Ragawerk releases new album ‘Niḷa’

Ragawerk is the collaborative project of guitarist Max Clouth and drummer Martin Standke, a duo who have turned cultural exchange into a sonic art form. Based in Germany but drawing on traditions from across the globe, the pair fuse Indian ragas, European jazz stylings and a dash of Krautrock into something entirely their own. Their music stands at the crossraods of tradition and innovation, a dialogue between continents, between technical skill and improvisation, between the human and the cosmic.

Both Max and Martin bring deep musical pedigrees to the project; Martin, a jazz percussionist educated at Frankfurt and Cologne’s prestigious universities, is a winner of the Hessian Jazz Prize and a four-time recipient of the Frankfurt Jazz Work Scholarship. He’s performed with some of Germany’s most respected jazz figures, including Heinz Sauer and Günther Lenz, while also lending his talents to theatrical productions at Schauspiel Frankfurt and the Kammerspiele in Munich.

Max, meanwhile, took a more outward journey, after completing jazz studies in Mainz and Dresden, he moved to Mumbai, where he spent three years immersed in Indian music and culture. A film composer and recipient of the Frankfurt Jazz Scholarship, his credits include work for arte, ARD and ZDF as well as performances alongside artists such as Varijashree Venugopal, Ishaan Ghosh and the HR Big Band.

The two first linked up under the Ragawerk banner in 2020, unveiling their debut EP Live! and later following up with their self-titled full-length in 2022. It was here that their unique sonic output took form via loops and ragas, jazz and electronics, all stitched together with meditative context and emotional impact. This year they’ve returned with the follow up, bringing us their highly anticipated sophomore record titled Niḷa which finds the duo developing and expanding that sound. Translating from Sanskrit as “blue,” Niḷa captures the full spectrum of the colour from tranquil and reflective to mysterious and infinite.

Niḷa arrives as an album that moves with more directness and edge, leaning further into live textures without losing the shine that made their previous work so compelling. The compositions flow with a loose organic logic, the gentle rise of guitar tones, the steady entrance of percussion and the eventual bloom into expansive, cinematic soundscapes. Helping shape this intricate world are an array of collaborators who enhance the duo’s vision including Vroni Frisch on bass, Robert Schippers on keys, BC Manjunath on Mridangam, Peter Hinz on Tabla as well as vocals from Shruti Ramani, Sophie-Justine Herr and Valeria Maurer.

The title track, “Niḷa,” opens the record with a cinematic aesthetic of drifting synth textures before the delicate flutter of plucked guitar notes and shuffle of drums sets the track in motion. Mystical, atmospheric and slightly fantastical, t’s an invitation into Ragawerk’s universe where Indian classical tradition meets European experimentation and emerges as something neither and both.

Tracks like “Shyam” lean into downtempo, dreamy experimental jazz spheres as the patter of drums and intricate layers of instrumentation form a transportive listening experience. “Karela” offers a stunning collision of east and west with pattering percussion, pulsing grooves and soulful vocal elements crafting a rock-tinged outing packed full of slick energy and exquisite musicianship.

Other highlights include songs like “Relagadi” with its mesmeric sweep of elegant lead guitar and shimmering arrangement, flowing through moments of bouncy rhythms and passages of hazy instrumental bliss. “Blue P. Reprise” closes the album with a hypnotic jam that deftly balances punchy drums with graceful instrumentation and dazzling melodic flourishes, offering a stunning finale to the band’s incredible new LP. With this release, Max Clouth and Martin Standke prove that jazz, when approached with curiosity and openness, can still discover new colours.

Listen to Niḷa below