ARTIST:  Mishra with Deep Shakthi

ALBUM RELEASE: Turn O Spinning Wheel

RELEASE DATE: 17 October 2025

October Global-folk band Mishra announces the release of Turn O Spinning Wheel, their first album in collaboration with Indian classical/sufi vocalist Deepa Shakthi. With the soul-stirring euphoria of Shakthi’s Sufi singing, it deftly weaves the threads of Mishra’s English folk sound and Indian classical influences, creating a captivating cross-cultural sound. Founded as a duo with Kate Griffin on banjo and vocals and Ford Collier on low whistle and percussion, Mishra makes good the assertion that British folk music can incorporate multicultural threads into its evolving tapestry and be stronger for it. Turn O Spinning Wheel will be released on 17th October and accompanied by a UK tour.

The collaboration between Mishra and Shakthi began with an Arts Council Funded UK tour in 2023, during which they developed the material for their new album. A vibrant amalgam of folk influences from around the UK and India, Turn O Spinning Wheel sets out to reimagine the boundaries of UK folk music using Indian classical rhythmic and melodic concepts. It features new arrangements of classic qawwali, punjabi folk, and traditional English songs as well as new compositions that highlight dialogues of contemporary female experience between the group’s lead singers, Griffin and Shakthi. Time has been spent carefully creating a richly textured sound that matches the energy of their live performances through vibrant percussive and melodic layers. While previous albums were produced solely by Mishra’s own Kate Griffin and Ford Colier, Turn O Spinning Wheel brings in Stuart McCallum (Cinematic Orchestra, The Breath) as an additional producer to refocus and sharpen their ideas, leading to an album that combines tight, concise arrangements with the trance-like potency of a qawwali performance.

Formed in 2018, Mishra is a collective of musicians known for forging a distinctive path through music rooted in diverse traditions. They have released two acclaimed albums, The Loft Tapes and Reclaim, and are winners of Celtic Connections’ prestigious Danny Kyle Award. Joining Griffin and Collier is John Ball (Rafiki Jazz) on tabla and santoor, Joss Mann-Hazell (Auka) on double bass, and Alex Lyon on clarinets and vocals.

Deepa Shakthi is an award-winning composer and vocalist with over 30 years’ experience in Indian music and cross-genre collaboration. Known for her work in Indian classical, semi-classical, rock fusion, and Sufi music, she has earned acclaim in both the UK and India. Raised in London listening to South Indian devotional music she moved to India at six before returning to study Western music.  Her career spans international performances, recordings, and collaborations with artists that include pioneering Bhangra musician Kuljit Bhamra, Opera North and George Harrison and Ravi Shankar on their 1996 album Chants of India.