Popular folk musician Kutle Khan aims to reinterpret Rajasthani folk with cutting-edge electronics, starting with the electrifying monsoon special titled Jhirmir
MUMBAI: Award-winning urban folk artist Kutle Khan is known for his electrifying performances as well as his extensive collaborative work with distinguished artists around the world such as Susheela Raman, Midival Punditz and Amit Trivedi, among others. Having performed in over 70 countries on some of the best stages, festivals, venues and formats such as Coke Studio & IIFA, Kutle is now focused on showcasing his individualistic work as an artist. Starting with Jhirmir’s performance video single on August 17, 2022 where he collaborated with his favorite producer Gaurav Raina (of Midival Punditz), the singer will release a series of Indian Folk Electronica singles this year.
Deeply rooted in Rajasthani culture and lyrics wrapped in a strong dance floor vibe, Jhirmir sets the tone for the refreshing new feel of famed Rajasthani folk star Kutle Khan’s sound for 2022 and beyond. The multi-talented, world-traveling musician is considered one of the country’s finest folk artists, who spans the Indian and Sufi folk genres with passion.
With his new music, he is keen to present another facet of his art with the aim of bringing a contemporary aesthetic to his folkloric offerings. The very first song of the lot – Jhirmir as the title suggests is about the rain and carries the emotions of a woman who misses her husband who is away this monsoon season.
“All songs about rain have their own place in the world and their own charm. I’m happy to share Jhirmir as a special monsoon version. I think it stands in its unique place due to the beautiful mix of the best traditional Rajasthani folk that I bring along with the Indian electronics of my wonderful collaborator Gaurav Raina sir (half of Midival Punditz) with whom I have worked so often.”
The artist describes the monsoon as a time of myriad emotions and also as a great muse. “Music and poetry are the best expressions of emotions like that of a woman yearning for her husband in Jhirmir. I had heard this piece at community gatherings as a kid and really liked it. I suddenly remembered this a few years ago when I was jamming with some friends and it started raining outside. I then sang a few lines of Jhirmir and I realized that we rarely hear these songs anymore. So that’s when I decided to document this, so I restructured/recomposed it and went to Gaurav sir (Raina), Khan says.
Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, so stream Jhirmir and let the track’s electrifying beat tell you the rest of the story. Click here to stream Jhirmir’s performance video single
Khan will release a series of singles throughout the year with 4 very talented producers including Raina.
The urban folk artist is very passionate about preserving his heritage and, in fact, is probably one of the first and only Manganiyar musicians to win GIMA and TIIFA (The Indian Icon Film Awards). Coming from a family of musicians, this master of the khartal from the country of the Rajputs started playing music at the age of 8, learning all the instruments he could get his hands on. Khan plays more than 10 instruments such as dholak, khartal, bhapang harmonium and also writes and composes his own songs.
