The journey of ancient sounds

The Nala Collective is the creative meeting place of Justin Narayana Smith and Lalita Yagnik. Together they create captivating sonic landscapes utilising culturally diverse instruments and potent melodic and rhythmic elements.
Queensland local Justin plays Sitar, Santoor and Guitar in the collective. He is mainly influenced by Persian and Indian traditional music. A musical soul he has been playing and performing a vast array of drums and percussion, since he was 5.
Lalita plays Pandeiro and percussion/vocals in the collective. Indian by birth she has spent years in Brazil exploring the Coco and Afoxé traditions. The unstoppable Lalita has continued this exploration in Australia and is constantly sharing her musical love for Maracatu, Samba and Forró. The most famous Indian Drum, the Tabla, has caught her interest in recent times, connecting her to the roots of her Motherland.
Together they combine Eastern, Indian and Brazilian musical traditions, creating a unique fusion of sounds that evokes a full spectrum of feelings and sensations.. The sitar's melodic and resonant tones create a meditative and contemplative atmosphere whilst the beat of the Pandeiro keeps the music firmly rooted in the ground.
Lalita and Justin are the core members of the collective that expands where necessary into larger configurations. However this central meeting place of the duo creates a very whole and rich sonic experience, where a vast range of human experience is explored. From curiosity to joy, from serene beauty to barrelling grooves, this is cross-cultural musical exploration at it’s finest.