(Pronounced Kursh Kah-lay)
Born in England and raised in the US, Karsh Kale’s music combines subtle ambient melodies and smooth bass lines with various eastern musical influences. He pieces together fluid melodies and unique samples with his own beats on the tablas to form seamless, transcendental hybrids. Everything from Punjabi wailing, sarangi, Indian folk, bamboo flutes and bollywoodesque duets are incorporated into refreshing and sometimes crisp tracks. The flowing tablas and basslines never overpower the delicate vocals and chants in his works. From south Asian sitars to western rock, Kale looks far and wide for new sources to inject into his musical entourage while evolving his own genre of electronic music.
Being born to Indian parents has heavily influenced Kale’s approach to music, which is akin to a classical raga performance. Kale creates his music similar to the way an Indian musician would with the emphasis being on the artists ability to reinterpret existing works and ideas.
“Kale does more than simply incorporate Indian folk and classical elements into electronica, he actually approaches the songs the way an Indian musician would. "The songs on the record were created to be performed," he says, "and we treat them the way Indian musicians traditionally do - looking at the songs as a repertoire that can be reinterpreted. So a bhajan (a type of Indian folk song) can be a drum'n'bass tune and vice versa." The song "Saajana," for example, is written in the bhajan style and grooves along in a modern, electronically-enhanced re-creation of the trancey rhythms of Indian folk music. On it Indian singer Vishal Vaid spins a lovely tune with synthesizer, piano, and drum programming accompaniment. Like much of Realize, the song suggests that the same things that make a hit in Bengal make for a club favesic in New York - namely, a strong beat and a great melody.”1
This approach to music allows harmonious collaborations between Kale and different artists. Midival Punditz, Banco de Gaia and DJ Spooky are some of the few who have “reinterpreted” his work. By blending their styles into the already rich landscapes of Kale’s work, they keep the pieces growing, adding another limb to music that seems to be alive and evolving.
Kale’s collaborations with highly respected music artists are not uncommon. Kale has fused together with such artists as Shahid Siddiqui, Hassan Hakmoun, Sting, Zakir Hussain, Bill Laswell, Ustad Sultan, Khan, Pharoah Sanders, Baaba Maal, Herbie Hancock, Craig David and Vishal Vaid to produce some incredible compositions. Other projects include drumming in Tabla Beat Science and appearing on compilations such as Arabian travels and Earth N Bass.
Discography:
Produced Material
- 2003 Karsh Kale: Liberation
- 2003 Karsh Kale: Asian Massive
- 2003 Karsh Kale: Redesign
- 2002 Tabla Beat Science: Live at Stern Grove
- 2001 Karsh Kale: Distance (Remixes)
- 2001 Karsh Kale: Realize
- 2001 Tabla Beat Science: Tala Matrix
- 1999 Karsh Kale: Classical Science Fiction
- 1999 Karsh Kale: Bright Like this E.P
- 1999 Karsh Kale: Back Seat Lavni E.P
- 1999 Karsh Kale: Play
- 1999 The Bell: Bell
- 1998 Karsh Kale: Paus
- 1998 Bohm Shankar: Lost in the Translation
Featured Compilations
- 2003 Phat Global
- 2003 Traveler 03
- 2003 Axiom: Reconstructions and Vexations
- 2002 Asian Massive
- 2002 Earth N Bass
- 2002 Asian Chill
- 2002 Karsh Kale Redesign
- 2002 Sussan Dehim/Bill Laswell: Shy Angels
- 2002 VIP Champs Elises
- 2002 Guru Aiya Napa
- 2002 Asian Travels 2
- 2002 Traveler 02
- 2001 Geosonic Grooves
- 2001 Arabian Travels
- 2001 Asana 2: Meditation
- 2001 Traveler 01
- 1999 DJ Spooky Subliminal Minded
- 1999 Urban Tap: Giant Step
- 1999 This is Home Entertainment
Sessions and Collaborations
- 2003 Dave Douglas: Freak In
- 2003 Lili Hayden
- 2002 MIDival PunditZ: MIDival PunditZ
- 2002 Cheb I Sabbah: Krishna Lila
- 2002 Ming and FS Subway: Stories
- 2002 Sussan Dehim/ Bill Laswell: Shy Angels
- 2001 Bill Laswell: Points of Order
- 2001 Gigi: Gigi
- 2001 Herbie Hancock: Future2Future
- 2001 Jah Wobble: A Dub Transmission
- 2001 Talvin Singh: Ha
- 2000 Amel Larrioux: Infinite Possibilities
- 2000 Bill Laswell: Dub Chamber
- 2000 DJ Logic: Project Logic
- 2000 SussanDeyhim: Madman of God
- 1999 Aaron Goldberg: Turning Point
- 1999 Arto Lindsay: Prize
- 1999 DJ Spooky: Subliminal Minded
- 1999 Ming and FS: OmZone
- 1999 Urban Tap: Giant Step
- 1998 Badwi: Jeruselem Under Fire
- 1998 DJ Spooky: Riddim Warfare
- 1998 DJ Spooky: Synthetic Fury EP
- 1997 DJ Spooky: Viral Sonata
Remixes
- 2003 DJ Spooky: Dubtometry (Optometry Remixes)
- 2002 Shafaatullah Khan: India
- 2002 Joy Askew: Got You Under My Skin (Stompin in the Rain Mix)
- 2002 Herbie Hancock: Rock It
- 2002 Cheb I Sabbah: Rupa Tujhe Deva (Gopi Girl Mix)
- 2002 Cheb I Sabbah: Rupa Tujhe Deva (Trip-Hop Mix)
- 2001 Gigi: Guramaile Remix
- 2001 Tabla Beat Science: Sacred Channel (Exhail a Lehra Mix)
- 2001 Craig David: 7 Days (Sun up 2 Sun Down Mix
)
- 2001 Lo'Jo: Jah Has Kool Boy
- 2001 Manu Chao: La Primavera (Bumbala Mix)
- 2000 The Cure: 39
- 2000 Amel Larrioux: Get Up Epic
- 2000 Alms For Shanti: Pahdi Remix
- 2000 Hassan Hakmoun: Layla (Jungle Mix)
- 2000 Paula Cole: I Believe In Love (Boy-N-C Mix)
- 2000 Paula Cole: I Believe In Love (Ayaz Mix)
- 2000 Sting: A Thousand Years
- 1999 Baaba Maal: Loodo Palm Pictures
- 1999 DJ Spooky: Futureproof in Zaire KK Jungle Remix Bar None Records
http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/travelseries/artists/karshkale/ 1
http://www.karshkale.com
I have been unable to locate any other personal information. I am trying to schedule an email interview but have yet to get a reply. If you have any information on Karsh Kale please message me.
Update: I just recieved the responses to my interview questions from Karsh Kale. You can find them here.