MUSICAL ALCHEMY

Turning Jewels Into Water, a deep-beat ceremonial think tank, unites Indian-born percussionist Ravish Momin and experimental Haitian electronic artist Val Jeanty. Together, they expose the dystopian present with a blast of retro-future, organic-meets-machine binary breakdown. Their debut Which Way Is Home? plots a liberated path through it all.

The alliance was initiated in the fall of last year in Brooklyn, NY, during a jam session at Pioneer Works, the creative locus for prime multi-disciplinary misadventure, where Momin held down an artist-in-residence slot. The two are the co-pilots of an enchanted émigré vessel, carrying a belly full of outcasts looking for new worlds, wishing away the past for a fresh beginning: Momin sourcing Indian, North African and Middle-Eastern traditions, liberated artefacts from a childhood spent in Mumbai and Bahrain, as Jeanty draws on her native vodou, communicating in cosmic pulse and sine wave from behind the command centre of her turntables.

Name: Ravish Momin. Ravish comes from the Persian “Ra” meaning  sun and means “something that revolves around the sun”.

Currently: I am a full time drummer/electronic musician/educator. favourite colour: Prussian blue.

Favourite designer: Robert James (NYC).

Favourite Bollywood star: Gosh, stopped following Bollywood after I left India, but I’ll go old school and say Dev Anand!

Favourite Hollywood star: Mahershala Ali.

Favourite movie: Il Postino.

Favourite singers: Diamanda Galas, Marvin Gaye, Prince.

Favourite song:  A Forest by The Cure.

Favourite TV show: Don’t watch TV.

Favourite ice cream flavour: Dark chocolate.

Favourite cuisine:  Tibetan.

Favourite restaurant: Pongal (in NYC).

Favourite sport: Tennis.

Favourite sportsperson: Serena Williams.

Favourite book: Blindness by Jose Saramago.

Favourite activity: Playing drums.

I hang out:  In Brooklyn, NY.

I’m freaked out by: Centipedes.

I need: To practise more!

I want to be: Mindful of my impact on the environment.

My role model: Prince. An incredibly well-rounded musician and composer, he also used his wealth and influence to give back to the community.

Tips to save the planet: Eat less meat!

In a perfect world: People of colour would have the same opportunities as white folk.

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