Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on January 3, 2026
The album has earned a 2026 Grammy nomination
From the moment Shakti first emerged in New York’s Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, the group existed to dissolve boundaries—between East and West, rhythm and melody, intellect and spirit. Fifty years later, that same philosophy guides Mind Explosion: 50th Anniversary Tour Live, a luminous and deeply moving final statement from one of modern music’s most influential and uncategorizable ensembles.
Recorded during Shakti’s 2023 fiftieth anniversary tour and released on July 26, 2025 via Abstract Logix, Mind Explosion captures the band in full creative flight—alive, searching, and profoundly connected. The album has earned a 2026 Grammy nomination, recognizing not only its technical mastery but its spiritual and emotional resonance.
Rather than commemorating their anniversary with retrospection alone, Shakti chose forward motion. The group released This Moment, their first studio album in more than 45 years—and a GRAMMY Award winner—and embarked on an ambitious international tour across India, Europe, and the United States. Each night reaffirmed Shakti’s enduring relevance, with opening sets from longtime admirers Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Bill Frisell, and John Scofield underscoring the band’s immense influence across musical worlds.
Then, as plans were forming for future performances, tragedy arrived. On December 15, 2024, tabla master and Shakti co-founder Zakir Hussain passed away. “A curtain came down on a monumental part of my life,” reflected guitarist and composer John McLaughlin, who had shared more than five decades of music, travel, and brotherhood with Hussain.
The loss marked the end of Shakti as a living, touring entity—but not the end of its voice. In honor of Hussain’s immeasurable contributions as a musician, collaborator, and bridge between cultures, the remaining members prepared one final offering. Mind Explosion stands as both farewell and celebration, preserving the spirit of a group whose music always pointed toward unity.
Featuring the final Shakti lineup—John McLaughlin (guitar, guitar synth), Zakir Hussain (tabla), vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram—the album spans the full arc of the band’s history. Early classics like “Lotus Feet” sit alongside expansive interpretations of newer compositions such as “Shrini’s Dream” and “Giriraj Sudha,” revealing a continuum rather than a contrast between eras.
Recorded across multiple performances on the anniversary tour, the material was carefully curated by McLaughlin and co-producer Vinayakram from dozens of recorded shows. The presence of audiences—many encountering Shakti for the first time—adds urgency and electricity, sharpening the fiery passages while deepening the music’s quieter, devotional moments.
For Mahadevan, who joined Shakti more than two decades ago, the group represented something beyond a band. “It was like being in a musical university of life,” he has said—an environment where soul, precision, complexity, and joy coexisted without hierarchy.
The title Mind Explosion carries layered meaning. McLaughlin likens it to the Sanskrit concept of nirvana—not merely astonishment, but a state of overwhelming bliss. That feeling courses through the recording. The music is rigorous yet generous, ecstatic yet grounded, infused with the camaraderie and mutual listening that defined Shakti from the beginning.
As a final live document, Mind Explosion does more than honor Zakir Hussain’s boundless innovation and humanity. It affirms Shakti’s core belief: that music, when approached with openness and devotion, can reveal oneness within diversity. In McLaughlin’s words, it is their greatest achievement—and a fitting last transmission from a group that changed the sound of global music forever.
Kiki (9:09)
Giriraj Sudha (15:08)
Lotus Feet (7:35)
5 in the Morning, 6 in the Afternoon (8:30)
Sakhi (4:45)
Shrini’s Dream (12:25)
John McLaughlin – Guitar, Guitar Synth
Zakir Hussain – Tabla, Konokol
Shankar Mahadevan – Vocals, Konokol
Ganesh Rajagopalan – Violin, Konokol
Selvaganesh Vinayakram – Kanjira, Mridangam, Ghatam, Konokol
