Astral Projection

Astral Projection is a composition by Indian violinist L. Shankar featured as the third track on his 1984 album Vision. Released on May 1984 under ECM Records, the album marked Shankar’s collaboration with producer Manfred Eicher and showcased his fusion of Carnatic classical traditions with Western jazz and ambient textures. The track spans 5 minutes and 47 seconds and exemplifies Shankar’s use of the double violin, a ten-string instrument of his own design that expands the harmonic and melodic range of conventional violin techniques.

The album Vision was issued primarily on CD, reflecting ECM’s early adoption of digital formats for high-fidelity audio reproduction. Shankar composed and performed all tracks, with accompaniment from session musicians including Jan Garbarek on saxophone, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Zakir Hussain on tabla. Astral Projection stands out for its layered improvisations, blending raga-inspired phrasing with synthesizers and percussive elements. The piece opens with a meditative violin introduction, gradually building into a rhythmic interplay between Hussain’s tabla and McLaughlin’s guitar arpeggios.

Critics noted the track’s atmospheric quality, attributing it to Eicher’s production approach, which emphasized spatial dynamics and minimal processing. The album’s liner notes describe Astral Projection as an exploration of cosmic themes, though Shankar provided no explicit programmatic narrative. Vision received acclaim for its cross-genre experimentation and remains a reference point in the discourse on Indo-jazz fusion. The 1984 release followed Shankar’s earlier ECM album Who’s to Know (1981) and preceded his work on Peter Gabriel’s Passion soundtrack (1989).

No comprehensive documentation exists on the recording sessions for Astral Projection, and the track’s title does not correspond to a traditional raga or classical form. The album’s cover art, designed by Barbara Wojirsch, features abstract imagery aligned with ECM’s visual identity. Vision was reissued in later decades as part of ECM’s catalog remasters, though the original CD pressing remains the primary format for collectors.