Sarathy Korwar‘s magnificent third album, Kalak, was of one of our Album Picks of 2022 and we haven’t put it down since it came out last November. The London based, American born and Indian bred percussionist, producer and composer has announced the surprise release of KAL (Real World), a companion piece to KALAK. Recorded at Real World Studios, Korwar is accompanied by a stellar band featuring Danalogue and Al MacSween on synths, Tamar Osborn on baritone sax and flute, and percussionist Magnus Mehta. Speaking about it, Korwar commented:

“This was the first time we met and played together with other human beings in the same room for almost a year, after the first lockdown. It was a hopeful time where for a brief period we believed things were getting better. There was a lot of fondness, camaraderie and kindness in the room, and playing together felt like a cathartic expression. KAL (Real World) was recorded in less than 24 hours at the incredible Real World Studios. Just being present in those rooms, which had borne witness to so many great recordings, elevated our senses.”

KAL (Real World) is out tomorrow through The Leaf Label and Korwar has shared a video for ‘Songs or People’ which serves as an exhilarating taste of what’s on offer. The video was filmed by Fabrice Bourgelle and you can watch it below.

As The Leaf Label prepares for the release of Sarathy Korwar‘s impending third album Kalak, a new mesmerizing single from the London based, American born and Indian bred percussionist, producer and composer is now streaming. Titled ‘Remember To Look Out For The Signs’, it follows previously released singles ‘Remember Begum Rokheya’ and ‘Utopia Is A Colonial Project’. “’Remember To Look Out For The Signs’ is currently my favourite song on the album,” Korwar said of the track. “Hypnotic and polyrhythmic drum grooves that epitomise the cyclicality of KALAK. It’s a warning call, a reminder that change happens incrementally and if we don’t pay attention, it might be too late.”

The single is offered with a visualiser filmed by Korwar and Fabrice Bourgelle. Watch it now.

Kalak is out on November 11th through The Leaf Label.

Sarathy Korwar is set to release his much-anticipated new album Kalak in November and back in August he had already shared the phenomenal and fiery lead single ‘Utopia Is A Colonial Project’. Now the the percussionist, producer and composer has released a second track from the album titled ‘Remember Begum Rokheya’. Kalak celebrates South Asian music and literature, and the new single sees Korward honouring the life of Bengali feminist writer Begum Rokheya and highlighting the importance and impact that marginalised voices from the past and the present can have on the future. Korward comments:

“When speaking about futurism, one of the fundamental questions is – who gets to speculate? Who gets to tell their story or vision of the future? Begum Rokheya is an example of someone with a radically different worldview and someone who we would generally not hear from. In her 1905 book Sultana’s Dream, she tells the story of reversed purdah, where peace-loving women overpower aggressive men to live in harmony with nature.”

He continues:

“The song is based on a simple, call and response melody, paying homage to its folk music origins. The group vocals are performed by friends and family, to reflect the song’s emphasis on community.”

Listen to ‘Remember Begum Rokheya’ below and be sure to grab Kalak when it drops on November 11th through The Leaf Label.

There’s a new album on the way from London based, American born and Indian bred percussionist, producer and composer Sarathy Korwar, following 2019’s powerful and politically charged More Arriving. Entitled Kalak, the album is described as “an Indo-futurist manifesto” as Korwar explains:

“The discourse around futurism is often deeply rooted in Eurocentric ideas of the world. Much like Afro-futurism, Indo-futurism is moving the focus to the global south. In South Asia, culturally, we envisage our relationship to the future and the past in ideas of cyclicality. For example, karma as a concept. Time doesn’t have to flow in a line but can be understood to flow in a circle.

In music, there’s an inherent hierarchy when you talk about left to right and top to bottom. I started thinking about a rhythmic notation system that was circular. These patterns started forming over time, and the more I thought about that, and the kind of symbolism that they began to have, I realised that this would be the core of the record.”

Recorded at Real World studios with New York electronic musician, DJ and producer Photay on production duties, Kalak is set for release on November 11th through The Leaf Label. Ahead of it, Korwar has shared the phenomenal and fiery lead single ‘Utopia Is A Colonial Project’. Speaking about the track, Korwar comments:

“Utopia can be seen as a diagram for colonisation,” Korwar says. “Ideas of utopia are intrinsically linked to the mindset of settler colonialism. It comes from seeing the natural world as an inanimate resource rather than a living, sentient being. We need to be anti-utopian, and anti-dystopian. We need to be able to imagine futures drastically different to the kind of ‘utopias’ that are being sold by right-wing populist politicians in South Asia and beyond.”

‘Utopia Is A Colonial Project’ is offered with a video directed, shot and edited by Elliott Gonzo and starring award-winning choreographer/dancer Botis Seva. Watch it below.