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Percussionist/songwriter Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) is primarily known for his tabla (the paired hand drums of northern India) and electronic percussion playing skills. Born of Indian parents, Kale grew up in the U.S., but was equally influenced by music of the East and West, resulting in the creation of a highly original style -- where electronic dance and meets Indian folk. Kale's debut on record was as part of Tabla Beat Science (the 2000 release Tala Matrix), while his own debut album, Realize, was issued in July of 2001. The debut featured guest appearances by such notable Indian classical musicians as sarangi player Sultan Khan, bansuri (flute) players Ajay Prasanna and Steve Gorn, as well as Ethiopian pop vocalist Gigi. A few weeks before the album's release, it's first single, "Distance," was issued -- featuring a total of four remixes, one by Kale himself -- plus additional remakes by Banco de Gaia and fellow Asian Massive producers Midival Punditz and Capt. Groove, both of whom are based in India. In 2002, Kale released Redesign, which offered remixes of the songs from Realize by such artists as Bill Laswell and DJ Spooky.
from Wikipedia:
Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) is an Indian American musician, producer and composer, and is considered one of the pioneering figures in defining the Asian Underground genre by mixing disparate genres of music such as Indian classical and folk with electronica, rock, pop and ambient music. In addition to production, remixing, and DJ work, Kale is known for his tabla drumming and film composition.
Biography
Early life
Born as Utkarsha Kale on November 1, 1974 to Indian immigrants in West Bromwich, England, Kale was raised in Brooklyn, New York after his parents relocated in 1977. Kale took an interest in drums and eventually became a tabla player. Kale's father introduced Kale to a broad range of music, which included traditional Indian music, classical, rock, and even early hip-hop. From this broad range of influences, Kale, who was self-taught, developed his own style, which eventually led to his "electric tabla".
Tabla Beat Science
In 2000, Bill Laswell founded Tabla Beat Science, inviting Kale, along with Zakir Hussain, Talvin Singh, Trilok Gurtu and Sultan Khan. Together, the group released Tala Matrix that year. The album is considered to be one of the influential Asian Fusion albums to date, and the group embarked on a tour, of which one of the shows was later released on DVD.
Solo career
While a Music Production and Performance student at New York University, Kale began playing in bands and working as a session musician. In 1999, Kale began work on his first EP, Classical Science Fiction from India and began hosting bi-weekly "Futureproof" events, which consisted of DJ and electric tabla sets. These events attracted the attention of San Francisco label Six Degrees Records. Soon after, Kale became the first Indo-American to be signed to a solo recording contract in the United States, a move which was followed by Kale's first full-length album, Realize, in 2001. Realize, often considered as a major milestone in what Kale called "Asian Massive", was followed with 2002's Asian Massive Tour, which also featured Midival Punditz and Cheb i Sabbah, and 2003's Liberation.
Kale's third album, 2006's Broken English, was predominantly set to English lyrics, a shift from his previous albums. His follow-up Breathing Under Water, released in 2007, was the result of a two-year collaboration with sitar instrumentalist Anoushka Shankar. In 2011, Kale released Cinema, which draws influence from Kale's experiences in composing for Bollywood.
Other work
Kale has composed for crossover and Bollywood films including Chutney Popcorn, Indian Cowboy, Ocean of Pearls, and Pyaar Impossible!. His tracks have also been featured in shows such as HBO's True Blood and Real Time with Bill Maher. Two of his songs were included in Microsoft's Windows Vista.
Kale's songwriting credits include songs with Sting and Norah Jones, and has remixed songs by artists including Paula Cole, Yoko Ono, and The Cure. Kale also worked with Midival Punditz on a rescoring of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon.
