On her beautiful debut album Double Lives, Glasgow-based artist, poet and activist Diljeet Kaur Bhachu explores ancestry, heritage and identity, weaving poetry, Hindustani classical and electronics into a tapestry of improvisation and pre-composed material. A collaborator with Carnatic guitar maestro Kapil Seshasayee and Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, the classically trained flautist has also worked with poets Roshni Gallagher and Lisa Fannen, informing her approach on the album. ‘I had a sense of wanting to create soundscapes around the words,’ she says. ‘And John Cavanagh worked his magic to realise the ideas on the production.’

On ‘Another Life’, Bhachu incorporates Hindustani classical music, singing over harmonium. ‘Thinking about my heritage, it made perfect sense to bring it into the album after trying a few things out live over the past year: the drones and some familiar melodies from my upbringing in the Sikh musical tradition. I sought advice from my teacher Ranjana Ghatak and looked at how other artists have incorporated the tradition into their practices. With “Another Life” I knew I wanted to incorporate the lyrics: the Panjabi words translate as “in another life, what could have been”, and the raag that I’m using is one I felt evoked feelings of loss and longing.’

On ‘India Is A Mother, Twice Removed’, Bhachu’s flute improvisation draws on motifs from her studies. ‘I didn’t intentionally pick a raag, which feels fitting for the thematic ideas behind the track, of a somewhat disjointed connection to a heritage and tradition.’

Diljeet Kaur Bhachu performers at The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh, Friday 21 March, as part of Novus; main picture: Seth Monchev.