Fusion Like No Other: Radiohead Boards the Rajasthan Express

In 2015, Jonny Greenwood stepped away from Radiohead’s circuitry and into the stone courtyard of Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. The guitarist who had reshaped rock with distortion pedals and orchestral flourishes arrived with little more than curiosity, openness, and the company of Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur.

Together they worked with Rajasthan Express, an ensemble of local brass players, percussionists, and vocalists steeped in centuries of devotional tradition. The result was Junun—an album whose title means both passion and madness, recorded amid the echoes of a 15th-century fortress.

Greenwood’s restraint defined the project. He let the music breathe: qawwalis spilling over with fervour, brass fanfares rising like desert processions, rhythms rushing with loose exhilaration. Imperfections were left intact—the cracked notes and uneven timings, he felt, gave the music life. This was no conventional fusion, but a surrender to place and tradition, guided more by trust than control.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s film of the same name mirrors this honesty. Shot largely on handheld cameras and Nigel Godrich’s drone, it resembles a travel diary more than a polished documentary. No cutaway interviews, no context-setting. Just instruments being tuned, voices finding pitch, and light shifting across sandstone walls—an immersion in the act of music itself.

For Radiohead’s audience, Junun was a revelation. Greenwood appeared without a guitar, first as listener, then participant, and finally composer. Lyrics moved between Hebrew, Urdu, and Hindi—languages kept distinct yet woven together, defying the easy label of “world music.”

Junun opened for Radiohead during the A Moon Shaped Pool tour, startling arenas full of fans expecting familiar anthems with a rush of brass and hand percussion from Jodhpur. In London, a gallery exhibition of photographs and film from the sessions was paired with an intimate Rajasthan Express performance, closing the circle between India and the West in a setting far removed from the desert fort where it began.

Allah Elohim 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express

Chala Vahi Des (Early Rehearsal) 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express

Hu  

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express

Junun ( Live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express

Kalandar 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express 

Julus (Live)

Shye Ben Tzur and The Rajasthan Express

Ahuvi 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express

Modeh 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express 

Roked 

Shye Ben Tzur, Johnny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express

Junun ( Official Trailer)

Johnny Greenwood on ‘Junun’

Johnny Greenwood on Working  with Shya Ben Tzur and The Rajasthan Express