Karsh Kale

We last heard from Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) with the release of Breathing Under Water, the talented producer/composer/percussionist’s genre blending collaboration with Hindustani music’s heir apparent, sitarist Anoushka Shankar. But apart from that recording, and a DJ set here and there at Science Club or Bossa, the District has not seen Kale perform in concert since 2003’s Asian Massive tour. That will change on July 4, when the fireworks on the Mall will segue into sonic fireworks at the Rock and Roll Hotel for Return of the Asian Massive, and fans of the burgeoning global electronica scene should take note.

Kale, who is based in New York, has spent the past decade fusing his roots in the Indian classical tradition with modern electronic music. On Friday, he will be performing with his frequent partners-in-crime, the MIDIval Punditz, the New Delhi-based DJ/production team of Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj.

“We heard each other’s demo tapes back in ’97 and we actually met in London, we were both playing there,” Kale said. “Soon after that I was getting ready to work on my Realize album and since then we’ve done a lot of stuff together.”

“There are basically three types of shows that I do,” Kale continued. “At [New York’s] Joe’s Pub, it’s about getting a bunch of great musicians together and just jamming, then there are the DJ sets. With this, we take what we do in the studio and mix that with a live sound.”