By now, the marriage of India's elegant, classical melodies and intricate rhythms with the unconventional and experimental style of Western electronic music is not as exotic as it once was, however, beauty is always something worth appreciating. Midival Punditz' latest album "Midival Times" brings together some incredible East/Western fusion and some highly repsected talents, from sarangi master and vocalist Ustad Sultan Khan, to young sitarist Anoushka Shankar (protégé to father Ravi Shankar and sister to Norah Jones) and Karsh Kale among others.

1. Morning
2. Saathi (feat. Ustad Sultan Khan)
3. Raanjhan
4. 136
5. Rebirth (feat. Anoushka Shankar)
6. Khayaal (feat. Vishal Vaid)
7. Piya
8. Kesariya
9. Ali (feat. Kailash Kher)
10. Enemy
11. Hold On (Thaarey Rahiyo)

"Saathi" follows a brief introduction and features the vocal and sarangi talents of Ustad Sultan Khan. It's delicate mood and melodies are framed by soft, lilting percussive rhythms and wandering synth keys over a warm, ambient backdrop. It's followed by "Raanjhan", a track built on dense string arrangements, mid-tempo beats and floating female vocal verses.

"136" has a mid-tempo 4/4 vibe, whose gated bass kicks, persistent snare and deeply reverbed Indian vocals mixed with vocoded English spoken-word want to take me back to the late-Eighties industrial sound of bands like A Split-Second or perhaps Click-Click... I can't explain it. "Rebirth" finds the pair collaborating with Anoushka Shankar, who delivers beautiful sitar work that winds its way in perfect unison with Indian flute and serene percussive rhythms.

"Khayaal" (which is actually the name for a whole genre of North Indian classical songs) features the rich, male vocals of long-time friend Vishal Vaid. Its an almost Indian dub styled piece that rides on some really nice percussive work and largely ambient instrumentation. Something about the harmony of "Piya" leaves a strong impression. It features sweetly traditional Indian female vocal work and percussion along with classically styled flute and sarangi, as well as really nice percussion. The interplay of bridges, breaks, vocal, string and synth leads is just perfect.

The album continues with a decidedly mid-tempo style until its closing track "Hold On (Thaarey Rahiyo)" featuring vocals by sanjivini and tabla work by Prashant.

One of the most outstanding aspects of the music composed by long-time friends Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj, is the skill with which they combine Eastern and Western musical cultures. Not being classically trained in Indian music, the pair have a light-hearted attitude when it comes to working with it. As with many Western electronic musicians, who are often not trained, they go with what feels and sounds good to them. The result definitely shows. This album moves gracefully amongst a wide range of emotions, beats and instrumentation, while it keeps a warm and inviting tone at its center. Very well done.

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