Kazakh-British violinist and composer Galya Bisengalieva plays music from her debut album Aralkum (released on Björk’s One Little Independent record label.) Aralkum is named after the desert that exists where the Aral Sea between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to be, which used to be the world’s  fourth largest lake, but has been catastrophically shrinking due to irrigation and drought.

Bisengalieva has worked on albums by Radiohead and Frank Ocean, as well as Thom Yorke’s soundtrack to the remake of Suspiria. On Aralkum, her violin and vocals, combined with electronics swirl and rumble ominously, suggesting impending doom. She joins us from her home in London for the Soundcheck Podcast.

"Aralkum":

"Kantubek":