Krantinaari & Charu Combine Songs Of Kumaoni Women With Kiss Nuka, Noni-mouse, MALFNKTION & More On 'FOLKSOUL'
29 October 2026
Over the past 2 years, Mumbai rapper Ashwini Hiremath aka Krantinaari and percussionist Charu Hariharan have dedicated themselves to the cause of documenting and platforming women's voices around the country – especially its remote parts. Equipped with a mobile recording studio created with the help of Manzil Mystics and supported by Monkey Shoulder and Worldwide.fm's grant, the pair's initiative Sounds of Women has travelled to Himalayan regions to capture the folk songs of Kumaoni women.
Earlier this year, the initiative released the first compilation from the endeavour with 'FOLKSOUL, VOL. 1' and featured the likes of Kiss Nuka, Raka Ashok, DJ Smokey and Dhir Mody alongside artists from Brazil, the UK, Nigeria, Mexico and the US exploring the folk recordings. Sounds of Women just released the second volume of their compilation, featuring OX7GEN, GoodMostlyBad, Malfnktion, Noni-mouse, and Krantinaari alongside the UK's Darama across 5 tracks.
In both volumes, Hemanti Devi's 'Aa Bhave' has prompted its collaborating producers to feature the vocal performance unobscured (previously via Noni-mouse and this time at the hands of GoodMostlyBad), subsequently giving the compilations' most sonically refreshing tracks. OX7GEN utilises Ganga Devi's 'Rav Chali' as a balmy contrast to his dark pounding percussion till their rhythms come together for a synergistic drop.
While the weakest moments of the compilation see the folk recordings treated as merely sources for samples, treated as any other sample, the bulk sees the artists juxtaposing their own musical worlds and finding points of connection. That looks like Raka Ashok's 2-step beat merging with Ganga Devi's 'Jaagar Garage', Darame's zany garage underscoring Hemanti Devi's 'Barse Din Ko' and Smokey adds an afrohouse polish to 'Chalaave Teer' by Bhartiya Sangeetalaya. Malfnktion, on the other hand, goes a little bit farther with his edit of Khasta Devi's 'Thala Kua' expounding some implicity rhythms for a syncopated local-meets-club dancefloor groove.
Listen to both the compilations below and follow Sounds of Women for more information.
Thumb image: Hemanti Devi // Header image: Krantinaari