Take basic Indian rhythms, throw in some reggae and jazz, mix in some folk and pop, season with some ragas and rock and the result is better than you might imagine. Well, Indian Ocean’s loyal following think so, anyway.

The quartet from Delhi have refused to have their unique sound branded, defined or categorised. Not an easy thing to do, anyway, since many listeners and music critics agree that there has never been anything quite like Indian Ocean before. With traditional Indian hymns, chants and poetry incorporated into contemporary arrangements, their music is strikingly original and fresh.

In their 13 years of existence (during which time members have come and gone), the group have released three successful albums: Indian Ocean, Desert Rain and Kandisa. It was Desert Rain, a blend of Indian and Western contemporary music, that helped raise their international profile. The latest, Kandisa, an intriguing compilation of selected lyrics in Hindi, Kashmiri, Bengali, Aramaic and Bhilaili (“Language is not a barrier … they sing in just about any language they feel like …” declares Indian Ocean’s website), received a five-star rating from the Times of India.

Indian Ocean’s current line-up is Sushmit Sen (guitar and vocals), Asheem Chakravarty (tabla and tarang percussion and vocals), Rahul Ram (bass guitar and vocals) and Amit Kilam (drums, percussion, gabgubi, flute and vocals). They played to sold-out houses, standing ovations and rave reviews at last year’s New Zealand Festival in Wellington.