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.

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)