Raghu Dixit has fast become a shining beacon in the burgeoning Indian independent music scene. Last year, Raghu’s debut self-titled album went on to become India’s highest selling non-film music release. Having toured the UK for most of this summer, he has quickly won hearts and minds wherever he has played.

His debut album will be released in the UK on September 13th by Wrasse Records. Raghu also recently signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony ATV.With a towering voice fronting traditional Indian folk music, which is subtly infused with elements of Western Rock, Arabic, Latino and Reggae textures and rhythms, Raghu’s music transcends national borders and whatever language he sings in he always gets audiences singing and dancing with joy.

Experience Indian dance like you have never before, with Isha Sharvani and the Daksha Sheth Dance Company in their wild and breathtaking new production Shiva Shakti. This mesmorising dance-theater explores an inner journey, brought to life through a synergy of dynamic dance and powerful music. Come and experience this explosion of rising energy.

Premiered 2011 in Japan and South Korea. On its way to Let's Dance International Festival 2012 as part of the Cultural Olympiad in UK. After enthralling audiences in more than 30 countries, the Daksha Sheth Dance Company and Isha Sharvani are coming to Ooty for The M.A.D Festival with their infectious spirit.

MoonArra means “Three Streams. The five members collective upbringing in Carnatic and Hindustani classical, the rhythmic and harmonic quality of jazz and a thousand other songs that they grew up with and meeting with diverse artists, languages and styles, a celebration of the human spirit – it is a journey that has no destination. MoonArra has performed at festivals like the Fete De La Musique in India, Bengaluru Habba and internationally at the Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia 2009, Bangkok Jazz Festival 2010 and at the inaugural of Little India in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Currently Moonarra’s debut album ‘Indian Accent’ has been released in India, and has received rave reviews. The members are: • Madhuri Jagadeesh – Vocals • Jagadeesh M.R. – Acoustic Electric Guitars, Oud • Prakash Sontakke – Hindustani slide guitar,(acoustic and electric) vocals • Karthik Mani – South Indian Percussion (Ghatam, Khanjira) Drums and Konnakol • Wilson Kenneth - Bass

La pongal simply put, is a platform for folk music created by ‘Darbuka’ Siva, that is on a continuous journey exploring indigenous and traditional forms of art. Traditional styles of music gave birth to many new expressions. But the taste of the first ever styles remain deeply ingrained in the culture and people of its area. Designing different kinds of collaborations between folk forms and musicians, it is our vision to bring the rustic folk styles and the experimental contemporary styles together.

By bringing this new expression to already vast folk artforms, we hope to make them more accessible to people all over the world. Our mainstage heroes are always, and will always be the folk stars

The refreshing thing about Bicycle Days (and of a clutch of bands in Bangalore that infuses the scene with hope) is that these young gentlemen have something to say. With lyrical themes that are as powerful social commentary as they are plain old enjoyable songs, they’re brave enough to speak of issues as thorny as religious intolerance – something that requires courage and conviction along with a sense of musical propriety.

A Bicycle Days concert is an experience that will scar and caress you at the same time. Expect vocals that shimmer over an expansive ocean of guitar sounds that are as jagged-edged as they are crunchy, with an almost aching longing in the softer parts that segue seamlessly into each other.This, unequivocally, is a band that is fearless and will stand for itself in the face of all the “this-is-not-how-music-is-played” pundits.

Yodhakaa is a contemporary Indian music band that evolved around the idea of finding a bridge between the traditional and contemporary. Our music is a collage of all the inspirations and influences we have encountered in our journey as artists. This, having been the beginning of our expression as Yodhakaa, we hope to evolve, embrace more cultures, languages and people, because we don't want to remain a bunch of musicians forever. We want to make noise, we want our voices heard... because we have so many things to say, so many messages to send. Yodhakaa was founded by ‘Darbuka’ Siva in 2005 with a pretty simple idea of covering songs by various world music artists from different corners of the world and arranging it with an Indian twist. Pradeep joined a couple of years later, bringing a strong Indian classical influence into the band, and took Yodhakaa in quite a different direction. The band was performing often, with a constantly changing line-up of musicians, but managed to carve a niche for their left- of- centre approach.

Indialucia is a musical project, which fuses two fascinating styles of music: Indian and Flamenco music. The album expresses both the human and musical fusion of these cultures, which could have had a common ancestor. Improvisation and rhythm are the common elements in both styles and are essential to the continued existence of this music. The recordings were made between 1999 and 2004 mostly in India and Spain. Many great artists from the two continents performed. This album is the result of the years of work, which for the first time demonstrates the common elements of flamenco and its Indian roots fused into one art form.

The album was distinguished with the 1st prize "Best Album of the Year 2005" Wirtualne Gesle and 2nd music critics' prize at the New Tradition competition for the "Folk Phonogram of 2005" award.

Having found an impeccable balance between melody and energy, a sound that retains the class of Classic rock, while being driven by the virtuosic musicianship heard exclusively in Progressive Metal: Slain is often compared to the likes of Dream Theater, Symphony X & Angra. It's original, yet reminiscent, fresh yet memorable in every sense. Slain's success in the industry is a reflection of the band's pledge to perfection, in studio and on stage.

Energetic beautiful music that moves the masses; one stroke at a time, Slain is painting the future of Indian Rock!

Sulk Station is an electronic/triphop duo from Bangalore formed by Tanvi Rao and Rahul Giri. Their music is driven by Tanvi Rao’s sultry vocals wrapped in a haze of atmospherics, minimal beats and homegrown synth sounds. Their songs are a mix of contemporary electronic genres (trip-hop/post-dubstep/ambient) with traces of Indian classical music.The duo came together first in early 2009 to play a collaborative opening set for Mouse on Mars (Germany). Sulk Station has been gigging regularly since across venues and festivals. They are known for their moody and hypnotic live shows set in a heavenly ambience supported by innovative visual setups and compelling collaborations with musicians, visual artists and movement artists. Hearing them live "is like hearing faint voices through the fog, until it comes closer, enveloping and surrounding you with some awesome electronica dripped in swaying and swirling vocals.

Schizophonic is an experimental project that brings together many different styles and genres in an electronic environment that is painstakingly created and maintained at each performance. The band comprises three musicians, all networked together and sharing material wirelessly, capturing sounds from the moment and introducing them into their own compositions in real time. The humans in the band have had experience playing a plethora of musical styles and their material reflects the influences of all that has gone by. From deep, dark Dub delays and Hip Hop turn-tablism to jazz piano and blues guitar licks off crackling LP's, all human-generated sound is fed into an electronic hive-mind that behaves intuitively and dramatically; in essence, a fourth member of the band that can only be given suggestions but never entirely controlled. Schizophonic performances are unpredictable. The band works with a variety of people ranging from visual artists and designers to dancers and musicians. The experience is customized to best suit each venue/gig and no two concerts are the same.

The Kabir project brings together the experiences of a series of ongoing journeys in quest of this 15th century north Indian mystic poet as well as other Bhakti and Sufi poets in our contemporary worlds. Started in 2003, these journeys inquire into the spiritual and socio-political resonances of Kabir’s poetry through songs, images and conversations. We journey through a stunning diversity of social, religious and musical traditions which Kabir inhabits, exploring how his poetry intersects with ideas of cultural identity, secularism, nationalism, religion, death, impermanence, folk and oral knowledge systems. The core inspiration of the project is music, and Kabir comes alive in 4 documentary films, 10 audio CDs and poetry books through the power of song.

The Festival will see soul stirring performances by Mukhtiar Ali(Rajasthan), Prahlad Singh Tipaniya (Madhya Pradesh) & Shabnam Virmani(Bangalore)

Emergence's music represent the contemporary emerging scene in India: a melting pot of cultures and sensibilities, as well as a deep respect for the richness of Indian music heritage. Poetry, beautiful melodies and Mishko's killer bass grooves will seduce Indian audience and the rest of the world.

Emergence has featured extensively on the Indian music scene for the past couple of years, playing in Chennai, Pondicherry, Bangalore and Mumbai. The band toured the UK in summer 2008, playing venues across the country. The tour culminated in a number of inspiring performance at Glastonbury, which led to invitations to play at major European festivals in 2009, including, Sunrise, Womad, Glastonbury and Festival de Nyon.

Peter Cat Recording Co. or PCRC is based between New Delhi and San Francisco, currently consisting of 4 members. Formed in 2009, it was initially a solo project started by Suryakant Sawhney in San Francisco and eventually blossomed into a full blown band/act.

The type of music they play is open to discussion, with some people saying they sound like post depression era cabaret to the Bangalore Times calling them Experimental Dark. Their style ranges from Gypsy Jazz to Ballroom Waltz to Midnight Moonlight car chase music (think the movie Don).

Thermal And A Quarter (TAAQ) is a path-breaking band from Bangalore, India. TAAQ describes its music as ‘Bangalore Rock’; a sound as unique and layered as the fast-growing city of its birth. Imagine a Phish-meets- Steely Dan-via-Mahavishnu-Orchestra vibe: the TAAQ sound is all that and more. Through the last 15 years, TAAQ has played all over India, completed tours in the United Kingdom, West Asia and South-East Asia, released four studio albums, supported acts like Deep Purple and Jethro Tull, and won awards for individual musicianship as well as overall contribution to ‘Indian Rock’.

Live, TAAQ delivers an unforgettable, immersive musical experience. From packed clubs to arena-size venues, TAAQ’s stellar musicianship, hard-hitting lyrics, and fluid improvised style make every gig unique.

Formed in the early 90s Indian Ocean has been one of the spearheads of the Indian Rock Scene. Their unique sound of Contemporary Rock mixed with classical, jazz and fusion have earned them a cult following. Their band has managed to maintain this inimitable sound in all their albums and have attained some rave reviews from the critics.

Some of the themes of their songs are based on sufism, environmentalism and mythology. Definitely exclusive in what they do Indian Ocean have toured all over India and played all across the globe.

Asima is a male vocal and percussion ensemble based in Trivandrum. The word Asima is Sanskrit means “beyond boundaries” and the ensemble combines elements from India’s rhythmic and melodic systems with harmonic traditions of Western Music. In particular Asima, takes inspiration from the diversity and wealth of Indian rich music heritage that includes Vedic chanting, Hindustani and Carnatic Classical music and Indian folk music. The music of the ensemble is composed and directed by Devissaro, an Australian born musician and composer who has lived in India since 1980. Trained initially as a classical pianist, Devissaro subsequently studied Hindustani vocal music of the ancient Dhrupad tradition under the renowned Dagar Brothers. He also trained in the north Indian pakhawaj and Hindustani bansuri. The music of the Asima is a reflection of Devissaro’s background in both western and Indian classical music. The Asima ensemble comprises five Carnatic singers, Anil Ram, Gokul Bhaskaran, Sreekumar, Khalid and Anoop Sivanand, Tao Issaro on drum kit, Sajith Pappan on traditional drums and Yakzan Pereira on keyboard and Ben Sam Jones on bass. http://www.asima.in/home

With over a decade under their belts and considered by many to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning metal underground in India, Kryptos have spearheaded the steady rise of Indian heavy metal over the years.

Formed in late 1998, Kryptos have strived to create original, melodic metal, which combines the aesthetics of 80s thrash and pure melodic metal. Influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden along with heavy hitters like Coroner, Kreator, Candlemass, Dark Tranquillity and Nevermore, Kryptos manage to channel these influences into a sound that is all their own.

The band consists of Nolan Lewis, Jayawant Tewari, Rohit Chaturvedi and Ryan Colaco.

Swarathma is a Bangalore (India) based Indian Folk/fusion band formed in 2002 in Mysore when vocalist and songwriter Vasu Dixit met Abhinanth Kumar on guitars with the objective of creating original music. Joined by Pavan Kumar KJ on percussions and Arjun on the violin, they were the original line-up. The band was nominated in three of the eight categories of the Jack Daniels Indian Rock Awards 2008, including Best Vocalist, Best Song and Best Album/EP. The current line up features Vasu Dixit (vocals and rhythm guitar), Pavan Kumar KJ (percussion and backing vocals), Montry Manuel (drums), Varun (lead guitar), Sanjeev Nayak (violin) and Jishnu Dasgupta (bass guitar and backing vocals).

Swarathma is a Bangalore (India) based Indian Folk/fusion band formed in 2002 in Mysore when vocalist and songwriter Vasu Dixit met Abhinanth Kumar on guitars with the objective of creating original music. Joined by Pavan Kumar KJ on percussions and Arjun on the violin, they were the original line-up. The band was nominated in three of the eight categories of the Jack Daniels Indian Rock Awards 2008, including Best Vocalist, Best Song and Best Album/EP. The current line up features Vasu Dixit (vocals and rhythm guitar), Pavan Kumar KJ (percussion and backing vocals), Montry Manuel (drums), Varun (lead guitar), Sanjeev Nayak (violin) and Jishnu Dasgupta (bass guitar and backing vocals).

Funk and jazz are genres that have always been commercially and creatively more viable in the southern half of the country. It has less to do with stereotyping and more to do with the general prevalence of similar strains of ethnic arts - like Carnatic and Hindustani – in the suburbia, that identify with the aesthetes of open jam improvsation.

In Chennai and thereabouts, these skills are epitomized by Groove #3, Groove #3 is a Funk Jazz act . The Band Plays the Genre Jazz-funk, it’s a sub-genre of Jazz characterized by a strong Groove and electrified sounds also draws influences from traditional African music, Latin American rhythms, and Jamaican reggae.

Inspired by the roots and the grove sounds of the Blues, Blues-Rock, Soul, Rock n Roll, Funk and R&B, Soulmate came together in February 2003 in Shillong and since then have played in numerous venues both India and abroad namely Kathmandu, France(Billy Bobs' in Disneyland Village), USA(23rd and 26th INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGES for 2007&2010 as well as in Colorado and Rhode Island) and in Singapore(MOSAIC MUSIC FESTIVAL). Their influences range from Toto Wallang,Sheila Wallang,The Beatles, Elvis Presley,Albert Collins, Steve Gaines, Buddy Guy,Jimi Hendrix, Roy Buchanan,George Harrison, Albert King,B.B King,Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin to Van Morrison, Etta James, Susan Tedeschi,Johnny ‘GUITAR’ Watson, Rory Gallagher, Hank Marvin, Bob Dylan, Jack Pearson, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Jeff Beck,Allman Brothers, Jimmy Hall, Frank Zappa,Willie Dixon, Rory Block, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green,Mojo,The Great Society!!

Nritarutya is an Indian Contemporary dance company based in Bangalore. The director of Nritarutya dance team is by Mayuri Upadhya in the year 2000. Nritarutya dance team in Bangalore showcase their talent not only in local regions like Bangalore, Chennia, but into international stages like USA, UK, Pakistan, Singapore and so on.

It is a professional organization aimed at developing contemporary dancing in India. Their dance holds the power to transform the ordinary through rich imagery, physical articulations and dynamism. Using indigenous forms, technology and interdisciplinary approach, they deliver ‘artistic entertainment’ to a global audience.

Avial is an Indian alternative rock band from Trivandrum, Kerala, India. The band is named after the popular South Indian dish Avial. The band consists of Tony John (vocals), Rex Vijayan (guitars), Mithun Puthanveetil (drums), and Binny Isaac (bass). The band's music is a fusion of native folk music from Kerala and Alternative Rock. The band was formed in 2003 in Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum) in Kerala, and focussed on rock performances only inMalayalam language.

The music consists of folk songs that were predominantly sung by the workers in the paddy fields, along with alternative rock. The plight of farmers whose hard-earned crop was seized by the local landlords is clearly portrayed in the lyrics of their songs. Avial has devised its own flavour of music, which the band members refer to as "Alternative Malayali Rock", that reflects the one of a kind heritage of Kerala life.

The story of the ‘banned’ It was 10:23 PM on a Friday evening, in the autumn of 2010. The trees swayed to the sounds of wind instruments played from a keyboard . The doors rumbled when a riff similar to ‘Roadhouse Blues’ was played in a Tamil song that was being recorded in the studio. The two men (a young boy and a man) in the studio came out and stood under a mango tree to unravel this abnormal... activity. An apple fell on Dheeru’s (the boy) … head. Amrit (the young man) caught it inches off the ground. An idea was born. At that unholy hour, the boy looked at the young man and they both nodded with a wicked grin. The boy then looked to the heavens with a loud cry “but who will shoulder the duties of the fret board? Will this society and our community accept this? “can we do it with no strings attached?”.

Kundalini Airport is an ethnic fusion band with Rock, Reggae, Indian classical, Middle east & African influences. The lyrics explore the eastern traditions of devotional music: Hindu, Sufi or Buddhist.. KUNDALINI AIRPORT did welcome more than thirty musicians from all over the planet since its debut: Israel, Iran, India, Nepal, Japan, France, Romania, Italy, Russia, Holland, Canada, and the line up saw many many different formations

The band generally plays in a quintet, but the band is often reduced to a trio Sitar-Mandalin-Vocals-Tabla/Didjeredoo and at times even a duo: Sitar-Mandalin-Vocals-Tabla.

Agam is a contemporary carnatic rock act from Bangalore, India. It drives its name from the ancient tamil word which translates into the ‘inner self’. Agam’s music encapsulates the boundless, vibrant emotions of the human psyche.

Their music combines the myriad hues of melodic scales and intricate rhythm structures offered by carnatic music the aesthetic principles and tonal elegance from the western world. Their music also reflects the soulfulness in sufi music and the power of rock.

Members include Harish Sivaramakrishnan, a trained carnatic musician and a violinist, Harish is the lead vocalist for Agam, Ganesh Ram Nagarajan, a self taught Percussionist, Vignesh Lakshminarayanan, the bass guitarist of Agam, Praveen Kumar, guitars, Sivakumar Nagarajan, percussions and Swaminathan Seetharaman, the lyricist for all their compositions

AFFLATUS began their “inspirational journey” in 2004, a journey that has had its share of hurdles, obstacles and constraints though the band has never lost sight of the one thread, one passion, one love that binds them together…the love of creating MUSIC.

Formed by Grace Miller (Vocals), Karen Donoghue (Guitars), Sharon Zadeng (Bass) and Mercy Miller (Drums), Afflatus are made up of experienced musicians in their own right with Mercy, Karen and Sharon having earlier been members of bands and Grace vocalist in her father’s gospel group since she was a child. Their debut performance as Afflatus in 2004 won them a prize and that too at the national level!!! Since then, Afflatus, have come a long way with a debut album in the making, numerous high profile concerts under their belt and the emergence of a truly international sound.

State of Bengal is one of the key dj/producers to have emerged from the cutting edge British Asian music scene that emerged in the late 90’s that gave berth to the late ‘underground’ movement. It was set up in 1987 after Sam having visited a village of Noakhali (Bangladesh) where he interacted with traditional musicians and dancers.

The sound system developed its repertoire and found its identity as a State of Bengal.

State of Bengal’s reputation for pushing the boundaries to produce eclectic albums as well as his archives of dance tracks has gained him further and continued respect as one of the innovators and pioneers of the British Asian music scene.

A fresh-on-the-scene band from Mumbai, 'Spud in the Box' is an Alternative/Pop-Rock act founded by Ankit Dayal and Rohan Rajadhyaksha, around March 2011. The duo started small by playing early sets at Blue Frog, but soon saw the need to expand the sound; enter drummer Vivaan Kapoor and bassist Zubin Bathena. With lead guitar duties switching between Arjun Tandon, Siddharth Talwar and Hartej Sawhney, (no they do not all play at the same time, but are subject to availability) ‘Spud in the Box’ was good to go. As far as sound goes, the band does not wish to be limited to any genre, freely experimenting with jazz, blues, pop, folk, rock, hip-hop, classical (Western and Indian); while covering artists from any and every field of music. Developing a unique sound is the law of the land as far as Spud in the Box is concerned.

Sanjay has crossed many borders, physical & cultural, in pursuit of his vision - a vision of world community, expressed through music. A native of Mumbai, India, Sanjay graduated from GUITAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Los Angeles in 1989, where he studied with SCOTT HENDERSON, JOE DIORIO and ROBBEN FORD. Sanjay was quick to become an active member of the Los Angeles music scene, as a guitar player and composer, where he had the opportunity to play and absorb a myriad of styles ranging from Jazz, Brazilian, African, R&B and Gospel. In his 15 years stay in Los Angeles, he recorded and toured with a variety of artists including ANGELIQUE KIDJO, CARLOS SANTANA, DAVE WECKL, LOUIS JOHNSON, DUMAZZ, SAMBAGURU, MICHAEL MC DONALD, FRED RAULSTON among others, and played on some of the most prestigious stages including the PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL, and the NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL. He also has worked on several soundtracks for movies including WOMAN ON TOP and LEELA, which he scored.

Creating a fine balance between folk and electronic music – Papon & the East India Company is part of an evolving Indian fusion electronica milieu. Their sound epitomises a larger freedom and experimentation being experienced culturally and musically in india today - moving towards futuristic electronic dimensions while remaining earthed in rich tradition.

Papon’s is a renowned voice and presence in the fusion music scene, Dipu has an intrinsic rock feel and is part of hard rock bands in Assam (playing live with Papon on tours), Pankaj a very talented musician who plays guitar for the band has already released a self composed, produced album in Assamese in Assam. Kirti's roots rest in percussion and tabla (60 kilos of equipment and beats wherever he goes!). And, Brin has been involved with electronic sound design and production in Delhi, Australia and Bombay for the past ten years.

Fana'a: Ranjha Revisited, collaboratively made by Navtej Johar and composers Madan Gopal Singh and Elangovan Govindrajan, is a dance-theatre piece that seamlessly fuses two archetypical narratives from North and South India: the predominant Sufi love legend from the Punjab, ‘Heer Ranjha’ interspersed with ‘Kutrala Kuravanji’, a genre of dance-drama from Tamil Nadu in which a gypsy foretells the heroine, Vasantvalli, of her destined union with Lord Siva.

Inspired by the open-as-the-sky abandon of Sufi poetry and, on the other hand, the crystallized structures which inform the Tamil poetic expression, Fana'a: Ranjha Revisited attempts to diffuse the ‘high’ and ‘low-art’ polarities through a male-duet, freely intermixing and juxtaposing the two texts without a fixed flow of narrative or fixed characterizations.

Adam & the fish eyed poets is the working name of chennai based singer-songwriter kishore krishna , who after having released 2 self produced albums "snakeism" (2010) and "dead loops" (2011) has decided to put a band together featuring the most talented musicians from the chennai cesspool ,with a sound that finds a volatile balance between the sexually charged stax/volt era rhythm and blues and the sneering, passive aggressive precision of post-punk/new wave acts such as the smiths, echo and the bunnymen and the cure , the fish eyed poets are ready to start a meaningful fire or two.

The word ‘Kutumba’ holds a special meaning in the Nepali language. It stands for a unique bond amongst community members. As their name, Kutumba is all about bringing together traditional folk tunes and instruments with new and improvised sounds and ideas.

Kutumba is a folk instrumental ensemble, group of six professionals from Kathmandu. Having come together for the preservation of their culture and art, Kutumba wishes to spread love and joy of Nepali folk music throughout the world. Self motivated and self driven, Kutumba is a group with their own unique sound and vision.The seven members have different roots and backgrounds in music. Kutumba is the harmony of traditional roots, culture and new sounds.

This exclusive community of musicians from Rajasthan in Western India have perhaps the richest legacy of folk music behind them. With a characteristic vocal technique, full throated singing and an eclectic blend of rare folk instruments, the music they put up is nothing short of magic. Among them, Anwar Khan and Firoze Khan alongwith their troupe have brought Rajasthani folk music out of its closeted existence into mainstream acceptance.

Their performances with greats such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Tanmoy Bose and international musicians has brought them international acclaim. They now travel all over the world, taking their beautiful folk music to people and giving them a glimpse of the vibrant land of Rajasthan.

Like most Indian rock bands, Motherjane traces its origins to one particular day when a bunch of talented college going friends found their calling in rock.

What’s peculiar about this start was that it was hastily put together by John Thomas (the college arts club secretary) to avert a potential disaster. Motherjane was formed to fill in for the Professional act which had suddenly opted out of the Rock show. The first stroke of luck for Motherjane had sounded!

In 1996, featuring the combined talents of John Thomas(Drums), Clyde Rozario (Bass), Mithun (Guitars) and Laji (Vocals), the band went on to make an explosive debut wowing their peers within a week of their formation.

Krar is the Ethiopian 5 or 6 stringed harp. KRAR COLLECTIVE is led by Temesegen Tareken, a former pupil of veteran Ethiopian vibraphone player Mulatu Astatke, on Krar, with drums, and singer Genet Asefa and drummer Amare. They are sometimes joined by other musicians, singers and full dance show with 4 dancers.

The band developed through Genna Ethiopian Arts and Theatre (GEAT) and has performed regularly at Celebrating Sanctuary festival as well as at other festivals and venues in the UK.

God's Robot's is the exciting new 'Mumbai-San Fran' based collaboration born via the net. Bypassing all borders and defying musical genres, the result is a fresh sound with hints of pop, sweetly kissing goodbye to limitations. Trained in Carnatic classical, Mumbai based Shridevi Keshavan (aka Taamara) and San Francisco Janaka Atugoda (aka Janaka Selecta) started vibing and creating music together over 6 months before the two met for 1st time in Mumbai.

Together, they break new ground. Their songs construct and deconstruct an ever more electronic world, drawing both from their heritage and digital future. A seamless blend of catchy English lyrics, classical Indian instrumentation and underground rhythms defines the unique Gods Robots sound. It is the sound of an infinitely interconnected world where borders are becoming increasing meaningless.

Dele Sosimi and the Afrobeat Orchestra is a full live experience with horn section, drummer, percussion, Bass, vocalist and dancers with Dele at the helm on keyboards, piano and vocals.Celebrated recording artist and musician, Dele Sosimi is musical director of the highly acclaimed 'Tony Award' show 'Fela!' on the life & music of the legendary Fela Kuti, originator of AFROBEAT, at London’s National Theatre.

At the age of 16 while most teenagers are content with a paper round, Dele was discovered by Fela who brought him into his Egypt 80 band. A gifted Keyboardist Dele rose to prominence as musical director of Fela's legendary 30 piece band during the 80's /90's.

Skinny Alley is one of the most respected and critically acclaimed songwriting collectives in contemporary Indian music. Formed by Jayashree Singh, Gyan Singh and Amyt Datta in 1995, the band has has played to diverse crowds in every possible venue, from colleges to clubs, coffee-houses to football stadiums, and a gangster’s rooftop to car parks filled with tobacco-chewing truckers. The music of Skinny Alley reflects the richness of spirit and experience accumulated by a life on the road since the 1980s.

Skinny Alley’s debut album Escape The Roar was released by EMI in 2003. At the time, it was the first major-label release of an English language album by an Indian band. Songs From The Moony Boom (2007) is a sharp deviation from the meticulous production of ETR. All tracks were recorded live, loud and lo-fi at home in the music room. Counter Culture Records released the album. Which makes sense, since nobody got paid.