COMPOSERS: Makran
LABELS: Topic
PERFORMER: Various artists
CATALOGUE NO: TSCD 916
The MAKRAN issue calls itself ‘traditional fusion’ from Baluchistan, and it’s quite right. The first thing you hear is a slightly skewed African pulse, followed by an Arabian-sounding string melody and a tabla-like drum. And this in Karachi. Historically the people have links to South India, Zanzibar and Kurdistan. Songs and racy instrumentals combine free melody with an evolving, hypnotic pulse. These recordings are only tasters – performances go on for hours – but make a distinctive addition to the British Library National Sound Archive’s published issues.