essence: a mesmerizing fusion of traditional Indian classical music and modern Western jazz-rock elements. As Holi celebrates unity and diversity, Liquid Reality embodies this spirit, bringing together an international ensemble of talented musicians to create a truly innovative and boundary-pushing sonic experience.
A Journey from Mumbai to the World Stage
Growing up in Mumbai, India, Anupam Shobhakar was deeply influenced by guitar virtuosos like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, and Allan Holdsworth. However, it was a life-altering performance by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan that drew him to the sarod, a fretless 25-string instrument central to North Indian classical music. This dual inspiration-awe for Western electric guitar mastery and reverence for Indian classical music-sparked a lifelong dream in Shobhakar: to bridge the two worlds.
“Listening to the first Shakti record was a revelation,” Shobhakar recalls. “Hearing John McLaughlin play Indian music on the guitar blew my mind. I realized the guitar could transcend boundaries and play Indian classical music.” This epiphany set him on a path that would eventually lead to Liquid Reality.
A Dream Instrument for a Dream Sound
For years, Shobhakar struggled to reconcile his two musical identities. “When I was playing the sarod, I missed the guitar, and when I was playing the guitar, I missed the sarod,” he admits. The breakthrough came in a dream—he envisioned a custom double-neck guitar, with one fretted neck for Western techniques and one fretless neck for sarod-like expressions. Though rare, such instruments were unavailable for a left-handed player like Shobhakar. Undeterred, he commissioned a bespoke guitar, unlocking a revolutionary sound.
The Sonic Odyssey of Liquid Reality
Liquid Reality is Shobhakar’s magnum opus, a testament to his ability to weave diverse musical traditions into a cohesive narrative. The album opens with “Anjaneya,” a track propelled by the rhythmic genius of Swaminathan Selvaganesh on kanjeera and Satoshi Takeishi on drums. The interplay between fretted and fretless guitar techniques immediately sets the tone for an audacious musical journey.
Tracks like “Ladders to the Sky” expand the album’s scope with a Brazilian flair, featuring Barcelona-born vocalist Ona Kirei and percussionist Gumbi Ortiz. The piece, inspired by the Pat Metheny Group’s First Circle, showcases Shobhakar’s skill in composing for his collaborators, creating a lush, cinematic experience.
In “Formless,” Shobhakar joins Selvaganesh for a spirited duet, blending intricate rhythms with mathematical precision. The result is a playful yet deeply personal conversation between two master musicians. But it is his take on Shakti’s iconic “La Danse du Bonheur” that truly captures the album’s ethos. Featuring Brooklyn-based Indian pianist Utsav Lal, Shobhakar’s rendition adds harmonic depth, unexpected twists, and an original composition, transforming the classic into a bold, modern masterpiece.
“Swami and I always nerd out about Shakti,” Shobhakar says, referencing Swaminathan Selvaganesh’s legacy as the third generation of his family to play this music. “His father, V. Selvaganesh, has been with Shakti since its reformation as Remember Shakti, following in the footsteps of his father, percussion legend Vikku Vinayakram. Swami was born to play this music.” Shobhakar’s take on the classic is more than a tribute; it’s a continuation of a legacy, reimagined for a new era.
A Global Vision Rooted in Tradition
Beyond technical brilliance, Liquid Reality is a celebration of cultural confluence. It’s a nod to the pioneering work of Shakti and a bold step into the future, where genres dissolve, and music becomes a universal language. Each composition reflects Shobhakar’s commitment to innovation while honoring the traditions that shaped him.
Releasing during Holi, the festival of unity, Liquid Reality embodies the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and breaking boundaries.