Johnny Kalsi
Johnny Kalsi is a British Indian dhol drum performer residing in London. He rose to prominence as a former member of Transglobal Underground and the founder of the Dhol Foundation. He also is a member of the Afro Celt Sound System and The Imagined Village.
Biography
Early life
Kalsi was born in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1967. His parents had immigrated to the United Kingdom from Kenya; his grandfather had earlier moved to Mombasa from the Punjab. As a youth, he was interested in music though his parents had other aspirations for him, hoping he would become a doctor or lawyer. Kalsi was self-taught as a drummer when he joined a school jazz trio and they performed at school concerts and assembly hall meetings. His exposure to a variety of genres embraced both traditional Indian music and Western influences, and he began making Eastern drum rhythms using Western instruments; along the way he redesigned the traditional dhol drum to his own specifications.
Early career
In 1986, after leaving school, Kalsi joined a bhangra band called Alaap, and assumed the role of lead percussionist and dhol player for the band. In 1995, Kalsi joined an emerging world music organization founded by Peter Gabriel, based at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, England. That connection served as a springboard for his career and exposed his talent to a global audience.
Podcasts:
Johnny Kalsi
ALBUMS
- Super Trance 2008 released:
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by Juana Collazo
Garufa
by: Juana Collazo"Del barrio La Mondiola sos el más rana
u te llaman Garufa por lo bacan,
tienes más pretensiones que bataclana
que hubiera hecho suceso co’ un gotan.
Durante la semana meta al labuto
y el sabado a la noche sos un doctor,
te encajas las polainas y el cuello duro
y te venis centro de rompedor.
Garufa!... pucha que sos divertido ...
Garufa! ... vos sos un caso perdido ...
tu vieja ... dice que sos un bandido ...
porque supo que te vieron, l’otra noche,
en el Parque San Josè.
Caes a la milonga en cuanto empieza
y sos para las minas el bareador.
Sos capaz de baliarte La Marsellesa
la marcha Garibaldi y El Trobador,
Con un café con leche y una ensalmada
rematas esa noche de bacanal,
y alvolver a tu casa, a madrugada,
decis: “Yo soy un rana fenomenal”.