Ethnic Fusion Sound
Fusing Ancient and Modern Sounds
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Paula: What do you hope to accomplish as a musician?

Rikhi: I've read, in the past issues of your interviews, some comments made by other musicians which I think are very similar to my understanding of my future as an artist.

Maybe a good approach to the question would be to say that I'd like to contribute with my music for a better state of Harmony and quality of life in our world. To me, a good education is the very key to any success in our lives, because it's impossible to organize anything if we don't understand what and how to do whatever we want.

And also, we can only love somebody or something, if we know and understand it. Hate and fear along with ignorance are the very foundation of human misery.

I've seen a lot of misery, in every country I've travelled to and worked/lived in, no matter if it's a poor or rich country, too many people suffer so much, and I understand that this is because they don't have the opportunity to be nourished by some kind of good education, knowledge or habits for a creative life.

So I think that trying to help people with my art is something I'd like to accomplish: as a professional, by making music that could be at the same time beautiful, original and well accepted by the people; and as a teacher, by being a good communicator of what I think is necessary to know in order to create beauty and peace all around us.

Paula: How do you combine modern and ancient music styles in your sound?

Rikhi: In Ethnic Fusion Sound I have 2 different tendencies, one is Vocal; which means singing songs with lyrics in a Modern way, and the other is Instrumental.

For Vocal music, my style is basically composed of melodies, rhythms, and chords. All of them have differents music sources, for example:

  • I usually combine Western Pop songwriting with Indian Hindustani rhythms and melodies;
  • Arabian rhythms and melodies with Digital programming, Drumset, Guitars and Bass arrangements,
  • Spanish Flamenco rhythms with vocal Chant & percussion of North India,
  • Jazzy chords, Drum set and singing styles with contemporary sounds, Indian Tabla and Guitars
  • Indian Chant and Vocal percussion with Afro Cuban Percussion instruments,
  • Rock/Pop songs with some African rhythms, etc.

    Then, for Instrumental music, I work with the Ethnic Fusion style, from Ethnic + Contemporary + Ambient + Jazz + Classic + Meditative + Latin, etc.

    For example:

  • I composed a piece for Tabla solo with Classical instrumental orchestration,
  • A piece that combines Andes Charango, Indian Tabla, Guitars and Bass.
  • Also a combination of Jazz + Indian percussion and Singing, and so forth.

    Actually, there are so many music ideas that I've been developing for more than 10 years! I'm working all the time with sounds and concepts, and suddenly the alchemy works and . . . Voila!, magic happens and a new song comes to life, it's so mysterious...

    Finally, I'd like to encourage all the individuals that are interested in new forms of expression, to push the envelope and try to know what's going on, not only in their local places, but also far away, because there is always something amazing happening somewhere!


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