OVRE Sound and Percussive Arts

Within this daily practice, I’m exploring the connections between space, time, and consciousness throughout the complexity of our human existence. Focusing on the transformative study of rhythm and sound, this work is rooted in both Western and Eastern musical traditions, allowing me to view rhythm and sound as a craft, an art form, a science, a spiritual practice, and a therapeutic modality. Drumming is a portal that leads to a better understanding of self. For the past two decades, I have concentrated on the rhythms of North Indian Classical music, as well as playing and performing on drum kit, Djembe, Conga, Doumbek, Gongs, Singing Bowls, and more. This work sometimes fuses with Moss of Ancients to create a lush soundscape of electronic pulses, drones, and percussive terrain. Throughout these ambient and rhythmic sound journeys, I continue to uncover the vast sea of creativity within myself.

Recently, I have reinvigorated my study of the drum kit and rudimental drumming with Grammy award-winning drummer and producer Robert Brian. This journey of percussive studies has also included an exploration of North Indian drumming through the tabla, drawing from the teachings of my mentor Ty Burhoe. Ty very much embraces and teaches partially through the lens of Nada Brahma which is the idea of experiencing the world around you as sound and vibration. My consistent and in-depth study with Ty has significantly enriched my understanding of tala as a meditative medium. Ty has spent decades learning from his guru, the late Ustad Zakir Hussain, and many other maestros, including santoor maestro Shiv Kumar Sharma. It is an honour to be present with Ty as mentor, teacher, and friend.

This practice has become a pathway for me to experience the world through sound and rhythm, serving as a tool for meditation, spirituality, and healing. Through various frequencies, beats, and vibrations, I am able to create customized vehicles that enable me to explore the landscape that surrounds me and journey into the inner neural terrain, absorbing the essence of the universal language of rhythm.

As a tabla player, I feel fortunate to have received guidance, blessings, and teachings directly from Ustad Zakir Hussain, and I continue to study within this tabla lineage today. My goal is to simply strive to keep learning throughout my life and to teach others this language and rhythmic art form. I’ve also studied Deep Listening with Pauline Oliveros and Therapeutic Sound/Sacred Sound with Zacciah Blackburn. These influences enrich my daily practice and artistic pathways. I’m particularly interested in researching the neurological connections and brain science behind the magic of rhythm, particularly its ability to help process trauma through bilateral stimulation and the medicine of using this practice for personal transformation and healing. This research has led me to compare the libraries of information between tabla and snare drum rudimental techniques, exploring how the brain is subtly altered as we play. I am currently immersed in this path while traveling the cosmos, intertwining my visual art with my musical endeavors. I often wonder to myself “Is the entire cosmos inside us all?” and I’ve since decided the answer very well could be yes.