Assorted Collection of Nusrat's Work

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (October 13, 1948 - August 16, 1997) was primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis, a mystical offshoot of Islam. Traditionally, Qawwali has been a family business. Nusrat’s family (originally from Afghanistan, though been living all their life in Pakistan) has an unbroken tradition of performing qawwali for the last 600 years.

Nusrat took over his family’s qawwali party in 1971 after the death of his father and his uncle. In Pakistan, his first major hit was the song “Haq Ali Ali”. This was performed in a traditional style and with traditional instrumentation, and featured only sparse use of Nusrat’s innovative sargam improvisations. Nevertheless the song became a major hit, as many listeners were attracted to the timbre and other qualities of Nusrat’s voice.

He reached out to Western audiences with a couple of fusion records produced by Canadian guitarist Michael Brook. In 1995, he collaborated with Eddie Vedder on the soundtrack to Dead Man Walking. His contribution to that and several other soundtracks and albums (including The Last Temptation of Christ), as well as his friendship with Peter Gabriel, helped to increase his popularity in Europe and the United States. Peter Gabriel’s Real World label released five albums of Nusrat’s traditional Qawwali performances in the West. He also performed traditional Qawwali live to Western audiences at several WOMAD world music festivals.

Nusrat was noted for introducing other forms of improvisation into the style. From his classical music training, he would interject much more complex alap improvisations, with more vibrato and note bending (listen here). He would also interject sargam improvisations.

While it is undoubtedly difficult to put into words what makes Nusrat’s music appeal so deeply to so many listeners, many of whom do not understand a single word of the languages he sings in, here is one fan’s attempt to explain: “Nusrat’s music invites us to eavesdrop on a man communing with his God, ever so eloquently. He makes the act of singing a passionate offering to God. But we do not merely eavesdrop. The deepest part of Nusrat’s magic lies in the fact that he is able to bring our hearts to resonate with the music, so deeply, that we ourselves become full partners in that offering. He sings to God, and by listening, we also sing to God.”

“Singing with Nusrat was pretty heavy,” says Eddie Vedder. “There was definitely a spiritual element. I saw him warm up once, and I walked out of the room and just broke down. I mean, God, what amazing power and energy.”

The late American rock singer Jeff Buckley paid tribute to Nusrat on the album “Live at Sin-é (Legacy Edition).” In his introduction, he states, “Nusrat, he’s my Elvis,” before performing the song “Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hai”. This recording generated interest in Nusrat among an audience that was previously unaware of his music.

In 2005, a tribute band called Brook’s Qawwali Party was formed in New York City by percussionist Brook Martinez to perform the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The 11+ piece group performs (mostly instrumental) jazz versions of Nusrat’s traditional qawwali songs, using the instruments conventionally associated with jazz (saxophones, brass, electric guitar, double bass, djembe, drum set, and percussion) rather than those associated with qawwali.

MJ Albums : Off The Wall

Michaels first solo album as an adult artist.

He wanted this album to be the best it could be. He needed someone with great experience and had met Quincey Jones on the set on the movie "The Wiz" and Quincey produced the album.

Michael wanted the sound of the album to be different from that of the Jacksons who had just had there biggest album success with "Destiny".

Michael wanted songs that were good for him to sing and that he could move to. In came Rod Temperton who penned "Rock With You" a big hit, "Burn This Disco Out" and the title track.

During the sessions Quincey approached Michael with "Girlfriend" saying how well suited that song would be for him. Little did he know Paul had written the song for Michael a couple of years previous and even sung it to Michael at a party.

"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" was the first song Michael had written himself as a whole and became US No1 hit single. "She's Out of My Life" a heart wrenching ballard.

Tracklisting:

1. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
2. Rock with You
3. Working Day and Night
4. Get on the Floor
5. Off the Wall
6. Girlfriend" (McCartney)
7. She's out of My Life" (Tom Bahler)
8. I Can't Help It
9. It's the Falling in Love
10. Burn This Disco Out

MJ Albums : Thriller

Ever since Michael was a young boy he had dreamed of recording the biggest selling album of all time.

Released in 1982 that album was "Thriller". Again Michael worked with Quincey Jones as producer and Rod Temperton writing some of the songs including the title track.

The aim was for every song to stand on its own as a single.Quincey had kept telling Michael they needed a great rock song on the album, Michael had "Beat It" but Michael wasn't confident enough in his own song writing at this stage in his career and held onto the song, but eventually he played it to Quincy who loved it. Michael was trying to get the message across of not turning to violence and avoid the trouble.

Michael again collaborated with Paul McCartney and they came up with "Say Say Say" which Paul had on his album and Michael had "The Girl Is Mine" both hit singles. The massive hit "Billie Jean" a song penned based on experiences Michael and his brothers had from girl fans was a massive worldwide hit Billie Jean.

Sisters Janet and LaToya featured on back up vocals on "Pretty Young Thing" The album was also boosted with groundbreaking videos that helped album sales soar.
The album has sold over 50 million copies.

Tracklings

1.Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Jackson)
2.Baby Be Mine" (Temperton)
3. The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) (Jackson)
4. Thriller" (Temperton)
5. Beat It" (Jackson)
6. Billie Jean" (Jackson)
7. Human Nature" (Bettis/Porcaro)
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (Ingram/Jones)
9 The Lady In My Life" (Temperton)

MJ Albums : BAD

Released in 1987 Michael devoted two and a half years to recording the follow up up to Thriller.

Michael again worked with Quincy Jones, and they both set out to make the most perfect album humanly possible.

Michael wrote all but 2 of the songs on the album, "Man In the Mirror" a great self message song co-written by Siedah Garrett who co sings on the love song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Just Good Friends" the duet with Stevie Wonder were the only other tracks not written by Michael.

On the Cd, new technolgy allowed space for an extra track "Leave Me Alone" a simple message and along with the video gets the message across of him wanting some privacy and trying to dispell some of the ludicrious stories constantly surrounding the now global superstar.

The album has sold over 25 million copies.

Tracklisting:

1. Bad
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Speed Demon
4. Liberian Girl
5. Just Good Friends (Duet with Stevie Wonder)
6. Another Part of Me
7. Man in the Mirror
8. I Just Can't Stop Loving You
9. Dirty Diana" (Jackson)
10. Smooth Criminal" (Jackson)

Extra track on the CD
11. Leave Me Alone" (Jackson)

MJ Albums : Dangerous

DANGEROUS

The Dangerous album was released on November 26, 1991, and became the fastest selling number one album, breaking the records by entering the charts at #1 only 3 days after it's release! It was also the first album released by Sony music that had a Thursday release date, rather than the traditional Monday release.

This was the first solo album by Michael Jackson that was not produced by Quincy Jones.

The 'Dangerous' album produced 9 singles from it's 14 tracks; "Black Or White", "Remember The Time", "Jam", "In The Closet", "Heal The World", "Who Is It", "Will You Be There", and "Gone Too Soon". The "Black Or White" single made a 32-spot jump on the Pop singles charts, breaking the Beatles' record set by their song "Let It Be" in 1970.

The album has sold over 21 million copies worldwide to date.

Guest appearances on this album were made by rapper L.T.B, Princess Stephanie of Monacco (credited as the "Mystery Girl"), and Slash.

The track listing of the Dangerous album is as follows:

1. Jam (written by Michael Jackson)
   
2. Why You Wanna Trip On Me (written by Teddy Riley & Bernard Bell)
   
3. In The Closet (written by Michael Jackson & Teddy Riley)
   
4. She Drives Me Wild (written by Michael Jackson & Teddy Riley)
   
5. Remember The Time (written by Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley & Bernard Bell)
   
6. Can't Let Her Get Away (written by Michael Jackson & Teddy Riley)
   
7. Heal The World (written by Michael Jackson)
   
8. Black Or White (written by Michael Jackson & Bill Bottrell)
   
9. Who Is It (written by Michael Jackson)
   
10. Give In To Me (written by Michael Jackson & Bill Bottrell)
    
11. Will You Be There (written by Michael Jackson)
    
12. Keep The Faith (written by Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett, & Michael Jackson)
    
13. Gone Too Soon (written by Larry Grossman & Buz Kohan)
    
14. Dangerous (written by Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell & Teddy Riley)
    

MJ Albums : History

HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BOOK I

The HIStory album was released on June 20, 1995, and was Michael's first solo album to contain a greatest hits package along with new tracks!

In total the two-disc album contains 30 songs adding up to over 150 minutes of music! Special editions of the HIStory album were released in Canada, Germany, Holland, and France in which Michael spoke directly to his fans of these countries thanking them for their support over the years and promising to tour their countries soon.

The first disc "HIStory Begins" of this album contains 15 of Michael's number one hits - songs that made him the 'King' of the entertainment industry.

The second disc "HIStory Continues" of this album contained 15 brand new songs, 12 of which were composed and written by Michael himself. The second disc of the 'History' album also credited Michael for the first time with playing the keyboards, Synthesizer, drums and percussion, and guitar.

Special appearances on the album were made by Janet Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, the late Notorius B.I.G, Boyz II Men, and Slash.

The album was controvercial, with many angry songs - Michael's reply to the press and allegations that had been plaguing his life and career over the previous few years, as well as had a softer edge with ballads such as "You Are Not Alone", "Earth Song", "Stranger In Moscow" and "Smile". Shortly after it's release the 'HIStory' album was pulled from the shelves due to the the controvercial lyrics in the song "They Don't Care About Us", and new copies of the album were released with a formal apology written by Michael to those who may be offended by the lyrics.

5 singles were released off of this album; "Scream", "Earth Song", "You Are Not Alone", "Stranger In Moscow", and "They Don't Care About Us". The album hit #1 in 19 countries around the world, with world wide sales of over 15 million. The "You Are Not Alone" single broke a world record when it became the first-ever single to debut at #1 on the Billboard music charts.

The track listing of 'HIStory' is as follows:

DISC ONE:

1. Billie Jean (written by Michael Jackson)
   
2. The Way You Make Me Feel (written by Michael Jackson)
   
3. Black Or White (written by Michael Jackson)
   
4. Rock With You (written by Rod Temperton)
   
5. She's Out Of My Life (written by Tom Bahler)
   
6. Bad (written by Michael Jackson)
   
7. I Just Can't Stop Loving You (written by Michael Jackson)
   
8. Man In The Mirror (written by Siedah Garrett & Glen Ballard)
   
9. Thriller (written by Rod Temperton)
   
10. Beat It (written by Michael Jackson)
    
11. The Girl Is Mine (written by Michael Jackson)
    
12. Remember The Time (written by Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley & Bernard Bell)
    
13. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (written by Michael Jackson)
    
14. Wanna Be Startin' Somthin' (written by Michael Jackson)
    
15. Heal The World (written by Michael Jackson)

DISC TWO

1. Scream (Duet with Janet Jackson) (written by Michael and Janet Jackson, James Harris III & Terry Lewis)
   
2. They Don't Care About Us (written by Michael Jackson)
   
3. Stranger In Moscow (written by Michael Jackson)
   
4. This Time Around (written by Michael Jackson)
   
5. Earth Song (written by Michael Jackson)
   
6. D.S (written by Michael Jackson)
   
7. Money (written by Michael Jackson)
   
8. Come Together (written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney)
   
9. You Are Not Alone (written by R. Kelly)
   
10. Childhood (Theme from Free Willy 2) (written by Michael Jackson)
    
11. Tabloid Junkie (written by Michael Jackson, James Harris III & Terry Lewis)
    
12. 2 Bad (written by Michael Jackson)
    
13. HIStory (written by Michael Jackson, James Harris III & Terry Lewis)
    
14. Little Susie (written by Michael Jackson)
    
15. Smile (written by John Turner & Geoffrey Parsons)
    

MJ Albums : Blood On the Dance Floor

BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR

This 13 track album was released in May, 1997 and contained 5 new songs in addition to 8 remixed tracks from the HIStory album.

Due to the fact that Michael was touring at the time of recording the album, many of the tracks were recorded and mixed in countries around the globe such as Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.

The album was originally planned to be a promotional tool for the European leg of the HIStory tour, and for this reason was not widely publisized in most of the world. The album ended up being widely successful around the globe, despite the low promotions, with the album and/or the title single reaching #1 in over 10 countries.

There were two singles released for this album. The first one 'Blood On The Dance Floor' was released around the world, and the second single 'History/Ghosts' was released in Europe and Australia.

To date the Blood On The Dance Floor album has sold 4 million copies world wide.

The track listing of 'Blood On The Dance Floor' is as follows:

1. Blood On The Dance Floor (written by Michael Jackson)
   
2. Morphine (written by Michael Jackson)
   
3. Superfly Sister (written by Michael Jackson)
   
4. Ghosts (written by Michael Jackson & Teddy Riley)
   
5. Is It Scary (written by Michael Jackson, James Harris & Terry Lewis)
   
6. Scream Louder - Flyte Time Remix (written by Michael and Janet Jackson, James Harris & Terry Lewis)
   
7. Money - Fire Island Radio Edit (written by Michael Jackson)
   
8. 2 Bad - Refugee Camp Mix (written by Michael Jackson)
   
9. Stranger In Moscow - Tee's In-House Club Mix (written by Michael Jackson)
   
10. This Time Around - D.M Radio Mix (written by Michael Jackson)
    
11. Earth Song - Hani's Club Experience (written by Michael Jackson)
    
12. You Are Not Alone - Classic Club Mix (written by R. Kelly)
    
13. History - Tony Moran's History Lesson (written by Michael Jackson)

MJ Album : Invincible

INVINCIBLE On October 29, 2001 (October 30th in North America) Michael Jackson's latest album was released! Titled, "Invincible", the 16-track album has been said to be Michael's best work since 'Thriller', and was expected to revolutionize the music industry as we know it today....

The album was released on CD, and vinyl and released with 5 different covers. Album covers were printed in white/silver, blue, green, red and orange, to make collecting the CDs "more fun" for fans!

However, after the first single "You Rock My World" was released it became clear that Sony Music were nt interested in promoting the album. Only 1 more single "Cry" written by R. Kelly was released and that was without a proper music video.

Track Listing

1. Unbreakable
2. Heartbreaker
3. Invincible
4. Break Of Dawn
5. Heaven Can Wait
6. You Rock My World
7. Butterflies
8. Speechless
9. 2000 Watts
10. You Are My Life
11. Privacy
12. Don't Walk Away
13. Cry
14. The Lost Children
15. Whatever Happens
16. Threatened

Michael Jackson

Born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.

In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.


In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits. In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' so far releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Since the release of this first single the album has been surrounded by rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album.

He was to come back this 10th July... but that wud never come...

We'll miss u MJ.

DO VISIT

http://arrahman.com

AR RAHMAN

Allah Rakha Rahman (born on January 6, 1966 as A. S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India), is a critically acclaimed award-winning composer, record producer and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian film composers ever, and his career is considered a turning point in the history of Indian film music. Many credit him with having single-handedly revolutionized the standards of film music composition in India. He is also credited with re-energizing the popularity of Indian film music the world over.

In a career spanning over a decade, Rahman, by 2003, had sold more than one hundred million records of his film scores and soundtracks world-wide, and sold over 200 million cassettes making him one of the world's top 25 all-time top selling recording artists; he is the only person of Indian descent on the list.

CHINMAYA DUNSTER

Chinmaya was born in Kent, England in 1954. His father was an accomplished artist who made his living renovating old houses and Chinmaya grew up in a rambling sixteenth-century farmhouse set amid the apple orchards, wheatfields, woods and streams.

After attending Art College and oddjobbing as a farmhand, Chinmaya took himself off, watercolors and Spanish guitar in hand, on the hippy trail that led through Afghanistan to India. After exploring and painting in the Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan, an all -night concert in New Delhi in 1979 proved to be a turning point in his life.

There he heard a performance by the world-famous sarodist Amjad Ali Khan and instantly fell in love with the sarod (a nineeteen-stringed, banjo-like Indian classical instrument). Three years later, while teaching art at a school in London, he became a student of Amjad Ali Khan's leading disciple.

Chinmaya dedicated the next thirteen years to the study of Indian classical music on the sarod, both in London and at the Osho Commune in Pune, India. In 1990, with two other commune members, he founded the east-west fusion band Terra Incognita, which released two CDs on New Earth Records.

The 1990s saw four further releases from Chinmaya on Nightingale Records: Spiral Dance, a collaboration with the Persian musician Sirus; a solo project Lands of the Dawn; and, after intensive study of Chinese geomancy, the two CDs Music for Feng Shui Parts 1 and 2.

His release Celtic Ragas, a blend of Indian and Celtic elements, appeared on New Earth Records in 1998. Natures Way, a collection of Chinmaya's songs sung by Ellika Hansen, was released in Europe in August 2000 on Kreuz Verlag (Germany).

Chinmaya then released on New Earth Records "Feng Shui" and "Yoga on Sacred Ground". In 2003 Chinmaya and his Celtic Ragas band were exclusively honored to perform live at Paul McCartney's wedding in Ireland.

A Collection of his favorite melodies was released on New Earth Records in 2002 called "Sacred Temples of India" he continued his mix of Celtic and Indian music on the "Karma Circles" CD in 2003.

During his stay in India in the winter of 2003/2004 Chinmaya recorded a live concert in Pune, released in 2005 on New Earth Records as "Fragrance of the East". This CD also features video clips from the concert. For FREE download of the full one-hour video "CONCERT FOR INDIA'S ENVIRONMENT', including interviews with environmentalists, poems on nature composed and read by Indian schoolkids and stunning footage of the Indian wilderness, go to www.fragranceoftheeast.org.

In 2005 Paul McCartney chose the song "Chance Meeting" from Chinmaya's CD "Celtic Ragas", as the third track on his favorite songs compilation "Glastonbury Grooves", given away free with UNCUT magazine in the UK.

2006 saw the release on NER of "Yoga Lounge", a collaboration with Indian sitar maestro Niladri Kumar.

Chinmaya's 2007 release 'Buddha Moon' is a collaboration with Indian classical guitarist Amano Manish and Manipuri flautist Bikram Singh.

Chinmaya Dunster has recently relocated to Goa, India, where he lives in Assagao.

KARSH KALE

Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) is an Indian producer, composer and musician, known for melding the music of his heritage with the modern electronic club music of his American upbringing. Growing up in Stony Brook, New York, Kale showed significant promise as a traditional drummer as well as an Indian percussionist from an early age. While still attending high school, he played in a number of local bands, specializing in classic rock especially with a bent towards progressive groups such as Rush and Kansas. Kale often creates a unique blend of Indian percussion with techno music and drum & bass. Kale's compositions are often strident, loud, and energetic; they are heavy on the percussion and more focused on instrumental arrangements than vocals. In the style of Indian Fusion he is closer to Talvin Singh or State of Bengal than Bally Sagoo or Bill Laswell.

Kale is also a member of Tabla Beat Science, an "Asian Underground" type of group. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as the Madras Cinematic Orchestra and tabla masters, such as Zakir Hussain. One of his most famous compositions was entitled "Milan", named after his daughter, whose Sanskrit name means "meeting of two rivers".

Kale is a prolific artist, willing to lend a hand, and drum, to a range of musicians from Herbie Hancock to DJ Spooky. He has become a mainstay in Six Degrees Records' expanding series of compilation CDs of which six have been released so far.

Kale's third studio release, titled Broken English was released in the US on March 21, 2006 also under the Six Degrees Records label.

PREM JOSHUA

Prem Joshua is a German musician, active since 1991.
Born in Germany, Joshua learnt the flute at the age of five and played the flute and the saxophone for various local bands. At the age of eighteen, he travelled overland to India studying the indigenous folk music of countries along the way.
On reaching India, Joshua learnt to play the sitar from India’s finest teachers including Ustad Usman Khan and the enlightened mystic, Osho.Osho inspired him and his music. His website states that "In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a strong sense of humor, he came in touch with the art of the “inner music” - Silence. This was really coming home!"
Throughout his career, he has experimented with various forms of music, creating a blend of the east and the west, with his former experience as a saxophone player. He has also worked extensively with other producers, making remixes of his own songs and infusing traditional Hindustani acoustic instruments with lounge and trance beats. His music has immensely contributed to the Asian Underground and fusion scene.
In 1991, Joshua launched his first project, “Terra Incognita”, with Kora player, Ravi, and British Sarod player, Chinmaya Dunster, with which he released two albums. He subsequently released four solo albums and formed the band, “Hamsafar”, with which he released one album.
Following this, Joshua began to experiment with genres like drum and bass, lounge, and trance, while still focusing on traditional Hindustani music.

KARUNESH

Karunesh is a new age / ambient musician born in Cologne, Germany in 1956. His music has strong Asian and Indian influences prevalent throughout, with liberal use of Indian instruments (like the sitar for example).

Although he had been drawn to music as a child and played in bands as a teenager, he chose to study graphic design as a career. However, after attaining his degree, Karunesh was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. His brush with death prompted him to rethink his life and embark on a spiritual journey of sorts, and in 1979 he travelled to India. His accident also prompted him to choose music as a career instead of graphic design.

In 1987, Karunesh released his first album entitled Sounds of the Heart, which was met with success, followed by Colors Of Light the following year and Sky's Beyond the year after that. As of 2006 Karunesh has released 17 albums (see Discography below).

Karunesh has lived in Maui, Hawaii, since 1992.

Discography

• 1987 Sounds Of The Heart
• 1988 Colours Of Light
• 1989 Sky's Beyond
• 1991 Heart Symphony
• 1992 Heart Chakra Meditation
• 1993 Beyond Body & Mind
• 1996 Secrets of Life
• 1997 Osho Chakra Sounds (Note: Co-artist 'Osho' is sometimes dropped from the title)
• 2001 Wanderer (May 8, 2001)
• 2001 Zen Breakfast (July 10, 2001)
• 2002 Nirvana Cafe
• 2003 Silent Heart (July 1, 2003)
• 2003 Global Spirit (September 2, 2003)
• 2004 Call Of the Mystic (May 11, 2004)
• 2004 Beyond Heaven (June 8, 2004)
• 2006 Global Village (April 11, 2006)
• 2006 Joy Of Life (October 24, 2006)

New Age Music

There is no formal definition of the New Age movement. One academic study suggests that those who sample many diverse teachings and practices from both 'mainstream' and 'fringe' traditions and formulate their own beliefs and practices based on their experiences can be considered as New Age.Rather than following the lead of an organised religion, "New Agers" typically construct their own spiritual journey based on material taken from the mystical traditions of the world's religions, also including shamanism, neopaganism, and occultism.

New Age practices and beliefs may be characterized as a form of alternative spirituality or alternative religion. Even apparent exceptions, such as alternative medicine or traditional medicine practices, often have some spiritual dimension—such as a conceptual integration of mind, body, and spirit.

The term New Age is used in a Western or modern context where the Judeo-Christian tradition and/or Positivism are dominant, so the use of "alternative" in New Age thought generally implies a contrast with these dominant religious and/or scientific beliefs. Hence, many New Age ideas and practices in the West contain either explicit or implied critiques of organised mainstream Christianity—emphasis on meditation suggests that simple prayer and faith are insufficient, and beliefs such as reincarnation (which not all New Age followers accept)—challenge familiar Christian doctrines, like those regarding the Afterlife.

New Age is a wide range of ideas and activities, from which participants in the subculture select their own preferred streams to identify with. The question of which contemporary cultural elements can be included under the name of "New Age" , or what it means, is much contested. New Age channelers, for instance, have many points of similarity with Spiritualist mediums. Many spiritual movements, such as neo-paganism and transpersonal psychology partially overlap with it. Many groups prefer to distance themselves from the possible negative connotations of the "New Age" name, such as the media hoopla and commercialism, while others prefer not to use it at all. For example, key individuals in the New Thought Movement, such as Ernest Holmes, have focused on a more scientific approach and do not share beliefs in reincarnation, magic, or channeling. Major efforts to present the New Age as a values-based sociopolitical movement included Mark Satin's New Age Politics (orig. 1976),Theodore Roszak's Person/Planet (1978), Marilyn Ferguson's Aquarian Conspiracy (1980), and Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin's Spiritual Politics (1994).

The Music that makes you ROCK...!!

Rock music is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. Many styles of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, mellotron, and synthesizers. Other instruments sometimes utilized in rock include harmonica, violin, flute, banjo, melodica, and timpani. Also, less common stringed instruments such as mandolin and sitar are used. Rock music usually has a strong back beat, and often revolves around the guitar, either solid electric, hollow electric, or acoustic.

Rock music has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll and rockabilly, which evolved from blues, country music and other influences. According to the All Music Guide, "In its purest form, Rock & Roll has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Early rock & roll drew from a variety of sources, primarily blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these influences combined in a simple, blues-based song structure that was fast, danceable, and catchy."

In the late 1960s, rock music was blended with folk music to create folk rock, blues to create blues-rock and with jazz, to create jazz-rock fusion, and without a time signature to create psychedelic rock. In the 1970s, rock incorporated influences from soul, funk, and latin music. Also in the 1970s, rock developed a number of subgenres, such as soft rock, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, and punk rock. Rock subgenres that emerged in the 1980s included synth-rock, hardcore punk and alternative rock. In the 1990s, rock subgenres included grunge, Britpop, indie rock, and nu metal.

A group of musicians specializing in rock music is called a rock band or rock group. Many rock groups consist of a guitarist, lead singer, bass guitarist, and drummer, forming a quartet. Some groups omit one or more of these roles and/or utilize a lead singer who plays an instrument while singing, forming a trio or duo; others include additional musicians such as one or two rhythm guitarists and/or a keyboardist. More rarely, groups also utilize stringed instruments such as violins or cellos, and/or horns like trumpets or trombones.

Summarised:

Stylistic origins:	Rock and roll, ultimately blues (mostly jump blues and Chicago blues), country music and R&B
Cultural origins:	Late 1940s United States
Typical instruments:	Guitar, Bass, Drums, often also Keyboards
Mainstream popularity:	Much, constant and worldwide since the 1950s
Derivative forms:	Alternative rock - Heavy metal - Punk rock

Qawwali

Qawwali is the devotional music of the Chishti Sufis of the Indian subcontinent. Qawwali is a vibrant musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines throughout the subcontinent, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Listeners, and often artists themselves are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God, generally considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism. Although famous throughout the world, its economic and spiritual hub remains Punjab province of Pakistan from where it gained entry into the main stream commercial music industry and international fame.

The roots of Qawwali can be traced back to 8th century Persia (today's Iran and Afghanistan). However, Qawwali in the form we know it today was essentially created by Amir Khusrau Dehelvi in the late 13th century in India.

During the first major migration from Persia, in the 11th century, the musical tradition of Sama migrated to the Indian subcontinent, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Rumi and his Mevlana order of Sufism have been the propagators of Sama in Central Asia. Amir Khusrau of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Persian and South Asian musical traditions, to create Qawwali as well as the Hindustani classical music tradition. The word "Sama" is used (or is the preferred name) in Central Asia and Turkey, for forms very similar to Qawwali. And even in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the formal name used for a session of Qawwali is "Mehfil-e-Sama".

Content:

The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the two), though there are several songs in Persian, Brajbhasha and Siraiki. There is also qawwali in some regional languages (e.g., Chhote Babu Qawwal sings in Bengali), but the regional language tradition is relatively obscure. Also, the sound of the regional language qawwali can be totally different from that of mainstream qawwali. This is certainly true of Chhote Babu Qawwal, whose sound is much closer to Baul music than to the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, for example.

The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning, even though the lyrics can sometimes sound wildly secular, or outright hedonistic. The central themes of qawwali are love, devotion and longing (of man for the Divine).

Qawwalis are classified by their content into several categories:

• A hamd is a song in praise of Allah. Traditionally, a qawwali performance starts with a hamd.
• A naat is a song in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. The opening hamd is traditionally followed by a naat.
• A manqabat is a song in praise of either Imam Ali or one of the Sufi saints. Interestingly, manqabats in praise of Ali are sung at both Sunni and Shi'a gatherings. If one is sung, it will follow right after the naat. There is usually at least one manqabat in a traditional programme.
• A marsiya is a lamentation over the death of much of Imam Husayn's family in the Battle of Karbala. Once again, this would typically be sung only at a Shi'a concert.
• A ghazal is a song that sounds secular on the face of it. There are two extended metaphors that run through ghazals -- the joys of drinking and the agony of separation from the beloved. These songs feature exquisite poetry, and can certainly be taken at face value, and enjoyed at that level. In fact, in India and Pakistan, ghazal is also a separate, distinct musical genre in which many of the same songs are performed in a different musical style, and in a secular context. In the context of that genre, the songs are usually taken at face value, and no deeper meaning is necessarily implied. But in the context of qawwali, these songs of intoxication and yearning use secular metaphors to poignantly express the soul's longing for union with the Divine, and its joy in loving the Divine. In the songs of intoxication, "Wine" represents "knowledge of the Divine", the "Cupbearer" (saaqi) is God or a spiritual guide, the "Tavern" is the metaphorical place where the soul may (or may not) be fortunate enough to attain spiritual enlightenment. (The "Tavern" is emphatically not a conventional house of worship. Rather, it is taken to be the spiritual context within which the soul exists) Intoxication is attaining spiritual knowledge, or being filled with the joy of loving the Divine. In the songs of yearning, the soul, having been abandoned in this world by that cruel and cavalier lover, God, sings of the agony of separation, and the depth of its yearning for reunion.
• A kafi is a song in Punjabi, which is in the unique style of poets such as Shah Hussain and Baba Bulleh Shah. Two of the more popular Kafis include Ni Main Jana Jogi De Naal and Mera Piya Ghar Aaya.
• A munadjaat is a song where the singer displays his thanks to Allah through a variety of linguistic techniques. It is often sung in Persian, with Mawlana Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rumi credited as its inventor.

Music Genre of the Day..

Bhangra, in the traditional sense, is a folk dance and not a music form though now it is seen to refer to both to the music and the dance. Bhangra depends heavily on percussion.

Bhangra began as a part of harvest and vaisakhi festival celebrations, and found its way to the performance stage after the division of the Punjab in 1947. The Punjabi dance performed at this time in ecstasy with the beat of Dhol came to be known as Bhangra. The tradition spread slowly to other parts of the region and developed into a unique folk dance form. Bhangra has come of age and is now performed at every major celebration and in clubs etc.

Traditional Bhangra is a fusion of music, singing and the beat of the dhol drum, a single stringed instrument called the iktar (ektara), the tumbi and the chimta. The accompanying songs are small couplets written in the Punjabi language called bolis. They relate to harvest celebration, love, patriotism or current social issues.

In Punjabi folk music, the dhol's smaller cousin, the dholki, was nearly always used to provide the main beat. Nowadays the dhol is used more frequently, with and without the dholki. Additional percussion, including tabla, is less frequently used in bhangra as a solo instrument but is sometimes used to accompany the dhol and dholki.

As many Bhangra lyrics reflect the long and often tumultuous history of the Punjab, knowledge of Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music. During the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae.

Punjabi Bhangra Remixes

Many South Asian DJs, especially in America, have mixed Bhangra music with house, reggae, and hip-hop to add a different flavor to Bhangra. These remixes continued to gain popularity as the nineties came to an end.

Of particular note among remix artists is Bally Sagoo, a Punjabi-Sikh, Anglo-Indian raised in Birmingham, England. Sagoo described his music as "a bit of tablas, a bit of the Indian sound. But bring on the bass lines, bring on the funky-drummer beat, bring on the James Brown samples", to Time magazine in 1997. He was recently signed by Sony as the flagship artist for a new . The most popular of these is Daler Mehndi, a Punjabi singer from India, and his music, known as "Bhangra Pop". Mehndi has become a major name not just in Punjab, but also all over India, with tracks such as Bolo Ta Ra Ra and Ho Jayegee Balle Balle. He has made the sound of Bhangra-pop a craze amongst many non-Punjabis in India, selling many millions of albums. Perhaps his most impressive accomplishment is the selling of 250,000 albums in Kerela, a state in the South of India where Punjabi is not spoken. But Daler Mehndi(Paapa) is not popular among Jat Sikhs of Punjab because of his poor dress sense and his style of singing,dance,music and the lyrics of his songs.

Toward the end of the decade, Bhangra continued its assault on mainstream culture, with artists like Bally Sagoo and Apache Indian signing with international recording labels Sony and Island. Moreover, Multitone Records, one of the major recording labels associated with Bhangra in Britain in the eighties and nineties, was bought by BMG. Finally, a recent Pepsi commercial launched in Britain featured South Asian actors and Bhangra music. This, perhaps more than anything else, is a true sign of the emergence of Bhangra into popular culture.

Post-Bhangra continues to gain popularity in both the UK and US. As mentioned above, artists such as Bally Sagoo offer what was referred to as "Bollywood remixes". This is just one result of the fusion the traditional Bhangra beats and South Asian instruments with that of other contemporary music genres. Other lesser popular offshoots include "Bhangramuffin" and Acid Bhangra. Bhangramuffin mixes traditional Bhangra backgrounds are combined with Ragga; one famous band from this genre is Apache India. As the title suggests, Acid Bhangra combines acid music with Bhangra. An interesting result of its popularity was that post-Bhangra gave rise to a new wave of club culture (ie. Hot 'n Spicy at London's LimelighT nightclub and Manchester's Shankeys Soap). Although much of the popularity was centered around South Asian participation, post-Bhangra expressed a "process of musical cultural hybridization and syncretism that moved beyond a straightforward juxtaposition of dance music genres.