My personal statement, in celebration of ‘Ashirvad’s’ contractual signing with Times Music of India

We are honoured to be joining the great rostrum of talent available on
the Times Music catalogue, the most prestigeous music label in India
and Asia…We are also proud to introduce a new flavour into the
melting pot of modern contemporary crossover music.

I’ve had a love affair with Indian culture and spirituality for over
40 years, specifically with music in its various forms; regional folk
music, bhajans, dhoons, kirtans, thumris, khayal, and Drupada. So it
was with good fortune that I was able to meet Darren with his vast
technical know how and mature aesthetic sensibilities. We were also
fortunate enough to share a mutual vision, where through collaborative
efforts, our creative synergy has produced a harmonious blend of
musical elements, which we believe is not only unique, but also
provides an accessible bridge in the contemporary cross cultural
genres, adding a refreshingly new contribution to the ever expanding
marriage between east and west.

‘Ashirvad’ was recorded with a mobile studio as part of our sacred
pilgrimage through India, so the initial inspiration and intention
behind the production of ‘Ashirvad’ became intrinsically woven into the main fabric and creation of the album, which naturally evolved to take the listener on
a kaleidoscopic, transcendental journey through this colourful and
fantastic land.

The musical flavours of Ashirvad are inspired by the different tastes
and rasas (aesthetic sentiments) inherent in the varieties of Indian
music that we both relish and desired as crucial elements in our
album. Our creative challenge was to try and enhance those traditional
elements, along with western instruments and the sensitive use of
modern technology, which we feel we’ve achieved, and therefore feel
extremely pleased and fortunate to be able to finally share the fruits of our
creativity with other discerning listeners and enjoyers of beautiful
music in India………..