World Music

Prem Joshua

In a world where the boundaries of language and culture grow increasingly blurred, a blending of musical influences was inevitable. Out of the melting pot was born a new sound, now known as “world music” - a fusion of genres. Prem Joshua is credited for being one of the pioneers of world music and is considered the guru of Indian Fusion. A tale of east-meets-west, Prem Joshua is a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and singer who draws inspiration from the deep wells of eastern tradition and infuses it with the pulse of contemporary western music, to create a sound that transcends. Moody, meditative, yet highly energetic and even danceable to!

Born as Luke Joshua into a musical family in Germany, he learnt to play the flute and saxophone as a child. In his early teens he played with several local rock and jazz bands, always looking for ways to express his inner self through his music. But there remained a certain “discontent” which led him onto his quest for spirituality. At age 16, he remembers listening to a sitar performance by Ravi Shankar, an experience which left him mesmerized. “It was beyond my musical grasp and experience but was something of such immense beauty and depth. It felt unfamiliar and mysterious - yet at the same time like a remembrance of something I knew very well”, he says.

In the late 70's, still a teenager, he left home, traveling over land to India. Along the way he became involved in the local culture and the music of the countries he traversed. Across Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, he drowned himself in the indigenous folk music, learning and performing with the local musicians.

When he reached India, it seemed as if a void had been filled – he felt, he says, “as if I had come home!”. But this was not an end, but the beginning of a much longer journey for Joshua. He learnt to play the Sitar from Ustad Usman Khan. He was also deeply inspired by Osho. In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a strong sense of humor, he came in touch with the art of the “inner music” - Silence.

He assumed the first name “Prem” which means love, which, according to Joshua is what we all need today. He spent several years in India learning hindustani classical music and exploring spiritualiy, the effect of which can clearly be seen in the music he creates. Prem Joshua plays the Sitar, Soprano Sax, Dilruba and Bamboo Flutes in addition to doing vocals. Over the years he has collaborated with several musicians from across the world to share his learnings and has released over 14 albums.

Some critics may argue that fusion is “degenerative” to the existing musical forms. But Prem Joshua says “I love fusion – It comes naturally to me. We like to unite different cultures and their sounds. One needs sensitivity to do fusion, otherwise it becomes a 'hotchpotch'. Fusion comes naturally when you respect culture and sounds and give listeners something new, contemporary. The fact is that Hindustani music has also been to a great extent influenced by Persian music. So, Hindustani music is actually 'fusion' music since it has its roots in both India and Persia. Without the influence of Persian music, Hindustani music would not have been where it is today. As musicians we have the duty to translate the music with time. We have to make music for people who are living 'now'. The world moves together and similarly, music should also move.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Prem Joshua before one of his live performances. I saw him walking around dressed in flowing indian robes, like a sagely messiah, exuding warmth and energy, mingling with the audience that had gathered. When he took the stage and began his performance, he started with an invocation that he chanted in Sanskrit. What followed was musical divinity. Indian temple chants with urban jazz, sufi poems set to reggae rhythms, unfettered and complex Indian classical music on sitar and tabla, and soaring melodies on the bamboo flute over driving trance loops sending the listener effortlessly spinning into dervish-like heights of ecstasy. The songs from his upcoming album include works inspired by Meerabai, Kabir and Jhule Lal. I was filled with a sense of both pride and Irony that a man from the west had so much to share with us about our own music, culture and spirituality. Prem Joshua says that he might be born German, but his spirit is Indian, and anyone who has borne witness to his live performances would agree with him.

Shakespeare once wrote 'All the world is a stage', Prem Joshua brings the stage to life, with his music flowing like water down the ganges!

Footnote:

Prem Joshua's current band line-up consists of Satgyan Fukuda – bass player from Japan, Raul Sengupta – on drums, tabla, dholak and vocals, along with Chintan Relenberg on loops, keyboards, Darbouka and vocals.

This writeup was published in the March 2010 edition of Eclectic Vibes. www.eclecticmag.com