Missing You / A Musical Discovery Of India

Missing You / A Musical Discovery Of India is a posthumous compilation album by Indian musician and composer Ananda Shankar. The release combines previously unreleased material with reworked tracks from his earlier sessions. The album appeared on January 1, 2007 as a dual-themed collection, blending Shankar’s signature fusion of Indian classical music with Western psychedelic, funk, and electronic elements.

Shankar composed and arranged the tracks, many of which feature his characteristic use of sitar alongside synthesizers, drum machines, and orchestral instrumentation. The album’s production credits remain partially undocumented, but archival sources confirm Shankar’s direct involvement in the original recordings. The release contains 14 tracks, including instrumental pieces and vocal collaborations.

Notable tracks include \"Missing You\", a melancholic fusion piece with layered sitar melodies and electronic textures, and \"Lonely\", a downtempo composition emphasizing Shankar’s experimental approach to raga scales. \"Dreams Forever\" incorporates ambient soundscapes with tabla rhythms, while \"I Remember\" features a prominent Moog synthesizer arrangement. The album also includes \"Baba\", a tribute track with devotional undertones, and \"Almora\", named after the Himalayan town and built around a cyclical sitar riff.

The second half of the release shifts toward field-recording-inspired works, such as \"The Hill Train\", which simulates the rhythmic chugging of a mountain railway through percussive patterns, and \"Kaziranga Beat\", a track evoking the wildlife sanctuary’s atmosphere with tribal drumming and sitar improvisations. \"Namaskar\" serves as a closing piece, blending traditional Indian greetings with minimalist electronic pulses.

The album was issued by an unspecified label, though distribution records link it to European and North American markets. Physical formats included CD releases, with later digital availability on streaming platforms. Critical reception at the time noted the compilation’s role in reintroducing Shankar’s work to contemporary audiences, particularly within global fusion and electronic music circles. Additional session details, including contributing musicians and exact recording dates, remain unverified in public archives.