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Analog Synths, Lush Strings, and Old-World Chant: Sheela Bringi Weaves Modern and Ancient in Shakti Sutra
Indian American musician Sheela Bringi is steeped in tradition, but doesn’t feel bound by it. Her newest record, Shakti Sutra (New Earth Records), is a modern chant album created from a tapestry of traditional Indian mantras and songs that have been sung in her family for generations. Her harp, harmonium and bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) create an exquisite sonic foundation for her unique singing of Sanskrit mantras. Weave in analog synths, lush strings and modern harmony, and you have one of the freshest takes on the ancient chanting of India in recent times.
In 2016 Bringi was nominated for a Grammy for her work on the album Bhakti Without Borders by Madi Das, produced by fellow chant artist and producer Dave Stringer. Sheela Bringi and Dave Stringer have toured together for years and their comfort singing together is obvious: Stringer’s harmonies on the track “Krishna Govinda” complements Bringi’s ethereal voice perfectly. Bringi also features the Hindustani singer Subhashish Mukhopadyay – a maestro from Calcutta and a disciple of the great Pandit Manas Chakraborty – on the track “Ganesha Sharanam”. His emotive, highly nuanced vocals soar above richly textured drones and a deep groove laid down by Los Angeles drummer Kevin Yokota.
The album furthers Bringi’s collaboration with Clinton Patterson, a black American producer from Atlanta with a unique slant on blues and spiritual music. “Mantras are often as much about the future as they are about the past,” explains Patterson, who produced and co-wrote the album with Bringi. “This is the first record where we‘ve put electronics right alongside the tabla, harmonium, and violas. It‘s a new sound for us, but who‘s to say what the voice of God sounds like?”
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PROMO VIDEOS
>> go to video archive
 Video: Krishna Govinda |
 Video: Ya Devi |
AUDIO SAMPLES
ARTICLES, REVIEWS and INTERVIEWS
| Light of Consciousness Magazine | Album Review 1/17/17 | >> read article >> view as PDF |
| Spirituality and Health Magazine | Album Review 10/1/16 | >> read article >> go there |
| Midwest Record | Album Review 11/29/16 | >> read article >> go there |
| KDNK – New & Notable Music | Album Mention 11/25/16 | >> go there |
| Yoga Chat w/ The Accidental Yogist | Artist Interview 11/22/16 | >> go there |
| Yoga Basics – Best New Music for Yoga | Album Review 12/22/16 | >> read article >> go there |
| American Bazaar | Album Review 2/10/17 | >> read article >> go there |
| Midwest Book Review – Library CD Shelf | Album Mention 12/15/16 | >> read article >> go there |
DOWNLOADS / PHOTOS
| Shakti Sutra Album Cover | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Dario Griffin |
| Sheela Bringi 1 | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Robert Sturman |
| Sheela Bringi 2 | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Dario Griffin |
| Sheela Bringi 3 | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Farah Sosa |
| Sheela Bringi 4 | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Dario Griffin |
| Sheela Bringi 5 | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Eron Rauch |
| Sheela Bringi & Clinton Patterson | >> preview file |  Photo Credit: Dario Griffin |
| Shakti Sutra Album Credits | >> preview file |  |
| Shakti Sutra Back Cover | >> preview file |  |
LINKS
Sheela Bringi website >> go there
Sheela Bringi on Facebook >> go there
Sheela Bringi on Twitter >> go there
Sheela Bringi on YouTube >> go there
Sheela Bringi on Instagram >> go there