By EDM.com Staff for EDM
The musicians behind ‘Ektā’ come from India, the Balkans, Latin America and beyond, yet the album never sounds like a compromise between them.
Ektā, the new album from the Cafe De Anatolia collective, takes its name from the Sanskrit word for oneness but earns it through nine tracks built from traditions that rarely share a record.
Over nine tracks, illustrious musicians from India, the Balkans, Latin America and beyond seamlessly trade instruments and styles. For example, a tambura sits next to a sitar while a Balkan choir gives way to a solo flute.
Cafe De Anatolia ventures deeper into New Age and ambient music scenes alongside an international group of collaborators, including Grammy-winning producer and composer Antaeus, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Madame Gandhi and Amani Sol of the Relax My Dog brand. Vocals are contributed by Madame Gandhi and AleMor, with lyrics by Monika Ilieva alongside haunting violin performances from Frederika Krier and An Vedi and contributions from the East Balkan Noble Voices choir.
Meanwhile, the album features production from Nickarth; dulcimer from Pete Giatrakus; ney flute from Thanassis Vassilopoulos, sitar from Iasonas Psarakis, tambura and guitar from Billy Esteban; and kaval, duduk and oud performed by members of Rialians On Earth. The project also has an acclaimed engineering team behind it, including the Grammy-winning engineers Joe Maldonado and and Alex Psaroudakis. Grammy-nominated Tony Correli also helped behind the boards as well as Stefan Petanovski and Valdera.
Since its release on August 14, the album has topped the iTunes New Age chart in the United States and the overall albums chart in India, and it has passed 100,000 streams. Those numbers matter less than what produced them: a group of artists who trusted a shared idea enough to let their individual styles bend toward it.
Cafe De Anatolia, which has long paved the way for spiritual electronic music, has described the project as an attempt to let silence do some of the composing. The songwriting carries that calm, like in ‘Ocean,’ which slows the pace almost to stillness. Elsewhere, ‘Deep Water’ is built around a Balkan choir and a flute pattern from producer Nickarth, serving as one of the album’s most compelling risks and clearest payoffs.
Behind the scenes, the album also marks a notable publishing deal. Written by Nikola Iliev, Monika Ilieva and Zoran Iliev through the group’s publishing arm CAMELWAV, five of its tracks are now represented by Sony Music Publishing MENA. It’s a reminder that meditation music can still hold real craft and find an audience beyond its usual niche.
The project continues beyond streaming with listening events in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and London this fall, extending an album that was always meant to be shared rather than simply heard.
The acclaimed New Age and ambient album has been submitted for Grammy consideration amid a For Your Consideration campaign.
