Prem Joshua ( hi, प्रेम जोशुआ) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-Indian musician, active since 1991. Prem Joshua

Born in Germany in 1958, Joshua learned the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

at the age of five and played the flute and the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

for various local bands. At the age of 18, he traveled overland to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

studying the indigenous

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

music of

countries A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, so ...

along the way. Joshua was the name his parents gave him, he later added Prem to it, dropping the family name, to remind him of the essence of love (Prem means love in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

). On reaching India, Joshua learned to play the

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

from Ustad Usman Khan.

Osho Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. He was viewed as a controv ...

inspired him and his music. His website states that "In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a strong sense of humor, he came in touch with the art of the “inner music” - Silence. This was really coming home!" Throughout his career, he has experimented with various forms of music, creating a blend of the East and the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

. He has also worked extensively with other producers, making remixes of his own songs and infusing traditional Hindustani acoustic instruments with

lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...

and

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

beats. His music has immensely contributed to the

Asian Underground Asian underground is a term associated with various British Asian and South Asian Canadian musicians (mostly Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan) who blend elements of Western underground dance music and the traditional Asian music of thei ...

and fusion scene. In 1991, Joshua launched his first project, “Terra Incognita”, with

Kora Kora may refer to: Places India * Kora, Bardhaman, West Bengal * Kora, Bharuch, Gujarat * Korha, Katihar, also known as Kora, in Bihar * Kora, Kendrapara, Odisha * Kora, Wardha, Maharastra * Kora, Tumakuru, Karnataka * Toyaguda, Adilabad, Telan ...

player, Ravi, and British

Sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

player, Chinmaya Dunster, with which he released two albums. He subsequently released four solo albums and formed the band, “Hamsafar”, with which he released one album. Following this, Joshua began to experiment with genres like

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

, and

, while still focusing on traditional Hindustani music.

Hamsafar Band members

Prem Joshua — sitar, bamboo flutes, soprano saxophone, vocals
Raul Sengupta — tabla, darbouka, cajon, percussion, laptops, vocals
Satgyan Fukuda — electric bass, percussion, vocals
Dondieu Divin — keyboards
Sukriti Sen — vocalist

Discography

* ''No Goal But The Path'' - with Terra Incognita, New Earth Records, 1991 * ''Tribal Gathering'' - with Terra Incognita, New Earth Records, 1992 * ''Tales of a Dancing River'' - New Earth Records, 1993 * ''Hamsafar'' - New Earth Records, 1994 * ''Desert Visions'' - New Earth Records, 1995 * ''Secret of the Wind'' - New Earth Records, 1996 * ''Mudra''
White Swan Records
1998 * '' Sky Kisses Earth'' - White Swan Records, 1999 * ''Dance of Shakti'' - White Swan Records, 2001 * ''Water Down The Ganges'' - with Manish Vyas
Medial Music
2001 * ''Shiva Moon - Prem Joshua Remixed by Maneesh de Moor'' - Medial Music, 2003 * ''Dakini Lounge - Prem Joshua Remixed'' - White Swan Records, 2003 * ''Yatri'' - Medial Music, 2004 * ''Ahir'' - with Chintan, Medial Music, 2006 * ''Taranga'' - White Swan Records, 2006 * ''In Concert'', 2008 * ''Prem Joshua & Band In Concert IVE' - White Swan Records, 2009 * ''Luminous Secrets''
Link to Album on Official Website
2010 * "''Kashi: Songs from the India Within''" , 201

* ''Breath of Voavah'', 2017 * ''Winds of Grace''
Link to Album on www.spotify.com
2020

Sources

Prem Joshua - AlbumsWhite Swan Records - Featured Artists - Prem Joshua
*

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

References

External links

Prem Joshua - Official Website

New Earth Records - Official Website

White Swan Records - Official Website

Trident Entertainment - Official Website

Prem Joshua's LastFM Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshua, Prem German male musicians Sitar players Living people Rajneesh movement Year of birth missing (living people)