Rakhi Singh is a violinist, music director, curator and composer based in the UK. In 2016, she co-founded Manchester Collective, a feverishly inventive and progressive ensemble that the BBC describes as "transforming all our perceptions of what a classical music group can be."
"Sabkha" is the first single from Singh's solo debut album Purnima. The piece is a stirring stream-of-consciousness foray into signal processing and multi-tracking for violin, with Singh's own wordless vocals adding to the hypnotic mood. "'Sabkha' was the last thing to emerge when I was working on the album," she explains. "It was actually an improvisation that I then played parts in conversation with."
The album's centerpiece is the nearly 17-minute epic "LAD," composed by Julia Wolfe and originally meant for nine bagpipes. Singh's deft arrangement of the piece for violin defines its own sonic journey, with her layered parts and electronic effects merging to create a textural palette that bobs, weaves, dips and drones with a thrilling sense of foreboding.
Rakhi Singh and Manchester Collective launch their LAD tour of the UK on October 19 at the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds.
Produced by Rakhi Singh
Co-produced by Joseph Reiser
Mastered by Jack Ross
01 Alex Groves - Trace I
02 Rakhi Singh - Sabkha
03 Emily Hall - Outshifts I
04 Emily Hall - Outshifts II
05 Emily Hall - Outshifts III
06 Michael Gordon - Tinge
07 Julia Wolfe - LAD
08 Michael Gordon - Light is Calling
Track 2 recorded by Rakhi Singh at Paplu Studios, London, UK
Track 7 recorded by Joseph Reiser at Fuzzy Elephant Studios, UK
All other tracks recorded by Valgeir Sigurðsson at Greenhouse Studios, Iceland
All tracks mixed at Fuzzy Elephant by Joseph Reiser, except Sabkha, mixed by Rakhi Singh & Joseph Reiser
Rakhi Singh plays violin on all tracks, and voice on Sabkha, Outshifts I and Outshifts II.
"Tinge" includes recorded media courtesy of Michael Gordon
"Light Is Calling" includes recorded media courtesy of Michael Gordon
"Outshifts" includes recorded media courtesy of Emily Hall
