Musical Biography

Suvarna

 

Suvarna has been playing music since the age of seven, starting with classical piano and violin, choral singing and folk singing. She went on to play in a Ceilidh band for some years, and then to the Osho Commune in Pune, India. There, Suvarna learnt Indian raga singing and began to play a five-string electric, synthesiser violin. With this new instrument she experimented in playing music for active and silent meditations in the commune, in a wide variety of styles.

In 1998 Suvarna began to create a new, multi-layered sound of her own. The melodies are composed using the notes of an Indian raga, and the rhythm is a combination of electronic beats and ethnic drums such as Indian tabla or frame drum. The middle layer is a rich keyboard sound with chord progressions that are in tune with the raga. The combination of all these elements creates music that is familiar to Western ears, but at the same time brings the depth and atmosphere of Indian music to the listener. 

Her first album, Fire of the Oracle, was produced by Dik Darnell, and composed and performed with her brother, Ravi, who is a world-class kora player and composer. It was released by Etherean Music in 2000. It received excellent reviews and was a finalist for World Album of the year in the New Age Music awards. A track from this album was included in Claude Challe’s release called Sun and Buddha Bar, Chill Out in Paris 3 by David Visan.

Her second album, called Energia, was released in February 2003 under the band name Infinity - which is Suvarna and Ravi, plus special guests Hossam Ramzy and Ty Burhoe. Hossam is an acclaimed Egyptian percussionist, and Ty is a prominent disciple of Zakir Hussain. Energia builds on the success of Fire of the Oracle, with more exciting tabla rhythms and catchy melodies. The music creates a luscious and upbeat ambience, good to dance to or chill out to. Infinity played several concerts over the summer of 2002, including Womad UK (Reading One World Stage), and the Osho Leela festival in Dorset.

Suvarna’s latest project, This Dewdrop World, sees her moving into a more laid back and intimate space, with all new compositions of vocal improvisations and mantras. The producer for this project is Martyn Phillips, who has twenty years of experience and several major international hits to his name. The opening track has been included in Gabrielle Roth’s latest compilation release, called Shakti.