Third Eye Records was formed in 1993 by Martin Smith, founder member of the Indian influenced pop group Monsoon, whose debut single “Ever So Lonely” was a top ten hit in 1982. After working with Sheila Chandra, lead singer from Monsoon, co-writing and recording her first four solo albums, Martin set up his own record company to further his own fusion of Indian classical and Western pop music. Third Eye’s first release was the album “Working for Love” by Indian influenced Rock band Jalsa reaching the top ten in the World Music Chart Europe.

 

Third Eye Records has re-recorded the Jalsa album working with the original musicians and a new vocalist, Tess Rokita, and the album has been digitally mastered. This has been done to coincide with a Third Eye retrospective release of tracks from three of the Indian Western fusion bands on its roster. As well as Jalsa, there are previously unreleased tracks from Mantra and Vargini. All of these tracks are available for purchase on iTunes and other digital media platforms across the world.

For general information email
info@thirdeyerecords.co.uk

 

To contact Jalsa email
jalsa@thirdeyerecords.co.uk

 

To contact Mantra email
mantra@thirdeyerecords.co.uk

 

To contact Vargini email
vargini@thirdeyerecords.co.uk

About Jalsa
Jalsa play Indian influenced Rock music that combines Sitar and Tabla with Keyboards and Drum kit to produce a unique East West fusion of Rock music with Eastern sounds from Indian music.  Jalsa was formed by Martin Smith, founder member of the Indipop group Monsoon, and was the natural development from “Ever So Lonely” , the subsequent three singles and album ”Third Eye”,  and the work Martin did after that on Sheila Chandra’s first four solo albums.

 

Jalsa released their debut album, “Working for Love”, in 1993 to critical acclaim and achieved tenth position in the World Music Chart Europe. They played live in most of the prominent Rock venues in London bringing Sitar and Tabla to these venues for the very first time. They also played at many of the big Indian Melas across the UK, proving that they were equally popular with Eastern and Western audiences alike.

 

Jalsa  had a number of different lead singers , including a young actor named Naveen Andrews (destined to find fame a decade later as Sayid Jarrah in the TV series Lost). Soon after the release of “Working for Love”, the lead singer was forced to leave due to ill health, so the band had to find yet another new vocalist. After extensive search they met vocalist Tess Rokita whose soulful voice perfectly complimented the Jalsa sound.

 

Jalsa set to work re-recording “Working for Love” with new vocalist Tess, improving the production and arrangement and adding two new songs. Whilst enjoyed by all who saw them play, the band did not capture the commercial success achieved by Monsoon and Sheila Chandra. The new and improved album was finished but never released and the band members eventually moved on to other projects.

 

Many people said that Jalsa’s music was “ahead of its time”, and now Third Eye Records has digitally re-mastered the re-recorded album. As part of a digital re-release of some of their back catalogue, these new recordings are now available. Jalsa’s time has now come and their music will finally reach a new world audience who are more familiar with Indian musical sounds than the audiences of the 90’s.

 

The new album “Working for Love” by Jalsa is available now from most digital download sites across the world.

Martin Smith – Keyboards; Kamalesh Patel – Sitar; Sanjay Jhalla – Tabla; Tess Rokita – Vocals;  Atul Patel – Drums

About Vargini
Vargini is the creation of Indian influenced music writer and producer Martin Smith, well known for his work with Sheila Chandra and Monsoon, and Indian classical musician Kamalesh Patel. The album, The Awakening, is a fusion of East and West that develops and explores the relationship between Piano, Sitar and Tabla. It consists of five 13-minute instrumental tracks, each one based on a different Raga. It features Kamalesh Patel on Sitar and Sanjay Jhalla on Tabla, both of whom are well respected musicians within the UK Indian classical music scene;  and Martin Smith on Piano and Synthesisers. Each track takes the listener on a journey that combines the evocative sound of the Sitar with Piano and contemporary Synthesisers to produce unique and beautiful music. These tracks successfully bring together the essence of Indian classical music with the accessibility of Western music to produce a fusion which retains the integrity of its Indian influence whilst appealing to a wide Western audience. The result is a fascinating blend of East and West which, whilst pushing the boundaries, retains the integrity of Indian classical instrumentation.

Martin Smith – Piano and Synthesisers
Founder member of the pioneering Indian influenced group Monsoon, Martin co-wrote and played on the four singles and album that brought Indian sounds to the modern pop market. After the premature demise of Monsoon in 1984, Martin carried on working with Monsoon vocalist Sheila Chandra, writing and playing on her first four solo albums. After parting company with Chandra he carried on writing music with and Indian influence some of which was used for Film and TV including the Channel 4 Series Kabaddi. He also formed Indian influenced Rock band Jalsa and wrote and produced the Indian influenced music project Mantra. In 1996 the Monsoon album was finally released in the U.S.A. and since then has sold consistently well across the world. The Chandra albums are also still selling and being played around the world demonstrating that there is sustained and growing interest in Indian influenced music. Recently, Martin has been working with Sitar player Kamalesh Patel - the culmination of which is an album of instrumental tracks which for the first time successfully combines the beauty of Indian classical music with the strength and wide appeal of Western popular music.

Kamalesh Patel - Sitar
A follower of the Viliat Khan sitar style, Kamalesh is well known within the UK classical music scene. A student of the UK Sitar Guru Dharamvir Singh and the world renowned Budhaditya Mukherjee, Kamalesh is one of a prominent group of UK based Indian classical musicians. He has worked with Martin on a number of recording projects and they have developed a strong musical partnership and understanding.

Sanjay Jhalla - Tabla
Probably the best UK based Tabla player of his generation, Sanjay is in constant demand by many highly regarded Indian classical instrumentalists. He is a student of Anindo Chatterjee, one of the greatest Tabla players in the world.

About Mantra
Mantra’s music combines Western Alternative Club music with a strong Indian musical influence and is similar in style to the Monsoon hit single “Ever So Lonely”, but brought into the 21st Century.
Mantra is the creation of writer/producers Martin Smith (founder member of Monsoon) and Gurjit Delay (also known as GD).

 

Martin and Gurjit have developed a unique style of music that perfectly combines Western Alternative Club music with the evocative sounds of India. Although originally associated with the Asian Underground scene, their music has a more commercial edge that appeals to a much wider audience. Martin and Gurjit were featured on a BBC2 documentary celebrating 50 years of Indian independence as part of the new wave of Indian and Western collaborations which are moving further into the mainstream of the U.K. Music scene and culture. The music of Mantra is both exciting and intoxicating, combining the best of East and West. Mantra has created a unique sound that appeals to a wide audience from Asian Underground and World Music to Mainstream Club and Chart Music.

 

Martin Smith has been involved in Indian influenced music from the early eighties when he was a founder member and writer for the hit band Monsoon. From the initial success of “Ever So Lonely” he went on to record three more singles and an album with the band, which is still selling around the world today. After Monsoon, Martin wrote and recorded four more albums with the Monsoon vocalist, Sheila Chandra. Since then he has been involved in several projects including the Indian influenced Rock band JALSA as well as setting up the label Third Eye Records. Martin has been commissioned to write music for Film and TV including the music for the Channel 4 Asian current affairs programme, Eastern Eye, and also the Channel 4 series Kabaddi.

 

Gurjit Delay (GD) is a DJ/writer/producer whose craft has been learnt in the Club music scene. He has been involved in a number of recording projects and has also had releases under the name Digital Delay and GD. He is best known for his Trance track “Choral Reef and “Love put us into a Groove”. He has also written and produced albums for the U.K. Bhangra scene and has written some music for the Indian Films based in the U.K.