Tadasana After Dark Announces Nighttime Music Series

The Tadasana Festival has announced its eagerly-awaited nighttime music component: Tadasana After Dark. Tadasana Festival will take place on Santa Monica’s beach over Earth Day weekend April 20-22. Tadasana After Dark features Indian composer and tabla pioneer Karsh Kale, innovative kirtanist Jai Uttal, and yoga hip-hopper MC Yogi, and the artists improvising with the yoga teachers during classes at this innovative festival will also play their sets at concert venues around Santa Monica in the evening for festival pass holders and the general public.

On Thursday, April 19, DJ Drez and EarthRise SoundSystem are scheduled to perform at the opening night party, being held at the weekly Afrofunke party at Zanzibar, 1301 5th Street, Santa Monica, California 90401. Resident DJs Jeremy Sole and Glenn Red will be on hand to welcome the Afrofunke alumni DJs. DJ Drez, a highly regarded sonic figure in the yoga community, will be playing in support of his upcoming beat-driven Jahta Beat: The Lotus Memoirs. EarthRise SoundSystem, whose album The Yoga Sessions reached #5 on the iTunes World Charts, offer a wide range of African, Asian, Balkan and Latin rhythms to represent the global and diverse array of personalities circulating around Tadasana.

The evening of Friday April 20 brings an exceptional triple bill to the historic Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club at 1210 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Elephant Power is a staple in yoga studios internationally; the young emcee behind this rap-fueled devotional album to mythological Indian saints, MC Yogi, will be on hand alongside Jai Uttal, one of the United States’ most renowned kirtan singers, who has spiced his mantra chanting with elements of rock, reggae and pop. The duo Aykanna kick off the evening with their powerful blend of drumming and guitar playing in their kundalini-based repertoire. Tickets for this event are $30.

For the Saturday April 21 nighttime party, Sounds of Tadasana Live goes down at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club. Led by musical director and bandleader Karsh Kale, an electrifying and dynamic producer and tabla master, the show features flutist Manose and ghazal singer Vishal Vaid. Throughout the evening guest vocalists include Tom Freund, Hassan Hakmoun, Chris Pierce, Suzanne Sterling, Morley, MoMo Loudiyi, Annmarie Solo and some very special unannounced guests. Following this one time ever concert, DJ Cheb i Sabbah will keep the venue moving with his unparalleled knowledge of world rhythm dancefloor aesthetics. Tickets for this event are $30.

“Curating the music for the Tadasana Festival has been nothing short of a dream come true,” says co-founder Fabian Alsultany. “Many of these artists cross over into multiple genres. I’m especially excited about our Sounds of Tadasana Live concert, considering we’ve had such a stellar response from our free 30-song album which has already been downloaded over 10,000 times. By staging a live version of this album and inviting Karsh Kale to act as the musical director guarantees that this concert is going to be nothing short of extraordinary.”

Also on Saturday April 21, down the road at Naam Yoga, 1231 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, Wah! will be premiering ‘The Healing Concert,’ a brand new Savasana-style performance for relaxation and meditation. Before she hits the stage, Steve Gold and Hassan Hakmoun will partake in this breakthrough triple bill, bringing in acoustic folk and ceremonial Moroccan Gnawa music, respectively. Tickets for this event are $30.

Saturday will also see a 12-Hour Kirtan, a donation-based event at Bhakti Yoga Shala at 207 Arizona, Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90405. Involving many of the singers and instrumentalists from the festival, studio owners Govindas & Radha have programmed an entire day, from noon to midnight, of the best devotional-based music this side of the Ganges.

Tadasana Festival takes place April 20th through 22nd beachfront in Santa Monica at 2600 Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405 near the corner of Ocean Park Blvd and the beach. For venue locations, ticket prices and more information on Tadasana After Dark, visit http://www.tadasanafestival.com/tadasana-after-dark.