Straight out of Kathmandu, Nepal, Cultivation is a reggae / dub artist representing his conscious Himalayan mountain reggae through original music, his co-founded Everest Sound System, and collaborations via Outtallectuals label.
– Starting operations under the Cultivation moniker in early 2013, Tashi Gurung’s project has grown over the years to evolve into numerous forms.
– In 2014, with inspirations from a wide range of roots and urban music, Cultivation’s debut EP “Iriegation” was released on Outtallectuals, showing the diversity of its selection, ranging from d&b to steppers.
– In 2015, Cultivation performed at the first Dancemandu festival in Kathmandu, the Bhutan International Festival in Thimphu, and Goa Sunsplash in 2015, as well as many other domestic shows alongside Gnirehst and Baxtak. The ‘Middle Way’ collaboration with Mettakin & Baxtak was also released this year via Outtallectuals.
– In 2016, Cultivation started performing mainly as a live band along with The Himalions, a supergroup made up from Kathmandu’s finest jazz musicians, including Bimal Gurung (Bass / Backing Vocals), Bhusan Amatya (Drums), Jaco Waco (Trumpet), Yuvash Vaidya (Keyboard), Pratik Baniya (Trombone), Subash Siwo (Guitars) and Binaya Amatya (Sound / FX). This lead to the recording of Cultivation’s debut ‘Plains, Hills & Mountains’ over 2 years, withstanding Nepal’s various natural, sociopolitical and economic trouble, including the 2015 8 Richter Earthquake. The album was released in early 2017.
– In 2017, Cultivation also started collaborating with UK-based artist Hal Wheeler of Arrival Sound System, evolving the project towards a digital live dub direction. During this time, the now-classic Kathmandu anthem was created and a music video was made for it:
– The Arrival Sound System collaborations in 2017 lead to the duo’s co-creation of Nepal’s first ever sound system, the Everest Sound System, leading to a string of shows. The Arrival Sound System collaborations eventually fashioned into a sophomore album, ‘Aagaman’ in 2019, further solidifying Cultivation’s exploration of reggae vocals in his native Nepali language.
– Since then, and throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, Cultivation has focused on production duties, taking charge of all aspects of the project’s creativity to self-produce, self-record and self-curate his third album, ‘Kora’, featuring a wealth of local collaborators. The album was mastered to tape in authentic reggae style by Dr. Charty of Bat Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lHgrpfFpLUBooking
Agency: Everest Sound System / Outtallectuals
Email: cultivationprodux@gmail.com
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