Jasdeep Singh Degun announces first Indian classical album Jogkauns

The album is structured as a traditional Indian classical concert, presenting the entirety of the music within a single raag — Raag Jogkauns, a relatively modern evening raag that combines the moods of Raag Jog and Raag Malkauns. The result is a performance that unfolds organically, balancing improvisation with careful attention to the arc of melody and rhythm.

“Playing a purely Indian classical record is very different from my previous projects,” Degun explains. “There’s no hiding place — every note, every resonance is exposed. But it’s incredibly freeing.” After his multi-award-winning 2022 debut Anomaly, where the sitar interacted with bass, drums, piano, and string sections, Degun returns to the foundation of his musical training. This record is his opportunity to reconnect with the pure, improvisational language of Indian classical music, which remains the core of his artistry.

On Jogkauns, Degun and Bahra perform in a single, continuous flow, captured in meticulous detail by engineer James Turner. Real World Studios’ microphones reveal every subtlety of the sitar’s resonances: the shimmer of sympathetic strings, the attack of the mizrab on metal strings, the drone of the tanpura, and the dynamic interplay between sitar and tabla. Degun’s training in the gayaki ang tradition of Ustad Vilayat Khan — a style that emulates the human voice on the sitar — informs the lyrical phrasing, string bends, and the nuanced dialogue between instrument and percussion.

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Degun reflects on the influence of his guru, Ustad Dharambir Singh, a pupil of Ustad Vilayat Khan: “He shows me how big the music is. It’s humbling because you can just go on and on, it’s limitless. You practice, practice, practice, but when you’re playing a concert – or going for a take – you have to be completely open to whatever happens and not try to impose something rigid or prefabricated. You’re not adding to the tradition, you’re just dipping in to its vastness.”

The album opens with the Alaap, Jor, and Jhalla on Side A — a slow unfolding that introduces the raag, gradually building a pulse and then accelerating into complex patterns of rhythm and melody. Side B features Vilambit and Drut sections, with extended improvisation alongside Bahra’s tabla, including high-speed melodic runs (taans), choot taans, and a virtuosic closing tihayee. The album captures a single, timeless moment of musical creation yet resonates with the centuries-long history of the sitar.

Jogkauns is a celebration of tradition and innovation, a record where ancient melodic frameworks meet contemporary recording techniques. It offers listeners an intimate and expansive journey into the sonic world of one of the UK’s most accomplished young sitarists. 

Tour Dates

14 OCT 2025 SCHLESWIG A. P. Møller Skolen *
15 OCT 2025 FLENSBURG Deutsches Haus *
16 OCT 2025 HEIDE Stadttheater *
17 OCT 2025 RENDSBURG Stadttheater *
31 OCT 2025 LEEDS Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall
13 NOV 2025 DONCASTER Cast
14 NOV 2025 LONDON Kings Place
21 NOV 2025 GENEVA Bâtiment des Forces Motrices †
28 NOV 2025 TAMPERE Tampere-talo Oy ‡
30 JAN 2026 LONDON Southbank Centre §

Performances of ‘Arya: concerto for sitar and orchestra’
* With the Schleswig-Holstein Symphony Orchestra
† With the Geneva Camerata
‡ With the Tampere Filharmonia
§ With Chineke! Orchestra

Jogkauns is out 14 November 2025 on Real World Records, available on CD, LP and digitally. Jasdeep will be on tour throughout the autumn and winter presenting his orchestral work ‘Arya: concerto for sitar and orchestra’ alongside Indian classical recitals. The album will be celebrated with a special launch concert at Kings Place, London on the release night.

Pre-order the album