Karsh Kale: Electric Tabla Night

Described by Billboard Magazine as a "visionary composer and producer", Karsh Kale is one of global music's brightest stars. In the past 12 years as a solo recording artist, producer, composer, live performer and DJ, Karsh has set the world of electronic fusion on fire and has helped to create a genre of new music and culture that continues to influence an entire generation. His body of work has been cause for fans and critics alike to claim Kale as a pioneer and a trail blazer, not only opening doors for his own career but for an entire scene to emerge in the world of electronica and fusion music. Karsh Kale has also developed a reputation as a genre bending collaborator and a world renowned tabla player and musician, exploring the worlds of electronica, Indian classical music, rock, jazz fusion and hip hop which has led him to work with some of the most renowned artists from around the globe. Kale continues to reinvent his ever-evolving sound and has established himself as one of the worlds most sought after fusion artists.

Born in West Bromwich England and raised in New York by immigrant parents from India, Kale showed his interest in music first as a drummer and eventually as a tabla player (paired classical percussion instrument from north India). Kale grew up steeped in classical music and film music from India; largely due to his father's own passion for sound. It was Karsh's father who also introduced him to other styles of music as well such as that of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. This became a doorway for Kale to begin his own exploration further into the worlds of rock, jazz and eventually, electronica. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Rush, the Police and Pink Floyd along with early hip hop and pop music became some of his earliest and most profound influences. Being a predominantly self-taught musician, Kale was able to break rules at an early age as he began experimenting with different instruments and styles. His own ingenuity and experimental nature helped Kale in developing his "Electric Tabla". In 2002 Kale was invited to join other pioneering creators of new electronic instruments at theprestigious Lincoln Center where he joined the likes of Robert Moog and Moceanworker to perform the very first all electronic version of Terry Rileys "in C". Though he has no true guru (teacher) or gharana (school of learning) that he belongs to , Kale , through shear talent has found himself working with the very best from the genre's in which influenced his sound, from Pt Ravi Shankar to Sting to Zakir Hussain, Herbie Hancock and Bill Laswell to only name a few.

Karsh Kale began his career in music while a student at NYU (New York University) where he studied music production and performance. He began playing with local bands and was able to showcase his original style as a tabla player and drummer, which led to many recording projects as a session musician. In the mid nineties Kale found himself collaborating and recording with artist such as DJ Spooky, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Amel Larouix, Bill Laswell and more. His studio savvy and original style keep him in demand to this day as he has recently done sessions for artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Yoko Ono as well as his partners in crime the Midival Punditz. Kale has, as of date, recorded on over 50 releases worldwide as a session musician. Karsh Kale has emerged as a force of nature in the electronica scene not only as a live performer and recording artist but as a DJ as well. He created Kollektiv, a national crew of DJs' producers, musicians and artists showcasing cutting edge underground music through Kollektiv events across the country and the world. Karsh Kale is also known for his remixing skills as he not only reworks music for the dancfloor but rather for the world stage as well. Karsh has created remixes for artists such as Paula Cole, DJ Spooky, The Cure, Sting, Midival Punditz, Yoko Ono, Anne Rani, Janaka Selktah just to name a few and is featured on many compilations worldwide.