|
Taken from India Today (July 23, 2017)
Karsh Kale explores the electronic sounds of tabla
Indian-American musician Karsh Kale discovers the possibilities of playing the tabla with an electronic sound.
by Srijani Ganguly
Karsh Kale in studio. Picture courtesy: Mail Today |
For a while now, Red Bull Music Academy has been taking viewers into the minds of musical geniuses through its 'Studio Science' series. Disclosure, Four Tet and Suzanne Ciani have all been featured on the series, with the newest entrant to this group being New York-based multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale.
The episode, which can be viewed on YouTube, is focused on giving an electronic touch to the sounds of the tabla.
Kale explains the technicality of it all, before putting it to use in a jam session with the Karsh Kale Collective. The group performs two songs - 'Up' from the 2016 album by the same name and 'Unkahi', a song by Delhi duo Shadow & Light. The musicians that make up the Collective, in the episode, are guitarist Warren Mendonsa of Blackstratblues, flute player Ajay Prasanna, Jai Row Kavi on drums, Karan Deshmukh on percussions, Apeksha Dandekar on vocals, Nathan Thomas on bass and Delhi-based live act Shadow & Light (Anindo and Pavithra).
"The episode," says Kale, "is my take on representing the tabla in an electronic context and through a song. We got to speak and discuss the various aspects of the tabla, its usage and my approach and inspiration to incorporating it in my music. Most importantly, it was an opportunity to discuss the importance of a live band in the context of creation of music."
He adds, "I created the electric tabla out of necessity. As an acoustic instrument, sharing the stage with drums, guitars and generally loud instrumentation would relegate it to a simple percussion instrument and not the incredibly expressive instrument it is in classical music. Once I was able to put my instrument in the mix of sound where it belongs, the possibilities became endless."
Currently, Kale is putting his immense musical knowledge to use to produce an album for Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, score a digital series and begin work on his next release. Touring too isn't far from his mind. He says, "We are putting together a plan for an extensive tour in India. We will be able to share details once they are locked in."
|
