Somni [2LP]

Snarky Puppy - Somni [2LP]

Somni is the second collaboration between Snarky Puppy and the Netherlands' Metropole Orkest, arriving November 21, 2025 via GroundUP Music. Recorded live in Utrecht, it reunites the GRAMMY-winning groups a decade after their acclaimed first project, Sylva. While Sylva explored the natural world, Somni - named after the Catalan word for "dream" - dives inward, inspired by Michael League's month of solitary writing in rural Japan. The result is a sweeping, genre-blending orchestral journey through the subconscious. With over 50 musicians, including four drummers, Somni channels the adventurous spirit and emotional depth that define both ensembles.

Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 25 members in regular rotation. They each maintain busy schedules as sidemen (with such artists as Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and D'Angelo), producers (for Kirk Franklin, David Crosby, and Salif Keita), and solo artists (many of whom are on the band's indy label, GroundUP Music). At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. Japan, Argentina, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico all have representation in the group's membership. But more than the cultural diversity of the individual players, the defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy's music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively.

The band was formed by bassist and primary composer Michael League in 2003, starting inconspicuously enough as a group of college friends at the University of North Texas' Jazz Studies program. Three years later, a serendipitous intersection with the Dallas gospel and R&B community in Dallas transformed the music into something funkier, more direct, and more visceral. It was at this time that the group absorbed musicians like Robert "Sput" Searight (drums), Shaun Martin (keyboards), and Bobby Sparks (keyboards), and were heavily influenced by legendary keyboardist Bernard Wright (Miles Davis, Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller).

 Tracklist
Disc 1
Waves Upon Waves
As You Are But Not As You Were
Chimera
Between Worlds
Disc 2
Recurrent
Drift
One Here and Nowhere Else
It Stays With You