Puducherry-based band Emergence has just dropped their fourth album, Cage, an emotionally resonant body of work that marks the culmination of their two-decade-long journey and a bold leap into uncharted musical territory.
The album features nine tracks, including Afghan Rose, Ballad of the Open Road, Cage, Carla’s Song, Damage, Harder the Heart, Sleeping Girl, So Full, and Voices. The current lineup comprises Krishna McKenzie, Dhani Muniz, Edmund Held, Joey Van Leeuwen, Navneeth Krishnan, and Snigdha Sharma, and their collective chemistry breathes life into a record that fluidly traverses jazz, rock, folk, and blues, creating a genre-defying soundscape.
When asked what inspired the sound of Cage, lead guitarist Dhani Muniz cites a deep reverence for the seminal jazz-fusion group Weather Report. “Everyone in the band holds Weather Report in high regard. When I started working on the arrangements, I wanted to move away from having a single lead instrument at any given time. Instead, I aimed for at least two musical elements to stand out simultaneously. That idea, of having overlapping voices or ‘co-leads,’ is something Weather Report is known for, but it also traces back to Dixieland jazz from the 1920s. It’s an approach we all admire, but one that Emergence hadn’t really explored on previous records.”
The founder of the band, Krishna penned the lyrics, chords and vocal melodies. “To me, many of the songs are about individuality, accepting that as you grow older, even within community and family, there’s a part of life that you must face alone. And there’s something beautiful and mature about embracing that.”
The behind-the-scenes story of Cage is as off-the-cuff as the music itself. “This particular lineup came together almost by accident and it’s not even the lineup anymore! Trumpeter Edmund Held was invited from Germany, a move that seemed uncertain but ended up being pivotal. Then, a last-minute substitution at the Solitude Festival brought drummer Joey Van Leeuwen into the fold. Our regular drummer Raul Mattia was late, and Joey happened to be in the audience. He sat in for the sound check, and Krishna was immediately taken by his jazzy, aggressive playing.”
With just two days of rehearsal, the band headed into the studio. “No one had any fixed parts. Sure, the pressure hit after day two, but the spontaneity brought the music alive.”
The title track, Cage, Dhani says was the highlight. “It was the smoothest session. The outro, actually, was unplanned. I kept playing bass without realising I was being recorded. Later, the band decided it had to close the song. I wasn’t sure at first, but once I heard it in context, it made perfect sense.”
Additional layers came in the form of percussion overdubs, primarily contributed by Dominique. “We added textures that took songs like Afghan Rose and So Full to the next level. Hearing it all come together was deeply satisfying.”
Emergence’s artistry remains deeply rooted in Auroville’s ethos, a community that eschews commercial pressures in favour of creative authenticity. “I still see myself as a blues musician playing in a jazz band. That identity anchors everything I do. In Auroville, you’re not chasing money; you’re chasing meaning.”
Meanwhile, Dhani is gearing up for two collaborative duo albums—Quos Ego with Aman Mahajan and Jugaad: Re-Semblance with Nishad Pandey—which are slated for release later this year. In January, I am recording yet another instrumental album, the first one since Chimu Fiesta, with my new band TRAK.
sangeetha.p@newindianexpress.com
X- @psangeetha2112
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