Karsh Kale (Marathi: ???? ???? Kursh Kah-lay ) is an Indian American producer, composer and musician, known for melding Indian music with the modern electronic club music of his American upbringing.

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Biography

Growing up in Stony Brook, New York, Kale showed significant promise as a traditional drummer as well as an Indian percussionist from an early age. While still attending high school, he played in a number of local bands, specializing in classic rock especially with a bent towards progressive groups such as Rush and Kansas.

Career

Kale spent his early years in New York City. He often played tabla with Vishal Bakshi (Vishal Vaid) and Brent Arnesen. He also formed a band named 'Bhoom Shankar" with long time allies Ajay Naidu, Shahid Siddiqui and Vishal Vaid. Though they did not release anything officially but the Bhoom Shankar and Future Proof (monthly party started by Kale at Joe's in NYC) happened to be the early sounds of "Asian Massive" referred as a Sub-Genre of Electronica.

Kale is also a member of Tabla Beat Science, an "Asian Underground" type of group. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as the Madras Cinematic Orchestra and tabla masters, such as Zakir Hussain. One of his most famous compositions was entitled "Milan", named after his daughter, whose Sanskrit name means "meeting of two".

He has become a mainstay in Six Degrees Records' expanding series of compilation CDs of which six have been released so far.

Kale's third studio release, titled Broken English was released in the US on March 21, 2006 also under the Six Degrees Records label.

Kale is currently composing the original score for the film ODE (2007) based on the novel Ode to Lata by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla.

Two of Karsh's songs, "Distance" and "One Step Beyond", were included in the Sample Music package of Windows Vista.

Musical Style

Kale often creates a unique blend of Indian percussion with techno music and drum & bass. Kale's compositions are often strident, loud, and energetic; they are heavy on the percussion and more focused on instrumental arrangements than vocals. In the style of Indian Fusion he is closer to Talvin Singh or State of Bengal than Bally Sagoo or Bill Laswell.

Collaborations

Kale is a prolific artist, willing to lend a hand, and drum, to a range of musicians from Herbie Hancock to DJ Spooky. He has collaborated with many well-known artists, including Bill Laswell, Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu, Talvin Singh, Midival Punditz and Eddie Kowalczyk, among others.

In 2007, he collaborated with Anoushka Shankar to create Breathing Under Water ^[1], that blends Indian classical, electronica, dance and folk music.

Discography

Albums

• Realize, Six Degrees Records (2001)
• Redesign: Realize Remixed, Six Degrees Records (2002)
• Liberation, Six Degrees Records (2003)
• Broken English, Six Degrees Records (2006)
• Breathing Under Water (joint release with Anoushka Shankar), Blue Note Label Group (2007)

Compilations

• Shalom, The Missing Peace vol. 2 (Times Music 2006)
• Traveler 06 (Six Degrees Records 2006)
• Shalom, The Missing Peace (Times Music 2005)
• An Evening with Ryukyu Underground (Respect Records 2005)
• STS9 Artifact Perspectives (System Recordings 2005)
• Tandava (Sounds True 2005)
• Perfecto Chills 1 (Perfecto 2004)
• Dakini Nights (Dakini Records 2004)
• Roots RMXD (Perfecto 2004)
• Ryukyu Underground Remixed (Respect Records 2004)
• Sky Dancing: Nada Masala 3 (Dakini Records 2004)
• The Classical Indian Collection (Outcaste Records 2003)
• Asana 3: Peaceful Heart (Meta Records 2003)
• Axiom: Reconstructions and Vexations (Axiom 2003)
• STOMP [ost] (Six Degrees Records 2002)
• Asian Massive (Six Degrees Records 2002)
• Asian Travels 2 (Six Degrees Records 2002)
• Traveler 02 (Six Degrees Records 2002)
• Geosonic Grooves (NuTone Records 2001)
• Arabian Travels (Six Degrees Records 2001)
• Traveler 01 (Six Degrees Records 2001)
• Subliminal Minded (Bar None Records 1999)
• Urban Tap (Giant Step Records 1999)
• This Is Home Entertainment (Liquid Sky 1996)

EPs

• Bright Like This (Mighty Junn Records, 1999)
• Classical Science Fiction from India, Mighty Junn Music (2000)
• Play (Mighty Junn Records, 1999)
• Pause (Mighty Junn Records, 1999)
• Back Seat Lavni (Mighty Junn Records, 1999)
• Distance Remixes (Six Degrees Records, 2000)
• Beautiful Remixes EP (Six Degrees Records, 2007)
• Manifest Remixes EP (Six Degrees Records, 2006)

Remixes

Kale has remixed:

• Cheb i Sabbah
• Anoushka Shankar
• Sting
• MIDIval Punditz
• Paula Cole
• Prem Joshua
• Rohan

Kale has been remixed by:

• Bill Laswell
• MIDIval Punditz
• Yossi Fine
• Banco de Gaia
• Gaurav Raina
• DK Pyar
• Navdeep
• DJ Spooky
• Ming and FS
• Bone Cruise
• i.N.D.I.aN.S. The Band

See also

• Indian pop

References

1. Anoushka and Ravi Shankar: A Father and Daughter Reunion