Belonging by Sunny Jain (feat. Ben Parag)
In an epic journey in the making for 10 years, Sunny Jain was the first in his family to return to their ancestral land, Sialkot, Punjab, since the 1947 independence and partition of the Indian subcontinent. Jain walked the streets his elders traversed, received an overwhelming “welcome home” and even found the house his father had to flee over 75 years ago. As his Wild Wild East ensemble was on tour in Pakistan during this trip, the band decided to go into the studio that very night after the remarkable finding. Recording engineers, Asad Ali Khan and Amr Kashmiri, captured the palpable emotions in the air during the session at Art Club Sugar Records in Lahore. The cover art for the singles are from a temple in Sialkot where Jain’s ancestors would worship. It’s one of the last few standing Jain Temples in Pakistan and was opened up specifically for him.
”Belonging” transports listeners on a mesmerizing journey that contemplates the human experience of migration and finding the feeling of home in a place unknown. Combining Jain’s signature dhol drumming and effects, with lush melodies from vocalist Ben Parag, the track is a testament to the power of rhythm and voice to uplift and inspire.
—————————-
Vocals by Ben Parag
Produced, mixed, dhol by Sunny Jain
Video Director: Swetha Regunathan
Shot by: Shah Zaman Baloch
Camera Assistant: Mohammad Ashir Shehzad
Mastered by Tony Joy
Vocal recording engineers: Asad Ali Khan, Amr Kashmiri, Maeen Syed, Jamshaid Ali Khan, Zafar Iqbal
Recorded December 7, 2022 at Art Club Sugar Records, Lahore, Pakistan and August 15, 2023 in Brooklyn, NY
Cover Art: Louis Cuffari
Sinj Records 2024
* Public Domain footage from The March of Time 14th Year No. 4, 1949. “India, Asia’s New Voice”
Dir. Peter Hopkinson
Likes: 0
Viewed:
source
