ENTERTAINMENT
Lucinda Drayton of Bliss with Marcus Cliffe
A Hundred Thousand Angels: Lucinda Drayton of Bliss
LIVE with Marcus Cliffe
If you have ever attended a yoga class, if you are a meditator or have ever received healing, the chances are that you will have heard Lucinda Drayton of Bliss. Her music has accompanied some of the best spiritual teachers across the globe. It is profoundly powerful music that changes the atmosphere and opens hearts.
As a Rai Yoga practitioner herself, Lucinda has the ability to sing whilst within the aura of yoga and take the audience on a spiritual journey. Reconnecting with the authentic self and touching the divine. Lucinda is also a consummate musician, performing since the age of 15 in venues as diverse as Wandsworth Prison to Wembley Stadium.
She will be accompanied by her partner, top London session musician Marcus Cliffe. He has played with many of the great artists including Al Green, Marc Knopfler The Manfreds and Emmylou Harris. Marcus has also created music for many films produced the music for Lucinda's last 5 albums.
Together Marcus and Lucinda create the most stunning music. The kind of music the world needs and loves.
Lucinda Drayton and Marcus Cliffee will be performing on Thursday18th July at World Yoga Festival as part of the evening concert.
Kirtaniyas
California based Kirtaniyas are a global collective of energetic, multitalented artists. These twenty-somethings grew up in a Vedic culture of song, dance, philosophy and devotion between ashrams and temples both in India and the western world.
Vijay Krsna, band leader, studied devotional Indian folk music known as “Kirtan” in the sacred village of Vrindavana, India. This rare traditional art form is an ancient call-and-response mantra chanting practice, that originated in the Indian subcontinent over 5000 years ago. Joined together with the musically gifted Sarasvati, soulful vocalist Rasika and drummer Nitai, Vijay formed the Kirtaniyas in 2009. They have since travelled the world to over 15 countries infusing new life to these ancient chants with youthful spirit and energy.
Nikki Slade
Nikki Slade is a leading pioneer in the field of chanting, core voice and sound work in the UK. Nikki has inspired thousands of individuals to chant and has led chanting workshops for many corporations including M&C Saatchi, Deutcshe Bank and Cisco. She has also taken her cutting edge approach to working with the voice into Wandsworth men’s prison and she is the resident voice facilitator at the Priory hospital in North London where she has impacted the recovery of hundreds of addicts over the past 13 years.
Nikki has recorded four highly popular chanting Cd’s: Nectarine, Monsoon, Soundscape and her latest double album Epiphany. She is the resident Kirtan (Chanting) leader at Triyoga in London and has travelled the world with her work to places including California, Singapore, NYC, Europe and Melbourne. She has led chants for over 2000 people at the 11.11.11 Mind, Body, Spirit show and at the 12.12.12 Oneness ceremony in London.
Manish Vyas
Manish Vyas is a composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist – he is a talented Tabla player, a disciple of Ustad Allarakha. Later he added his distinct voice to the music and also learned to play Santoor, an ancient stringed musical instrument which was traditionally used in the folk music of Kashmir. He also plays and teaches harmonium.
Having learnt Indian music since his childhood with respected Indian Maestros, his music reflects the deep feeling of an ancient mystical India, touching the heart of the listener. Given his later years touring in Europe and USA, where he blended his skills with other world musicians, his music incorporated the friendliness to the Western ear – creating a fine blend of his genuine heritage with more contemporary new age sounds.
The feeling behind his music is that of joy, meditation and silence. The range that him and his band cover through vocals and Indian instruments gives raise to different flavours: from devotional prayers, mantras, and songs of love; raising up the rhythm to Kirtan music, followed by uplifting dance-celebration music – to finally return to the meditative shanti (peaceful) music. In this way, covering the whole range of emotions through the musical expression: a reflection of a balanced life: going outwards and coming back inwards. Manish is one of the few authentic kirtan and mantra singers who has the true deep understanding of Indian music and keeps its authenticity most gracefully, with true respect to Indian music.
Ragasudha Vinjamuri
Ragasudha Vinjamuri has learnt dance under the tutelage of Guru Dr Umarama Rao in Hyderabad. She is Associate Lecturer at the University of Sunderland in London and has performed across the UK at different venues and occasions, including at Resurgence, Festival of Well-Being at Bishopsgate Institute, India Centre in Wales, Consulate General of Birmingham, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Nehru Centre, Houses of British Parliament and at the European Parliament in Brussels. She has been using dance for environmental advocacy and raising social conscience, and has distinction of presenting dance on niche themes. Her name has been entered into the Limca Book of Records 2018 in the Performing Arts chapter.
Vibha Selvaratnam
Vibha trained in Bharatanatyam from a very early age from her mother Kiran Ratna. Her outstanding talent has propelled her onto the international dance scene. She is regularly invited to perform at the NADA Nrityotsava at the VRC Academy of Music & Dance in India as well as performing throughout the UK. She has been highly praised for the choreographic innovation shown in her works such as Nayika and experimental collaborations with The Fusion Project. Vibha has co-choreographed and performed in many productions with India Dance Wales, most recently taking the lead role in the dance drama “Shakuntala”. She heads India Dance South West (a branch of India Dance Wales est. in 1993) and continues to choreograph and perform regularly and is involved with collaborations to explore her art form further.
Adrian Atma
"Not only music, it's a journey toward inside.”
Adrian Atma performs incredible solos with a loop station, acoustic instruments, beatbox, and voice. He plays guitar, sitar, violin, bansuri, and duduk. Adrian can be called a real "One-Man-Orchestra". His creativity and inspirations are connected to Indian music, Gypsy style and sounds from the Middle East. Originally from France, Adrian has been traveling all over the world for several years and got inspired by different kinds of traditional music. Being a yogi and adept of meditation his music is infused by his practice.
Sika Deer
Emerging over 20 years ago, at the forefront of tribal music in the 80’s, Sika leapt into the UK music scene and was immediately recognized as a gifted Didjeridoo player. Through merging ancient and contemporary instruments, Sika’s music crosses the lines between world, ambient dance and acoustic trance , with a deep sense of reverence.His instrument bundle includes the Didjeridoo, Taos Drum, Shells, Ocarinas, Rattles and Shakers, Hoop Drums, Native American Flutes, as well as synths and electronica.Initially coming from a background of fine art and photography, Sika’s life is based on the medicine wheel teachings, emphasising that we are here to walk in balance and beauty within ourselves and nature. In his shows and concerts, Sika shares anecdotes and stories based on personal experiences, plus a wealth of information, facts and wisdom relating to the instruments and the cultures they originated from. Sika has recorded 4 solo albums and participated on countless collaborations. He makes annual appearances at festivals all over North and South Island NZ, as well as Australia and in the UK. The connection with our ancestors and ancient knowledge is a key to see into the Dreamtime of our planet.