“Liner Notes” is a Sounds Visual Media spinoff series where musicians, composers, DJs, beatmakers, and collectors dig into their crates to share favorite records. In this installment, award-winning drummer and composer Agneya talks his upcoming debut album, AGNEYA, a globally inspired rhythmic journey that bridges cultural boundaries and connects communities through a vibrant synthesis of jazz, folk, and experimental traditions.

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I’m Agneya, a drummer, percussionist, and composer, originally from Western India, and now I primarily spend my time between Toronto and Berlin.

I’m releasing my debut album this September. The first single came out on June 12th, and I’m super excited about it. It’s been a long time in the making, and I truly feel like I’m at a point where I can’t wait to share this with everybody. re-orders are up on my Bandcamp, and listeners can follow me at Agneya Music online.

For the past 15 years or so, across India, Canada, and Germany, I’ve been doing my best as a percussionist, drummer, and sideperson playing with a lot of different artists. Primarily, I’ve been playing African, Arabic, and South Asian music, and of course, a lot of jazz, funk, pop, and rock—a little bit of everything, you know how it goes, especially as a working drummer. I always found it incredible to just say yes to the gig and grow the music; it’s always been my philosophy. Some of the best drummers I look up to, especially here in Canada—Mark Kelso, Larnell Lewis—can do it all, and I was always inspired by that. I just wanted to play as much as possible for the longest time.

Up until recently, I was doing my master’s in Berlin at the University of the Arts. I was really fortunate to get a full scholarship and a grant to study there. Through that program and all of my travels, a lot of ideas, music, and unfinished charts I had from over the years started coming together. A big part of the project was my community of friends and musicians. About half of the songs on the album are co-written with very close friends of mine who are also amazing musicians. It truly came together in community. The album features about 14 or 15 musicians from around the world—people deeply connected to my story, my journey, and my music. People I respect a lot and have learned from.

There’s Rich Brown, an incredible bass player from Toronto who I got a chance to study with for a year as my private lesson teacher at Humber College. There’s Ingrid Jensen, a great Canadian trumpet player who lives in New York. We met in Norway at a workshop, and when I was about to record, I reached out to her; she was so kind and extremely generous with her time and support. James Hill, an incredible piano player and producer in Toronto, is a big part of it as well. My close friend, someone I grew up with, is Gandhar Amin, an incredible flute player. He plays the Indian bamboo flute, the bansuri, and he is a huge part of my music. In terms of acoustics, the vibe, and the sound, what he brings to the bansuri is impossible to find on a traditional Western horn.

It’s funny, I was able to spend some time with Béla Fleck backstage after his recent show in Toronto, and he said the first album is always a bit of a “variety show.” That’s really funny because it’s pretty much true in my case. I’ve worked so hard for it, and it’s a combination of many different parts of my life.

Track Spotlight: “It Began Before Words”

The album opens with a tune called “It Began Before Words,” a big, ambiguous groove in 11. The thought process was that even before the first song was sung, the heart was already beating, so there was rhythm even before language. It transitions into “Sonspiele Eins,” which is German for “interlude.” I wanted to open the record and immediately divert attention into this quick, cool groove—it’s just a pattern in 17 that comes and goes quickly.

Track Spotlight: “Teleology”

A highlight track is for sure “Teleology,” the first single. “Teleology” is the philosophical concept that everything is defined or driven by the purpose it serves. I was at a point in my life where I was trying to be very purposeful and intentional about my practice and writing. Through this journey, I realized that music and art do not have to be—and most often aren’t—purpose-driven. This song is about being present in the moment, sharing my joy through rhythms, and expressing it with a great group of collaborators.

Track Spotlight: “Keiko”

Another track I’m really proud of is “Keiko,” a wonderful Malinke West African folk melody. I was introduced to this through Mamady Keïta’s records. My former teacher and close friend, Varun Venkit, who runs Taal Inc. in India, learned this song directly from Mamady and introduced it to me. There was something about the playful nature of the song that reminded me of South Indian Carnatic korvai. I thought it would be crazy to put those two together, and it just worked out. It’s in seven, and it starts with the folk melody before going into this Carnatic korvai, over which Gandhar Amin wrote a wonderful melody. It features two wonderful vocalists from Toronto, Eliana Cuevas and Dominique Way. It wasn’t at all what I initially expected, but it’s one of the tunes I love most on the record.

I also want to mention the track that features Ingrid Jensen—an incredible trumpet-driven piece based on a five-over-two polyrhythm. The concept is that we’re always trying to feel settled as freelancers and musicians. I’m trying to find grounding and feel stable, but the groove doesn’t actually fit perfectly; the piece is about finding stability on uneven ground.

Track Spotlight: “To Hold On”

“To Hold On” is a drum chant I wrote when I was studying with Rich Brown. He’s one of the best electric bass players in the world, and his way of thinking about rhythm and music is very deep. He challenged me: “You’re a drummer, you have knowledge of multiple rhythmic traditions. Why don’t you try composing a different way? Don’t start with chords or melody; start with the chant, the grooves that feel good to you.” That is essentially how that piece came out. It features Rich on bass and voice, singing the chant at the beginning.

I always say that rhythm speaks many languages. For me, rhythm is a walking, talking, living entity. It speaks differently in South India than in West Africa, or in New Orleans than in the Balkans. The journey has been about connecting these dots. This album is my first “baby” in that sense; it’s about connection and community. I didn’t want to force a fusion for the sake of it—these are things deeply related to my lived experience that naturally evolved into compositions. I didn’t want to make explicitly raga-based melodies or show anything that isn’t genuinely me. We are such multifaceted people, and I just wanted the music to express that in a way that feels like my own.

Sounds Visual: Let’s take peek inside your crates and talk some of your favorite records.

Agneya: I have to start with Bada Boom by Ranjit Barot (EMI, 2010). If you grew up in India and had any inclination toward jazz, fusion, or any serious form of music, the drummer to watch was Ranjit Barot. He paved the way for all of us drummers and improvising musicians coming out of India. He has played with John McLaughlin and spent years studying with Zakir Hussain; he is India’s greatest gift to the drumming world. Bada Boom was the first true exploration of authenticity, combining all these different worlds without feeling like forced fusion. It directly influenced my theology of music.

Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled record (Epic, 1992). In the early 2000s, when MTV first came to India, I’d sneak into my brother’s room to listen to bands like Korn, Linkin Park, and Rage Against the Machine. Hearing Brad Wilk on that record made me want to play drums.

Moving back to improvised music and jazz, for me, the first stop was Spectrum by Billy Cobham (Atlantic, 1973). It still amazes me that it was recorded in 1973. It is so contemporary and musical. It was the first time a record by a drummer blew open the doors for me. The way he approached forms as rhythmic cycles, connected to his time with Mahavishnu Orchestra and Indian music, became a huge influence.

Nankama by Mamady Keïta (Fonti Musicali, 1992). We lost him a few years ago, but he was one of the greatest grandmasters of the djembe from Balandougou, Guinea. He spread the gospel of the djembe around the world, bringing out folk songs and traditions while creating modern arrangements. It blew my mind—the polyrhythmic stuff, the dances, the ensemble parts. Even on my record, I have an arrangement of John Coltrane’s “Naima” based on a West African groove.

I’ll end with The Seasons by Ben Wendel (Motéma Music, 2018). He released 12 different pieces over 12 months, and I think it’s incredible. His playing is so melodic and in the pocket. As a drummer, it would be a dream to play with him one day. In terms of melody and emotional expression, I think it’s a masterpiece.