Language Barriers

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According to Karsh Kale, the London born and New York raised producer/dj/musician, the title of his third studio release (and most recent album) entitled Broken English, was based on the concept of trying to

“create songs in English, but to give them a sentiment and a sense of universality, so it works in places where English is not their first language. But at the same time, you still understand the sentiment of the songs. That was the original idea of Broken English (link).”

I must admit, I was really looking forward to this third album. To this day Kale’s debut Realize continues to be one of my favorites, and I love its remixed incarnation Redesign. I was however slightly disappointed with Liberation, the follow-up to Realize. For me, Realize had set the bar so high that no follow-up could have topped it. Don’t get me wrong, Liberation was good, just not great. Perhaps it was Kale’s departure from the familiar drum and bass and dance vibe that I was used to, or maybe it was that I thought the cinematic feel of the album was a reach.

In any case, I approached Broken English anxiously, mainly because I had found many recent diasporic desi releases to be trite and mechanical. I was hoping Broken English would be different, and different it was. Wait, is that innovation and musicanship I hear? When I first started listening, I heard hints of Nitin Sawhney through the innovative and non-overtly desi touches in the production, vocals, and instrumentation. Yes the album has Bollywood and Bhangra, as well as the tablatronica that Kale is known for, but it also incorporates hip-hop and rock. All of which work surprisingly brilliant together. While overall, the album presents an eclectic and lush soundscape, Kale stayed true to his roots and kept a few tracks purely South Asian, including among others, the nicely paced “Drive,” and the beautiful duet “Some Things are O.K,” featuring vocals by Sabiha Khan and longtime Kale collaboratorVishal Vaid.

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p>This album is clearly no East meets West hybrid, and there is no American curry or other Indian food adjectives available to describe the sound. It is what it is: purely American in every complex way that makes an American, an American. You get that sense immediately with the opening track, Manifest (click here for free official download): where MC Napoleon raps alongside Vaid’s vocal, while a dhol loop echoes in the background. This is followed by one of my favorite record’s on the album, “Dancing at Sunset,” featuring Todd Michaelsen’s English vocals alongside Carnatic strings and an eloquently placed tabla break and Hindi vocal.

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p>And it doesn’t stop there. Sunset is followed by another amazing track, “Beautiful, ” which is followed by another and another. Like any solid album, Broken English isn’t a couple of good tracks followed by some mediocre fillers. It is instead a solid line-up of thoughtful and diverse music, and will undoubtedly join Realize as part of my life’s soundtrack. You can sample the entire album by clicking here.

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17 thoughts on “Language Barriers”

  1. karsh has been one of my favorites for years. i still regret not catching him at an asian massive in my undergrad years, but i’ve since made up for it by seeing him live several times. phenomenal music and he’s amazing live. i still have to pick up broken english…

  3. Oooh oooh, something for the Events tab: KK is launching the album this Friday in San Fran. So why haven’t I added it to the events tab? Well I’m lazy and I can’t attend. Did catch Cheb-i-Sabbah whilst I was there though, who was also performing as part of the Dhamaal Sights & Sounds Festival.

    Interestingly enough, I only found out about this festival when in a sex shop called Good Vibrations. I went in by mistake, obviously. (Nah Lonely Planet recommended it as they chart the history of the vibrator – some really ancient ones there). Anyway on the counter were hundreds of dhamaal flyers! Interesting.

  4. That “free official download” is a pain – you have to start an account and “purchase” it for $0. Since I was recently a victim of identity theft, I’m wary of providing all that info for a “free” MP3.

  5. I just checked and its available on iTunes. Its a great album and I think its much better than Nitin’s latest. I was not impressed much by Nitin’s latest which was just all over the place. I love how Karsh works within a genre and reinvents it from within. He is definitely one of the pioneers in this scene.

  6. Oi, we are not going to dis Nitin here; Mr Sawhney da man. I like it all: the R&B, the Bollywood stylings, the spoken word, the tablas, the flamenco…boy’s a risk-taker.

    As for Karsh, can anyone recommend three or four tracks of his I simply must get? It’s a shame: I have everything by Nitin Sawhney, I have loads of Talvin Singh, and a couple of albums by Cheb-I-Sabbah, but somehow, no Karsh.

    Hook me up. Talk to me.

  7. Nina: There are 4 tunes from this album up on his My Space page if you want to have a listen, no downloads required.

    Sajit: Great review…because of continually falling asleep while attempting to hear out Liberation I was only partially excited about this new album…but now I’m hyped!

    Maybe it’s just me but that variation of the roc-a-fella sign is far too distracting to be good cover art for KK, the man deserves something original!

  8. Looks like Karsh is getting some good reviews. Here is what Billboard says about him:

    Karsh Kale has an enviable reputation in the biz as a brilliant percussionist, yet, as his solo records have demonstrated, his talent goes way beyond his drum chops. “Broken English” paints Kale’s musical world in the most vivid colors. Rock, electronica, Southern Indian carnatic music, Bollywood strings and hip-hop are all factors here as is everything from tabla to guitar to electric santoor. The album opens with “Manifest” featuring MC Napoleon rapping in one language while Vishal Vaid sings in another, both underscored by a deep groove. It is quintessential Kale—the Asian underground in the Bronx, the carnatic vibe in Alphabet City—and it is some of the most creative music out there. —Philip Van Vleck

  9. I went in by mistake, obviously. (Nah Lonely Planet recommended it as they chart the history of the vibrator – some really ancient ones there). Anyway on the counter were hundreds of dhamaal flyers! Interesting.

    and i never look at sardars. 😉 lol…….

    anyhoo…..mehtinks i gotta check out karsh. seems cool.

  10. As for Karsh, can anyone recommend three or four tracks of his I simply must get? It’s a shame: I have everything by Nitin Sawhney, I have loads of Talvin Singh, and a couple of albums by Cheb-I-Sabbah, but somehow, no Karsh.

    Al Jibraiq:

    On Broken English I would recommend Dancing at Sunset, Beautiful, Innocence and Power, and Some Things Are OK, although I really do like all the tracks–I highly recommend buying the entire album.

    On Liberation, I loved Milan, and enjoyed Instinct, Liberation, and Analog Moodswings.

    On Realize, again, I loved the entire album, some favorite tracks are Empty Hands, Distance, Tour Guide, Home, Fabric, and Longing

    Sorry, I can’t wittle it down more for you.

  11. just got the cd last night from itunes and i’ve been listening to it. some phenomenal tracks! i’m loving dancing @ sunset. props to karsh for diversifying his style. i’m not a huge of the lyrical content in this type of music but he makes it work. definitely recommend it!

  12. karsh kale is awesome live, i love your review sajit. particularly where you’re saying he’s american

  13. Karsh “live” is quite a sight to behold. Besides the standard rock instruments he can play, he is quite the demon on the tabla. At a screening for a documentary on Zaakir Hussain, during the Q&A after, the maestro pointed to Karsh Kale as his successor.. that’s quite an endorsement. If you are in NY, you can catch the “official” album release party and live band set at the Canal Room on April 11 (Tue). Doors at 7PM:::Show at 8:30PM Cover: $12 :: Canal Room 285 W. Broadway @ Canal A/C/E/1/N/R to Canal Street.

  14. I just checked and its available on iTunes. Its a great album and I think its much better than Nitin’s latest. I was not impressed much by Nitin’s latest which was just all over the place. I love how Karsh works within a genre and reinvents it from within. He is definitely one of the pioneers in this scene.