AFAR w/ Andi Otto & MD Pallavi // The Refuge Tour 2024

An evening of vastly different traditions and overlapping genres. Raw synthesizers meet mesmerizing voices, Hindustani music with live Cello.

AFAR (live) | Laut & Luise

https://soundcloud.com/afarlive

Andi Otto & MD Pallavi | Pingipung

https://soundcloud.com/andiotto

AFAR is a Berlin based music duo consisting of Elena on vocals and guitar, and Joseph on synthesizers and live hardware. Their forthcoming album stems from the misty heights of the pyrenees, hidden and sheltered within thick, old walls. The whole album was written and recorded in four winter weeks. An intense and demanding period, yet liberating and empowering. »The Refuge« is the collection of stories, the process of it is a story on its own. All tracks are touching, drifting, driving. Soft and raw voices meet between rough synthesizer lines. The result ranges from powerful breakouts to fragile moments. Honest and vulnerable, bold and brave: A true journey, a real refuge.

Andi Otto is a composer, cellist and DJ based in Hamburg, Germany. He is known for his idiosyncratic and unconventional dance music productions. MD Pallavi is a singer, actress, filmmaker and performer from Bangalore, South-India, where she trained in Hindustani music and poetry since childhood. MD Pallavi & Andi Otto first crossed paths on a theatre stage in India ten years ago. They started collaborating instantly and in 2016 MD Pallavi's mesmerizing vocals for the downtempo raga Bangalore Whispers warmed hearts and ears. Their musical relationship flourished with artistic residencies in Bangalore and Hamburg, their respective hometowns, and a concert tour in Japan.

The fruits of this artistic endeavour are fully formed here on Songs for Broken Ships - the debut album of the duo. The album presents an interwoven pop-aesthetic vision of the two artists with their contrasting musical backgrounds. It ranges from organically woven folktronica to cut-up disco tracks and acoustic ballads.