Kashi – Songs From the India Within (White Swan Records, 2014)
Multi-instrumentalist global traveler Prem Joshua has released a wonderful album of easily accessible Indian fusion music. There are many types of fusion and what Prem Joshua delivers on his latest album, Kashi – Songs From the India Within, is a tasty collection of mantras and schlokas (a kind of couplet verse that is the foundation of ancient Indian poetry such as the The Mahabharata and Ramayana classics) that incorporate Indian classical and folk, jazz, reggae beats and trance electronics.
Prem Joshua and his longtime collaborator Chintan take ancient Indian musical instruments and influences and add exciting new arrangements that make the music appealing to world music, electronic dance music and kirtan and western-style mantra music fans alike.
Prem Joshua plays primarily the sitar and the beautiful soaring bansuri (bamboo flute). Chintan Relenberg adds keyboards, trip hop trance beats, bass and a wide range of Indian and global percussion. Two talented female vocalists, Hamsika Iyer (Bombay Dub Orchestra and Juno Reactor) and Sanou Olszewski, interplay with the warm male vocals of Prem Joshua and Chintan. However, the most fascinating interactions are between Prem’s sitar and Hamsika’s vocals. Guests on the album include Werner Schultheiss on electric guitar and Raul Sengupta on tabla.
Born in Germany, Prem Joshua first traveled over land from Germany to India in 1977. In India he learned to play sitar under the guidance of his teacher Ustad Usman Khan. Joshua took on the name “Prem,” which means “love” in Hindi.
“The images…have less to do with a religious belief system than a representation of basic life energies; so it is with mantras,” says Prem Joshua. “It is not about blindly adopting religious concepts, but rather about experiencing these images and sounds as guide maps for the inner journey.”
Purchase Kashi – Songs From the India Within
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
