Incarnations of India: Dhrupad and EDM

Forbidden Lovers is a New York-based duo exploring the encounter between ancient vocal traditions and contemporary electronic sound cultures. The project was formed by vocalist Halo and producer-poet Infinity during a period of artistic collaboration in Goa, India, where they began performing in the local music scene before appearing at festivals across the country.

Halo, born in India, draws on classical vocal practices rooted in the devotional and contemplative traditions of North Indian music. Her singing emphasizes sustained tone, resonance, and the gradual unfolding of melody characteristic of early Hindustani vocal lineages.

Infinity is a Western-born producer, vocalist, and improvisational poet whose work engages electronic music, spoken word, and rhythmic forms associated with contemporary global music culture. Together, the two artists bring different musical worlds into dialogue, exploring how ancient vocal traditions can coexist with modern sound technologies and urban musical languages.

Forbidden Lovers embody the union of masculine and feminine, tradition and innovation, mysticism and modernity. Their work forms a living dialogue between some of the oldest forms of vocal transmission and the contemporary languages of electronic and hip-hop culture.

This program presents two distinct musical expressions that together reflect both the historical depth and the contemporary transformation of Indian musical culture.

The first half of the concert introduces dhrupad, one of the oldest surviving traditions of North Indian classical music. Emerging from devotional practices and later cultivated in royal courts, dhrupad emphasizes the meditative unfolding of melodic modes known as ragas. Accompanied by the continuous drone of the tanpura, the singer explores the resonance and emotional character of each tone through sustained vocal lines and subtle microtonal inflections. In its aesthetic focus on sonic purity, breath, and resonance, dhrupad reflects a longstanding Indian conception of sound as both musical expression and spiritual practice.

The second half turns to electronic dance music (EDM), a genre shaped by digital technology, global circulation, and contemporary urban sound culture. In the performance of Forbidden Lovers, electronic synthesis, rhythm, and spoken word create a different sonic environment, one associated with clubs, festivals, and digitally mediated musical production.

Presented together, these two musical worlds illustrate not only the continuity of ancient Indian musical traditions but also the evolving cultural identities of Indian musicians working across global contexts. While dhrupad represents a lineage whose history extends back many centuries, the electronic portion of the program reflects the ways musicians of the Indian diaspora engage contemporary technologies and international musical networks. This is where temple meets underground, where devotion meets the dance floor, and where East and West recognize each other as one.

Within the From Zayton to New York series, this concert highlights how Indian musical culture continues to transform as it travels beyond its original geographical and historical settings. The program thus presents two “incarnations” of India in sound: one rooted in an ancient vocal tradition, and the other emerging from the creative experimentation of musicians working in today’s global diaspora.