kc Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Saturday, December 30th: PJC presents NEERAJ PREM'S RAGAFFAIRE Traditional Raga's. Early show/8pm. $12 http://ragamusicschool.com/ragaffaire.htm Stick around. A PJC late show will feature DJ sets by... Stone's Throw Records'' and Hamilton's own KOUSHIK Jon Sikich Solid Oak. Cover is $5. http://www.stonesthrow.com/koushik/ Koushik specializes in making that hazy, hip-hop-based downbeat sh*t that you could easily compare to contemporaries such as Four Tet (who released Koushik's first single on his Text label), RJD2, and DJ Shadow. What sets Koushik apart from the others is a beautiful '60s psych-pop element that tends to pervade throughout. It shows itself in the spacious panned strings, acoustic guitars, and harpsichords that fall in and out of each other; and the beats have a harder regimented classic true school hip-hop sound, that Fourtet and Prefuse tend to stray away from. But what I truly love about this record is Koushik's voice. His singing is soft and mixed way down in the center of the track, sounding like the voice choirs you'd hear on one of those old Percy Faith or 101 Guitars from the late-'60s. If you're a fan of any of the aforementioned artists, you need this record. – OTHER MUSIC, NYC www.othermusic.com RAGAFFAIRE Neeraj Prem's Ragaffaire is a performance group that harnesses the classical tradition of Indian music while penetrating their sounds into this modern day and age. Founded by virtuoso sitarist Neeraj Prem, the ensemble is a potent blend of highly accomplished musicians from a myriad of cultural backgrounds. What started as a quest to render the Indian Raags and Taalas in complex and simple ways, has developed into a musical language of union between cultures. Initially, the group was a collection of musicians focusing on the heart of Indian heritage, but as their music grew, so too did the people who wanted to play with them. Karthik Ramalingam plays the Indian bamboo flute with Ragaffaire. He was trained by Pt. Janardhan, a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar. He says of the group's leader Neeraj Prem, "He is extremely open-minded, fearless, and treats all fellow musicians with equal respect." It is this openness and fearlessness that has invited new sounds to enter the sphere of Ragaffaire and carry it to where it is today. Now the ensemble includes musicians of other strongly rooted backgrounds such as Africa, Afghanistan, Iran, along with integrating styles like jazz and hip hop. As Ragaffaire travels through North America and abroad sharing their music, they have been attracting the attention of other high profile musicians who want to be part of their fusing musical conversations that are erupting in dynamic mystical experiences of musical alchemy. It is 'World Jazz Fusion' at its best, as each performance by Ragaffaire stirs up a musical conversation between the hearts of multiple backgrounds. It is a journey into the mythology of all our cultural roots, calling us to experience the spiritual union of where we came from. The mystical Indian sounds blend with the African beats, accompanied by jazz compositions and hip hop rhythmic treats. All geographic barriers are dissolved, and a new sense of Indian music is felt, as it no longer seems to come from a distant and far away land Instead it is right where you are, intertwining with your roots, and melting the barriers to your heart. www.pepperjackcafe.com Downtown Hamilton 38 King William St. (905)525-6666 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted December 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Is there any hippies on this board today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted December 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2006 Sweet, spiritual, meditative, intricately played Indian music anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hippie Mafia Posted December 23, 2006 Report Share Posted December 23, 2006 there sure is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevO Posted December 23, 2006 Report Share Posted December 23, 2006 That Koushik mix sounded sweet. I hope to make it to this. Who knew a Hamilton boy was signed up with Stones Throw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted December 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2006 there sure is. Godfather, where have all the kids gone?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted December 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 Tonight will be dope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevO Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 That Koushik mix out on Stones Throw Records ("Be With") is really good shit! I hope to make it out tonight, but not sure at this point. http://www.stonesthrow.com/koushik/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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