Antariksh hits a hat-trick of global guitar collaborations with Iltija featuring Jack Gardiner

Mumbai, 20^th May 2026: After a successful US tour in 2025 Indian rock act Antariksh is moving ahead with speed and purpose. The Delhi-based project has been steadily building momentum with a string of releases tied to a rather personal concept album called Rehguzar, which they plan to unveil song by song through 2026. At the heart of the album is a tribute to courage: the everyday resilience shown by artists and creators. 

The year began strongly for Antariksh with Naaqis, released in February 2026. The track featured Polish progressive rock guitarist Jakub Zytecki along with sarangi player Momin Khan. Now, the band is back with its May release, Iltija, featuring acclaimed English guitarist Jack Gardiner, making it Antariksh’s 3rd major collaboration with internationally known guitar virtuosos and something of a hat-trick for the Delhi-based act. 

Their very first and much talked-about collaboration titled Quest with ex Megadeth guitar legend Marty Friedman was released in 2021. “The fact that three immensely unique and extraordinary guitar geniuses from different corners of the world connected with these songs and felt inspired to play on them means everything to me,” says Antariksh frontman and composer Varun Rajput. Interestingly, Antariksh had already shared a stage connection with Gardiner much before the song’s release date. The band opened for the Switzerland-based guitarist during his maiden India tour in March 2026. 

Stream Iltija here:

Bringing Gardiner on board felt natural for Rajput. “For Iltija, I wanted someone who could add a different colour and dimension to the song but also completely tear the song open as that’s what the part called for — someone with great phrasing and an incredible musical vocabulary.” Having followed Gardiner’s work for nearly five years, he felt the guitarist was the perfect fit. A message through mutual friend Karan Mehta quickly turned into a collab. “He responded instantly and graciously agreed to play on it. And did he deliver? It’s an absolute monster of a solo,” he adds.

Sonically, Iltija unfolds through a dynamic rock soundscape that tries to balance restraint with intensity. Jack Gardiner’s blistering guitar solo literally breaks the song open and then takes it up a notch. At its core, Iltija is a quiet conversation with oneself. The song speaks about choosing humility, discipline and focus over anger and distraction. Within the larger story of Rehguzar, it marks a difficult turning point: the moment when someone slowly begins the climb back up. That emotional journey also shapes the music video, which reaches a crescendo at the climax. The central character, weighed down at first, pushes himself to stop hating, lower his ego and focus on the work ahead.

Antariksh describes itself as the sound of a new India, bold, relentless, and genre-defying. Founded by composer-producer Varun Rajput, the band blends the raw energy of rock with the soul of Hindustani and Carnatic music, layered with modern pop and electronic textures.