Two master musicians find new common ground between the Maghreb, Saharan desert and delta blues, Mediterranean melody, the taranta of Puglia in South Italy and rocking soul. By turns powerful and intricate, all is linked to their fascination with trance rhythms.

Justin Adams, guitarist, producer and composer, has been a chief collaborator with Robert Plant in his band, the Sensational Spaceshifters, co-writing a series of 4 albums and touring the world. His production on landmark albums by Tinariwen and Rachid Taha highlight his feel for North African groove, while his award-winning project with Gambian maestro Juldeh Camara, JUJU, linked griot tradition with raw blues spirit. His recent solo album of guitar atmospherics, Ribbons, was cited amongst the top 50 albums of the past decade by Songlines magazine.

Mauro Durante toured the world for many years with Ludovico Einaudi playing violin and frame drums. He is one of the leading players in the pizzica style of Southern Italy and leads Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, who have played great festivals all over the world. Last year CSG were featured in their own concert at the BBC Proms (where Justin Adams guested with them) and they won Best Group in the Songlines Music Awards.

This new collaboration stems from a concert led by Ludovico Einaudi, the Notte della Taranta in Puglia, where the two first played together, recognising kindred spirits in the trance rhythms of Taranta which transcend “melancolia” or the blues. Together they create a raw, stripped-back sound that moves and mesmerises.

In a year when movement was restricted as never before, two musicians whose travels have been their lifeblood, managed to get together to make an intense and intimate record Still Moving. Justin Adams, whose post-punk approach has been enriched by a passion for Arabic and African trance/blues, and Mauro Durante, a visionary inheritor of the Taranta roots of his native Puglia recorded live in the studio, without overdubs. Together they found what was essential to their common sound, reaching into tradition from Italy (folk songs like Damme Nu Ricciu, classics like Amara Terra Mia) and America (Little Moses, the Carter Family classic). Original songs, like Dark Road Down find common ground between the wild pizzica rhythm of Southern Italy and trance boogie, while Djinn Pulse goes from serene instrumental minimalism to hypnotic catharsis. The title song Still Moving evokes Mediterranean migrations as Odyssean trials, with ancient frame drum and raw electric guitar providing a starkly beautiful landscape.