Paul Pèrrim returns with Arati—a raw, expeditionary palindromic companion to his 2025 debut, Itara.

Exploring a rawer, harsher, and more rugged landscape than its predecessor, Arati pushes deeper into the wilderness. The anthropologist-musician continues to guide listeners down paths trodden by a kaleidoscope of cultures, offering a sound that is profoundly singular, primal, and timeless.

The album’s surreal compositions weave together an eclectic arsenal of textures: mutant maqams, Africanist sound collages, acid Eastern free-folk improvisations, weird droney guitar, cosmic exotic ambient, and re-wired finger-picking. It is music engineered to forge an immediate, visceral connection.

Arati evokes place and memory—conjuring the scent of Persian leopard dung and Kurdistan saffron, dusty Afghan rugs, or the phantom sound of a camel being milked in the desert while a lone musician plays nearby. It stands proudly as an homage to timeless field recordings and visionary crossover albums reminiscent of the Deben Bhattacharya school.

Arati is an unrushed journey— and with both albums, Paul Pèrrim establishes himself as a cultural wanderer crafting unorthodox traditional-futuristic soundscapes for contemporary, open-minded listeners.

Paul Pèrrim: Acoustic and Electric guitars, Weissenborn, Electric lap-steel, Guimbiri, Micromoog, Effects and Field Recordings.

Pandelindio: Harmonium and Bansuri on Strofc.