My trip to Melbourne in November 2009, was my second time at Kangaroo land!  Being a part of the Australasian World Music Expo (AWME) was indeed an honour.  Our classical music forms when presented in a contemporary format, is well received by audiences there.  As mentioned in one of my previous posts, playing with EarthSync is like being in one’s homeland and playing with one’s family.  However, the most novel experience was to witness how music was being interpreted by people in other parts of the world. I must admit, it was indeed enriching!

Unfortunately, the pictures taken during the show were shot at a long angle and didn’t actually come out well.

The AWME is a prestigious, unique show which brings together scores of indigenous, world, roots and folk music labels together.  It served the right mix of networking and grooving!

Apart from the show the entire team was interviewed by a local radio station. We performed live too! These are some pictures shot at the radio station:

With EarthSync crew

Thumbs up!

This is audio sample of the tracks that were aired from the album Business Class Refugees:

Shiva sheva played at Pbs radio

Boye Boye played at PBS Radio

My next post would be on my trip to the US and Israel.

Kartick & Gotam Team: vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram, Israeli music producer and designer Yotam Agam, flautist Navin Iyer, percussionist K.V Balakrishnan, dancer Meera Seshadri, Israeli music composer Patrick Sebag and vocalist Anuradha Viswanathan

album is Laya Project – wherein the team from EarthSync toured countries that were affected by the Asian Tsunami and brought out music from lesser known lands and presented that in a contemporary format.  This is to say, one gets to listen to music from Myanmar & Thailand shaking hands with South Indian Thappatam & Odiyattam. Laya Project is a collaboration of cultures across lands and it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit

It will certainly be a surprise for many, to come across something as off-beat as a world-music label in Chennai. Navin’s association with the label dates back to more than a year.  He has contributed majorly to the live shows of Laya Project such as in the Perth International Arts Festival etc.  Navin’s melifluous flute can also be heard in the other projects of EarthSync such as Nagore Sessions and the Voice Over the Bridge.

Over the last two months, Navin has been touring cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad along with other artistes from EarthSync for the live shows of the album, Business Class Refugees, the first album of Kartick & Gotam (Yotam Agam and Patrick Sebag of EarthSync).  The album is an electro folk remix of all of EarthSync’s folk productions.  An attempt to create an alternative and unusual electronic theme for the new album.  You can read more about the album in: Kartick & Gotam\’s – Business Class Refugees, for there’s a very interesting story behind the genesis of this album. You can also listen to some of the tracks of the album from that page.

Also check out a trailer of the live show and a video from Business Class Refugees Live during the EarthSync Festival 2009:

Kartick & Gotam\’s Business Class Refugees Live Trailer

Business Class Refugees video – Navin Iyer

While the trailer gives a sweeping preview to what the album is all about, the video highlights the brilliance of Navin’s music and EarthSync’s uniqueness in blending music from all parts of the world.

“Working with the EarthSync team is a liberating experience.  Be it Laya Project or the latest Business Class Refugees, it has brought out the best in me.  With artistes like Vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram, Violinist Padma Shankar, percussionist K.V Balakrishnan and very passionate Yotam, Patrick and Eyal from Israel, by the side, it is more like holidaying with the family and doing some beautiful music at the end of the day.  I always look forward to these live shows with EarthSync as this is one collaborations that has given me the ticket to music at an international level.  I am actually looking forward to discovering more such labels and artistes to work with.”