Review Text
About Hypnotic Gurus: Defying one-dimensional descriptors, crossing boundaries and erasing them, Hypnotic Gurus draws inspiration from many sources: Indian and western, ancient and modern, acoustic and electronic. A sonic curry that both soothes and satisfies, Hypnotic Gurus appeals to an eclectic audience gathering from distinct yet complimentary backgrounds: yoga, trip hop, ambient, urban. Produced by drummer Sunil Narang for CPDC Artists, Hypnotic Gurus infuses sitar into an atmosphere driven by his trademark deep pocket drum grooves and tinged with electronics. Through the sitar, AJ Rikhi Ram invokes the divine and summons the eternal yet exists in the here and now, sculpting textures from lush and melodic to sparse and moody. Flowing like the Ganges, a great musical tradition transmits from father to son, from wise master to young virtuoso. Since 1920, Rikhi Ram Musical Instruments Manufacturing Company has hand-crafted sitar, sarod, tanpura, surbahar, sarangi, tabla and harmonium. Founded by Pandit Rikhi Ram, continued by his dedicated son, Pandit Bishan Das Sharma and now, under the direction of his son, Ajay Sharma a.k.a. AJ Rikhi Ram, this lineage, unbroken, stretches into a new millennium where technology and tradition effortlessly intertwine. Exalted around the globe, the Rikhi Ram family has placed instruments and imparted instruction into the hands of musicians such as George Harrison of the Beatles. Hypnotic Gurus has released the album, Lime Green Bindi, on indie label, CPDC Artists. Comprised of seven transcendent tracks, Lime Green Bindi takes the listener many places- some familiar, some surprising, but all vital to heightened awareness guided by inner light. The first track, 'City', glides along streets bustling with traffic, redolent with heat and exhaust, bristling with excitement. Next, 'Night', an emotional tribute to AJ's father, the late Pandit Bishan Das Sharma, connects our mortal flesh to the eternal soul. The title track, 'Lime Green Bindi', lays down an insistent groove, beckoning all to dance. 'Sagaai', opens with a sweet and solemn proposal to join together two as one. In 'Time', the beat carries one forward, step by step, moment by moment, to return home to a welcoming face. Through 'Memory', the listener indulges the sentimental, the romantic, the uplifting as refuge from the day's trials. Rising from a verdant valley, snow capped mountains as backdrop, the listener as traveler reaches the sonic comfort of 'Hill Station' where precious moments sooth and recharge body and soul. Infectious, elevating and danceable, minimalist and fractal, each track breaks the box to crossover into receptive minds longing for a fresh outlook.
