KSHMR: Who controls Kashmir doesn't concern me; I am more interested in its art
Updated On: 29 May, 2023 09:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Nascimento Pinto
The Indian-origin American record producer who was recently in Mumbai to perform at the Road to Ultra music festival, spoke to Mid-day Online about his latest album with King, MC Stan and Krsna. He also dwells on his stage name, roots in Kashmir and making music with Indian sounds
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KSHMR, who recently performed at the Road To Ultra music festival in Mumbai, is gearing up for the release of his upcoming album, ‘Karam’. Photo Courtesy: Road to Ultra
For American musician Niles Hollowell-Dhar, visiting India is like coming back home. It is simply because the record producer has paternal roots in Kashmir, a region that has inspired his stage name ‘KSHMR’ and his music featuring Indian sounds. “Growing up with India being such a big part of my heritage, I have a love for Indian sounds and I feel there is an opportunity to dig into the rich world of Indian music and combine it with Western music; and make something that`s new and special,” shares Dhar, who has been ranked as high as 11 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs since he has been active.
Discovering roots
It is not only the music but also the culture that has kept Dhar entranced in his Kashmiri roots, with due credit to his family. “It was always impressed upon me that I am a Kashmiri Pandit, and it didn`t mean a lot to me. I just said `Hey, you hear this stuff all the time, you don`t think about it. Then as I got older, I got more interested in my heritage and roots, and spent more time in India. I thought about it and thought it would be a nice way to honour my heritage to call myself KSHMR.”
Dhar hasn’t limited the ‘influence of his roots’ on just the sounds but has also named two of his songs – ‘Jammu’ and ‘Kashmir’ after the region; one more is called ‘Delhi’, which feature in his EP called ‘Paradesi’ in 2019. “The region is so beautiful and like a paradise. I had romanticised these places like they were heaven. I made those songs even before visiting the places because it had a place in my heart like heaven, like a dream that was an idyllic paradise,” he explains. When one talks about the region, it is impossible to not think about the conflict there, but KSHMR believes in looking beyond and celebrating Kashmir. “It is too complicated for somebody like me to come in and have an opinion on it. I have heard a lot of compelling arguments and opinions about it. I am more interested in what beauty, what creativity, what poetry and art come out of the region and less about who controls it. I am more interested in less violence rather than picking a side… but of course if you want less violence, you have to look at the history and for Kashmiri Hindus, the history has been pretty brutal,” he explains.
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