Praful

Praful

I was born and raised in Germany. In 1987 I got attracted by the music scene in Amsterdam where I studied jazz-sax and flute at the School of Arts. Since the early nineties I started focusing on Latin, Brazilian, African and Indian music and spent regularly time in Brazil and India. I worked with in Holland operating groups and artists like Treme Terra, Nippy Noya, Saoco, Gerardo Rosales and my own projects ‘Good Move’ and ‘Praful & Alchemy’.

In 1997 I got in touch with newer developments in music, like trip hop, dance and drum&bass. I played with the experimental dance formation Project 2000, which in 1999 won the Dutch Heineken Cross Over Music Award. The band released an album and two singles with Universal/Polydor. Here I also met the stunning Senegalese singer Mola Sylla with whom I work also in other formations (in 2001at the Jazz Festival Moers, Germany together with Ernst Reiseger) and in the group ‘Societé-tous les couleurs’.

As reed player and composer I am also involved with 'Bayuba Cante', a very international group mixing Afro Cuban Santeria-roots with flamenco, rumba, Indian music, funk and jazz. 2 albums are the audible result of this collaboration (see discography). We did tours and concerts in Holland, Belgium, Canada, Germany and Cuba.

After having made an ‘unofficial’ solo album (‘Touched by Love’ in 1999, a simple album with liquid, relaxing music), I signed in 2001 with Therapy Records, a small Amsterdam based label. The album ‘One Day Deep’ was released in that same year. I composed and produced it together with Rob Gaasterland and Daniël Testas, the producers of ‘Project 2000’, also known as Adani & Wolf. 'One Day Deep' contains sax and flutes, down tempo jazzy and chilled grooves, western dance vibes, Brazilian rhythms and Indian flavors. A crossover between world music and electronics. I was assisted by some international guest musicians such as Afra Mussawisade (percussion, Iran/Germany), Ted de Jong (tabla, Holland), Adrian Elissen (Spanish guitar, Malta), José Lopretti (bass, Uruguay) and the Brazilian mystery singer Algodao Doce (where do I know that voice from?).

Some live highlights:
Sunsplash Festival, Austria (1996), Racism Beat It Festival, Halfweg, Netherlands (1996),
North Sea Jazz, The Hague, Netherlands (1998), Music Meeting, Nijmegen, Netherlands (composition assignment 'Bayuba Bahia' 1999, with Ali N’diaye Rose and Mola Sylla 2001),
Barclay Dance Blend, Netherlands (with DJs Michel de Hey and Lucien Foort) (2000),
Amsterdam Roots Festival, Netherlands (1999), Dunya Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands (1999),
Bevrijdingspop, Netherlands (between 1996 and 2001), Amsterdam Dance Event (2000),
Drum Rhythm Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2000), Lowlands Festival, Netherlands (2000),
Oerol Festival, Terschelling, Netherlands (2000&2002)
Dance Valley (2000), Percuba, Havana, Cuba (2000), Innercity, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2000&2002),
Bizarre Festival, Weeze, Germany (2001), Jazz Festival, Moers, Germany (2001),
Rock am See, Germany (2001), Folk Music Festival, Vancouver, Canada (2001),
Nuits d’Áfrique Festival, Montreal, Canada (2001), Atlantic Jazz Festival, Halifax, Canada (2001),
Noorderslag Festival, Groningen, Netherlands (2002),
NoMind Festival, Sweden(2002), Jazz Festival Copenhagen, Luftkastellet, Denmark(2002)
Uitmarkt, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2002),
Heineken Green Room Sessions, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang, Malaysia (2002)
Liquid Flux Tour with Spirit Project, 14 cities in Indonesia (2002)

Sounds & discography

Solo
Praful - Naked 12" with Boat Crew club remix(Therapy Records, 2003)
Praful - Inspiraçao 12" with Hardsoul club remix (Therapy Records, 2002)
Praful - Inspiraçao single (Therapy Records, 2002)
Praful – Corpo Suado12" (Therapy Records, 2002)
Praful - One Day Deep (Therapy Records, 2001)
Praful - Touched by Love (soft music for bodywork/massage/relaxation, 1999)

With groups
Humaniversity – Peace is in our Hands (2002)
Bayuba Cante - Cheba (Network, 2000)
Bayuba Cante – Orunmila’s Dance (Network, 2002)
Project 2000 - It's About Time (Universal/Polydor, 2000)

As a guest
Adani & wolf – where would I be (Therapy Records, tbr april 2003)
Ravi - The Afro-Indian Project (ARCmusic, 2001)
Saoco – Aroma de Café (Mellow Mamma Records, 2001)
Laura Fygi - The Latin Touch (Universal Records, 2000)
Olav Basoski - Opium Scumbagz (Defected records, 2000)
Gerardo Rosales – Señor Tambó (A Records, 1998)
Bacan con Algodao Doce - Cara (Challenge Records, 1996)

"One Day Deep," is a breath of fresh air, presenting a new sound that defies categorization. CHR, Dance, Urban, Smooth Jazz and Adult Alternative radio programmers and club mixers are all poised to play Praful, the new musical phenomenon from Europe.

Composed, performed and produced by Praful together with Hollands hippest producers Adani&Wolf, "One Day Deep" is sensual and hypnotic music that employs sax and flutes, down tempo jazz and chilled grooves, western dance vibes, Brazilian rhythms and even hints at Indian flavors.

The album features an international all-star cast of musicians including Afra Mussawisade, Ted de Jong, Adrian Elissen, Jose Lopretti and Brazilian mystery singer Algodao Doce.

Born and raised in Germany, Praful became attracted to the international music scene in Amsterdam in 1987, where he studied jazz, sax and flute at The School of Arts. In the early 90’s his focus shifted to Latin, Brazilian, African and Indian music and made frequent trips to Brazil and India.

In 1997, Praful’s interests turned to dance, trip-hop and drum and bass. He was a member of a new dance group, Project 2000, which won the prestigeous Dutch Heineken Cross-Over Award in 1999.

Praful also shares the stage as a reed player, composer and member of Bayuba Cante, an international band mixing Afro-Cuban Santeria-roots with flamenco, rhumba, Indian music, funk and jazz. Praful has toured and performed in all european countries as well a...

The review is taken with permit from

Giant Step