Sushma Soma

#4612, South Asia Electric

New Sounds | Jun 1, 2023

Hear music from the Indian subcontinent and the South Asian diaspora by Singapore-born Carnatic vocalist Sushma Soma, Pakistani-American composer/vocalist Arooj Aftab, and Anglo-Indian percussionist Karsh Kale.

Singapore-born Carnatic vocalist Sushma Soma layers her voice with electronics on her 2022 album, HOME. A reflection on her relationship with Nature and the Environment, and how Man is connected to both, the record was created with Indian classical vocalist and composer Aditya Prakash, who also has Carnatic roots, (Bandcamp liner notes.) Then, listen to the rich, thoughtful, and mellifluous vocal lines of Brooklyn-based Pakistani-American singer and composer Arooj Aftab who weaves together sounds of Western instrumentation with texts from Urdu and Farsi poetry on her album, Vulture Prince.

There’s also Indo-electronica by the late producer DJ Cheb I Sabbah who has layers ragas atop trancey warped swirls of drones and suffuses them with innovative percussion patterns. Plus, music from global musician composer/DJ/tabla-playing/producer Karsh Kale and more. - Caryn Havlik

Program #4612, South Asia Electric (First aired 4/14/22)

ARTIST: DJ Cheb i Sabbah
WORK: Mere Kabu [1:00]
RECORDING: Shri Durga
SOURCE: Six Degrees Records 657036-1009-2
INFO: sixdegreesrecords.com

ARTIST: Sushma Soma
WORK: Nature [7:47]
RECORDING: Home
SOURCE: Sushma Soma
INFO: https://ffm.to/homebysush

ARTIST: Arooj Aftab
WORK: Inayaat [7:47]
RECORDING: Vulture Prince
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: aroojaftab.bandcamp.com

ARTIST: Karsh Kale
WORK: Letting Go [6:14]
RECORDING: Liberation
SOURCE: Six Degrees Records
INFO: sixdegreesrecords.com

ARTIST: DJ Cheb i Sabbah
WORK: Mere Kabu [12:36]
RECORDING: Shri Durga
SOURCE: Six Degrees Records 657036-1009-2
INFO: sixdegreesrecords.com

ARTIST: Bombay Dub Orchestra
WORK: Junoon [5:33]
RECORDING: 3 Cities
SOURCE: Six Degrees #1153 
INFO: sixdegreesrecords.com

ARTIST: Sushma Soma
WORK: The Elephant's Funeral [6:04]
RECORDING: Home
SOURCE: Sushma Soma
INFO: https://ffm.to/homebysush

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