alchemists of sound,
shifting hearts like the desert sands.
Welcome to Karavan Sarai’s Electronic Press Kit
““Karavan Sarai’s music is thick, clear and fills a space without pressure but with pleasure like love it warms a room. To draw on the great traditions and bring the prayers of century’s into CoSM is a real blessing for us. I loved it. “
”
- KARAVAN SARAI -
Live Mesmerizing Music of the Middle East & Silk Road
w/ Lush Electronics & Global Beats.
Band Statement Options for show
1-Mystical Silk Road Ecstatic Dance (Journey to a Middle Eastern Realm)
2- Ecstatic Mystical Music of the Middle East w/ Lush Electronics & Global Beats.
3-Live Eclectic Music of Middle East w/ Lush Electronics & Global Beats
4-Live Eclectic Eastern Music with Electronica.
5-Middle Eastern Eclectic Melodies meet Lush Electronics & Global Beats.
6-Live Silk Road Electronica.
7-Sufi Fusion with Electronica Groove of the Middle East.
Add ons: ***(with Mesmerizing Dance). ***(with Full Band).
Long BIO:
Live mesmerizing music of the Middle East & Silk Road with lush electronics & global beats. Mystical alchemists of sound, shifting hearts like the desert sands; Karavan Sarai forges ahead where tracks end. This is a deep hypnotic journey.
Short Bio:
Live mesmerizing music of the Middle East & Silk Road with lush electronics & global beats.
FULL BIO:
Karavan Sarai is live mesmerizing music of the Middle East & Silk Road with lush electronics & global beats. A mystical journey for the soul to drink the artistry of the East. Listen and you'll hear ancient echoes of footsteps translating secrets into song. We forge ahead where tracks end. This is deep hypnotic fusion.
Personal Bio:
Founder of Karavan Sarai composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist & vocalist Narayan Sijan lived on the Silk Road for 20+ years, learning & performing music with mystics, masters & locals. With a family heritage of mixed East & West culture, he creates a hybrid of musical storytelling from original & traditional melodies & beats. A mystical alchemists of sound, shifting hearts like the desert sands; Narayan takes one on a deep hypnotic mesmerizing journey to unlimited devotion.
Download 11 solo/band photos, promo flyer, PNG Logos with a zip folder (20mb) in button below
Social
-STANDARD PERFORMANCE:
Electro-acoustic Solo show with vocals, oud, saz, electronic backing tracks.
Formats:
Various Show Styles are Available.
>Performing Arts Set,
>Ecstatic Dance Set,
>Sound Healing Set,
>Intimate Acoustic set (Eastern devotional music, Singalongs, Jams, ethnic songs).
A built to order for your event.
configuration options.
(Vids Below):
>Available with Dancer(s). Sufi Whirling, Belly Dance, Gypsy, Folkloric, Classical, Devotional and dances of N. Africa, Middle East, Balkan, Turkish to Persia & Indian.
>Full Egyptian Band. (w/ Egyptian gypsy master musician)
>Percussionist, Musicians.
-Add ons:
Sufi Whirling workshops, Vocal workshop, Eastern devotional (Hindu Kirtan, Sufi, Jewish, Catholic gospel) acoustic song circles & sing alongs.
The debut album, WOVEN LANDSCAPES (2015), reached number 6 on the World Music Charts (CMJ), while the follow-up, ‘Painted Sands’ (2018), peaked at number 4 with over ten weeks on the charts. (CMJ). TORN IN LOVE (2020) peaked at number 6 with over 12 weeks in the Top Ten World Music Charts (NACC) and was selected as #22 of the Best World Music Albums of 2020. THE MOONS WITHIN REACH (2022) a more ambient sounding album also was on the top ten World Music Charts and Chill Out Charts (NACC). New Album Released OCT. 8 2024: ‘‘MYSTICS, MASTERS, MADMEN, (EASTERN DEVOTIONAL MUSIC, VOL.1)’.
Performing at large festivals from Bali Spirit Festival in Indonesia, Spirit of Tengri in Kazakhstan and Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) in California to cultural art centers such as Makan, Cairo Jazz Club in Egypt and CoSM (Alex Grey) in New York plus resorts such as The Sanctuary in Thailand; Karavan Sarai makes for a riveting performance that engages audiences of any size. Ecstatic Dance sets have been an important development with our tour; from New York to North Carolina, Colorado to California, and festivals world wide.
This evocative visual and sonic journey carries listeners to a nighttime courtyard of a virtual Silk Road palace, the Karavan Sarai that gave the project its name.
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist Narayan Sijan (multi-ethnic heritage of Eastern Balkan to Moorish in Spain, Jewish Polish & Irish) lived on the Silk Road from 1994-2006, learning and performing music with mystics, masters, and locals. He creates musical storytelling from original compositions and traditional melodies. Karavan Sarai’s electronic music is created by two-time GRAMMY nominee producer and programmer Carmen Rizzo, whose credits range from A.R. Rahman, Seal to co-founding the world/electronic act Niyaz.
Mission
We believe art is a way of life. We risk everything to live and breath our sound every single day on our pilgrims journey. Our mission is to mystically compel our listeners to break free from social conformity and create differently. We give our fans a taste of the freedom we embody, thick and through. We do this by living our truth no matter what the road throws our way. We’re alchemists of sound, shifting hearts like the desert sands.
what is a KARAVAN SARAi ?
Along the Silk Road, I was always drawn to old karavan sarais (travellers’ inns or hubs) from India to Egypt and Turkey to Morocco during the years I lived there. These are real places that have existed for thousands of years. A place where weary travelers be it mystics, nomads, gypsys, kings & queens, camel traders, musicians, dancers, merchants and madmen alike would gather around the inner chambers fire of a Sarai. Karavan=Caravan (spelled in the Persian way w a K) and a Sarai is the palace where various cultures, religions, beliefs would meet around the fires at night telling tales of the world and sharing food, medicine, ways of life. Inside these hubs peace was the unspoken rule. Conflicts and difereance were left at the door. This was a place lets say: a singer from Egypt, drummer from India, oud player from Turkey, dancer from Persia, flutist from Mali, violinist from Serbia would co-create NEW art together in that moment. Often unable to speak each other’s language, they would communicate through music and dance. They often didn’t know each other’s songs, so they would jam and create new music together. The healing spirit of sound brought people together in love. That is the power that moved me to create the music project Karavan Sarai. This love cracked open civilization with its progressive approach that brought on many new inventions and ideas.
After a night around the fire with inspiration, joy, healing and creativity, each soul would take that seed of potential in their own direction the next morning, as each set off in different directions. This is a Karavan Sarai and that is what inspired me as I lived and visited these sites for over 20+ years in total since 1993 (and yes Karavan Sarais still exist today, in remodeled shops, hotels, ruins or restored historical sites).
This was the vision I had of creating the band Karavan Sarai; to create ethnic music of the ancient cultures, songs & global rhythms of the Middle East and Silk Road regions fused with lush modern electronics, beats and my own original compositions. Where the old generation and the new generation can find a common thread of musical enjoyment together. To create an atmosphere of the eastern Silk Road casbah tent in the oasis. To create this oasis in every show, venue, community and each heart. We all take this mystical soundscape journey and the friends we gather from this container of creation and ripple it out to the world to feel. To make a better world one moment at a time, like a water spring, always fresh and ever-flowing, forever… Co-creating together and sharing it to all…. Lets co-create a Karavan Sarai at your venue…
I am forever in awe and humbled by the meditative power of music and its celebrative, healing, and mystical properties. I want to bring listeners around that same fire, to hear the web for themselves.
Greetings family & friends,
You’ll find all you require in our EPK to book Karavan Sarai for your festival, venue, private event or retreat. We’re rugged and ready to blast your audience with a powerful immersion into our alchemical sound. This is a rare and transformative experience of true mysticism your community will never forget. People are counting on you to deliver an experience of pure inner freedom from the mundane of everyday life now more than ever. If you’ve connected with us on this page then we trust our mission is aligned.
““Contemporary spiritual world-music of the highest caliber. Incredible production fused with masterful playing. And the tantric interplay of dancer and musician is stunning. The performance exceeded our already high expectations of what Karavan Sarai would bring to the festival.””
Karavan Sarai Configurations
Karavan Sarai (solo act) with Dancers
Karavan Sarai-(Egyptian Full Band & Sufi Whirling dance) configuration
Karavan Sarai live in Egypt with Band & Dancer
Karavan Sarai Ecstatic Dance with Sufi Whirlng & Workshops
22nd Best World Music Album of 2020 in N. America
Critically acclaimed 12 weeks in the Top Ten World Music Charts.
# 4 World Music Charts
We’re honored that Painted Sand’s spent 10 weeks in the Top 10 World Music Charts, peaking at #4
#10 World Music Charts
Expanding our sound into ambient soundscapes.
#6 World Music Charts
Woven Sands alchemized the World Music Charts, peaking at #6.
Press
““This is contemporary spiritual world-music of the highest caliber. Incredible production fused with masterful playing. And the tantric interplay of dancer and musician is stunning. The performance exceeded our already high expectations of what Karavan Sarai would bring to the festival.”
”
““Karavan Sarai’s music is thick, clear and fills a space without pressure but with pleasure like love it warms a room. To draw on the great traditions and bring the prayers of century’s into Cosm is a real blessing for us. I loved it.”
”
““We had the absolute pleasure of hosting Karavan Sarai at the Sanctuary Koh Phangan March 2019. Incredible, fantastic, tantalising are just three words i’d use in describing the performance :) the best !”
”
““Evocative, easily accessible music which will be of interest to seasoned world music listeners as well as newcomers.”
”
““A sensual assault; a tapestry of music and movement that is as restless and seeking as the travelers it evokes.”
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““Contemporary sonic edge, without compromising the integrity of the traditions they represent.”
”
Contact
Narayan Sijan
Email: karavansaraimusic@hotmail.com
WhatsApp & Cell Phone: (+1) 575-252-3167
Google Number: 530-268-5268
Website: www.karavansaraimusic.com
Instagram: @karavansaraimusic
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/karavansaraimusic/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPgQVrxbIuHnFxuqE2WRrgA