Indian-American composer and vocalist Aditya Prakash has recorded a superb, masterful album titled Diaspora Kid. The new album reveals an artist that incorporates Indian classical and traditional influences along with subtle jazz techniques and electronica.
Although Prakash’s sound has connections to prior fusionists and what was called the Asian underground, Diaspora Kid contains a fresh, beautifully constructed set of tracks deeply rooted in Carnatic Indian music.
Aditya Prakash is a remarkable vocalist. Throughout Disapora Kid, he uses various vocal techniques effectively, including Indian classical, konakkol (vocal percussion) and jazz stylings.
Aditya Prakash communicated with World Music Central’s Angel Romero about his career and the new recording:
What are your fondest musical memories?
Hard to put down all of them, but I’ll put down a few from my early years.
Memory 1
Early morning music classes with my first vocal teacher Debur Shrivathsa, who was staying with us as he was also performing in my mother’s dance music ensemble. Although I grudgingly woke up at 6am to practice and the basic exercises with his guidance, which has now given me such strong grounding, I secretly loved the discipline and being in a musical environment to start my day. Also, if class went well it would always end in us playing cricket. I learned how to play cricket from him, but I always ended up swinging the bat like I was playing baseball.
Memory 2
Being obsessed over cassette recordings of my favorite Carnatic singers. I had a shelf of concerts from the 1960’s-80’s and I was so proud of my collection. I also had an insanely massive boom box in my room in which I would blast these recordings sometimes all night as I slept. This is really how the music soaked into me – listening was the key to learning.
Memory 3
I was on a tour with Pandit Ravi Shankar and we had just gotten to our hotels after a long drive. This was my first tour bus experience and I loved it. But the travel had really tired all of us out. We had gotten back to our hotel pretty late and were wondering what to order and then we got a knock on our door. It was Ravi Ji himself holding a box of pizza. He came in and we all devoured the pizza and heard him narrate stories from his earlier tours – it was an incredibly special moment.
Did you have any formal music studies?
Yes, I studied Carnatic vocal music at the age of 6, beginning with Debur Shrivathsa. I studied Harmonium at the age of 4 under Babu Parmeswaran and then later moved to Carnatic music on the keyboard under Dr. N Muralikrishnan. I also learned Mridangam (south Indian percussion) at the age of 5 under V. Vedakrishnan initially. In 1999, I started going to Chennai, India every summer and winter vacation from my studies to train intensively. I went to Sugandha Kalameghan initially for vocal then later to PS Narayanaswami and Palai Ramachandran. I also began mridangam lessons under Neyveli Narayanan. I was balancing both vocal and mridangam, but eventually I gave all my focus to vocal music. Currently I am under the mentorship of RK Shriramkumar and TM Krishna.
At UCLA Ethnomusicology, I studied jazz composition under Tamir Hendleman and Hindustani music under Shujaat Khan.
What was the first tune you learned?
The first tune I learned was a part of the basic Carnatic repertoire. In Carnatic music there is a structured learning format, where the compositions for beginners is all laid out and is passed down from teacher to student. The first actual melody I remember learning was called a “Gitam” in the Raga Malahari.
What do you consider as the essential elements of your music?
Rhythm, and emotion. I am heavily influenced by cross rhythms and finding patterns that groove well and seem quite simple, but are actually made up of more complex patterns hidden within them. I always try to create excitement and emotion behind my music. The excitement, usually through the rhythm and the emotion through the melody. Raga music is seeping with a deep emotion and I think the voice can be a great tool to express it.
How did your musical ideas evolve throughout the years from your debut album to your latest recording?
My first album, The Hidden, is mostly inspired from the Spiritual songs and Indian melodies I was drawn to at the time, and the instrumentation and arrangement supported those melodies.
In MARA, my second album, the Indian classical elements, came to the forefront and it was about creating a soundscape to accompany a story that supported dance.
This album is heavily influenced from my interactions with my musician friends and Ensemble members. Exchanging jazz scales for Indian ragas happened frequently – I learned scale exercises that jazz musicians do and the challenge of trying something new on my voice inspired the direction on this album. I found shifting modes/scales and tonics rapidly as a huge challenge, something that is second nature to a jazz musician, but I attempted it on this album.
This album was more explorative and took my voice out of its comfort zone of raga and Indian melodies; it had me singing in English on a song in which I wrote the lyrics for, which is something I have rarely done! My ideas have evolved by continuing to interact with incredible musicians and constantly meeting new artists who are pushing the envelope.
Tell us about Diaspora Kid
Diaspora Kid explored the multicultural sounds of LA [Los Angeles] that I heard growing up, expressed through the lens of the Indian classical voice. Whereas history and mainstream culture tends show other cultures, such as India, through the lens of the Western voice – this flips that idea the other way around.
Who plays on Diaspora Kid? Tell us a little about the musicians you are currently working with.
A powerhouse of 24 musicians from LA and Chennai. It has the core members of Aditya Prakash Ensemble as well as many guest artists. The musicians I recorded in LA are all incredible jazz musicians who also come from different backgrounds – gospel, jazz, hip hop, bebop, funk, Western classical. All of them have their own performance groups and/or play in several bands and are doing very unique and interesting work. In Chennai I worked with master Carnatic musicians who I have worked with in the classical sphere and thought it would be nice to have them in my contemporary side as well.
Aditya Prakash – Vocals
Julian Le – Piano (Tracks 2, 4-11)
Owen Clapp – Upright and Electric Bass (Tracks 1, 2, 4-11)
Brijesh Pandya – Drums (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
Mike Greenwood – Piano (Track 1)
Jonathan Pinson – Drums (Tracks 10,11)
Amir Oosman – Drums (Track 6)
Josh Johnson – Alto Sax (Tracks 1, 4, 6, 8)
David Michael Otis – Alto Sax (Tracks 10, 11)
Mike Cottone – Trumpet (Tracks 1, 6, 8)
Emile Martinez – Trumpet (Tracks 10, 11)
Jonah Levine – Trombone (Tracks 1, 6, 8, 10, 11)
Shiva Ramamurthi – Violin (Tracks 2, 6, 11)
Wesley Singerman – Guitar (Tracks 2, 5, 9)
Ryan Thomas – Guitar (Track 4)
Megan Shung – Violin (Tracks 2, 5, 7)
Yu-Ting Wu – Violin (Tracks 2, 5, 7)
Mikala Schmitz – Cello (Tracks 2, 5, 7)
Sean Lyonns – Viola (Tracks 2, 5, 7)
BC Manjunath – Konnakol (Track 4)
L Ramakrishnan – Violin (Track 3)
Sumesh Narayanan – Mridangam (Track 3)
Hitomi Oba – Flute (Track 7)
Mic Holden – Percussion and Raps (Tracks 7, 8 , 9)
You grew up in the United States. Are you in touch with the music scene in India, especially artists that combine Indian music with other elements?
I am very connected to the scene in India. I spend 3-4 months in a year in India – training, performing, and living Carnatic music. And most of the young Carnatic musicians I know, are combining Indian music with other elements. The world is becoming inspired by cross-cultural dialogue and I think that is such a beautiful thing. When two seemingly disparate cultures come together to converse in an authentic way, poignant soundscapes can be created and the message behind it can be even more powerful.
Your album Diaspora Kid is on an American label. Is it available in India as well?
Yes, it releases on Ropeadope Records on March 20, 2020. But it will be available worldwide through the major streaming platforms like Spotify, apple music, iTunes, etc. Physical distribution will also be in select countries across the world through Ropeadope’s distributor – Vydia Music.
Your music seems to have connections to artists like Karsh Kale. Are you familiar with his music? Have you ever met him?
I am very familiar with Karsh’s music. I met him when I was 16 years old while I was touring with Anoushka Shankar on her album tour, Rise. Karsh joined as a guest artist for that show, as him and Anoushka are close collaborators and friends. Since then I have performed and toured with him. Karsh’s approach to live performance – free, spontaneous nature on stage is a huge inspiration to me; he gives every musician on stage room to explore within his structure. For anyone who is experimenting with combining different musical cultures and influences, I think Karsh is a must-listen.
Mainstream media does not provide an outlet for world music. In what ways are you promoting your music?
The type of music I do and am interested in is definitely not mainstream and it is not catered to the mainstream. It is meant for people with a more experimental and curious ear. The ways I promote my music is through social media and reaching out to my well-wishers personally.
What advice would you give to beginners who are anxious?
Accept the anxiety. There will be failure; lots of it. But there will be lots of success along the way. Acceptance is key I think because it develops patience. Career opportunities do not come when we demand them, they come when we sometimes don’t even expect them. So I’d say to stay focused on honing in your skills in your craft and stay curious and open to new sounds, and try to interact with musicians who are of a higher caliber than you, to keep yourself inspired. And itll all unfold the way it should.
Aside from the tour, do you have any additional upcoming projects to share with us?
I am already working on two new albums currently. In July I will be recording a purely Carnatic album with Yarlung records. And simultaneously I am working on creating the material for my next album, which is being produced and mentored by my inspiration, Tigran Hamasyan. I am also thrilled that he will also be playing as a guest artist on this album as well. Aside from the recording projects, I will be touring with my Ensemble in the USA support of Diaspora Kid. This spring we perform in DC, Toronto, NY, Boston, LA, the Bay Area, Portland, and Seattle and later in the year we will be coming to Detroit, Dallas, Houston among other cities which we announce soon.
I am also very fortunate to be touring with Akram Khan in his final solo production, XENOS which will take me to France, South Korea, Mexico, UK, and the USA this year.
Official website: Aditya Prakash
Headline photo: Aditya Prakash Ensemble at HCLA
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.