Yotam Agam's background is almost 20 years as a sound engineer, based in Chennai, India since last 6 years, working in studio as well as on-location with music from India and Asia. Patrick Sebag, based in Tel Aviv, family from Morocco, started music very early. At 7 years old found an organ in his room that belonged to his brother, started playing on that. Patrick and Yotam first met in a studio in Tel Aviv in 1994/95, where Patrick came to record his first album. He was in a rock band at the time, signed with big label, and Yotam was the sound engineer for the recording. They have been working together since then (15 years).
Later, Yotam was in Chennai working on a music software project with the London Symphony Orchestra. During the production of EarthSync's Laya Project, Patrick came over as the music producer, and the rest is history.
Business Class Refugees Story
Nowhere near home, Kartick & Gotam were traveling from South India to a remote village in Indonesia, in a journey through Asia recording indigenous music forms. An overbooked flight and unexpected luck landed them in business class luxury. In transit in Singapore, they applied for the visa to Indonesia, and the Special Permit to Aceh. It was to take 3 hours. 6 hours later, the flight left without them. 3 days later, they were still waiting - Business Class Refugees without passports, identity, and stateless - sipping free champagne in the airline lounge or aimlessly roaming Singapore Airport... sometimes homesick, sometimes worried, but mostly, making music on their laptops.
Business Class Refugees is now a global, collaborative project by music producer Kartick (Patrick Sebag) and sound designer Gotam (Yotam Agam), who mix local music from around the world with electronica… electro - folk without borders, global flavours, and a cross-cultural mixture of emotions, realities, styles, languages - and irresistible grooves. Taking their base tracks around the world, Kartick & Gotam collaborate with local musicians to overlay local artistic interpretation and signatures. This album is where Kartick & Gotam’s journey began: India. Business Class Refugees features distinguished artists such as Mahesh Vinayakram, Erez Lev Ari, Navin Iyer, Yoav Bunzel, Anuradha Viswanathan, Murad Ali & Mishko M’Ba
K&G Live Story
Kartick (Patrick Sebag) & Gotam (Yotam Agam), AKA K&G, an “Israeli duo with unchecked enthusiasm for Indian sounds” (New Indian Express) take to the controls in this energetic and captivating live show, hosting on stage a range of excellent live musicians and a beautiful dancer, backed by stunning projected visuals.
Music producer Patrick Sebag and sound designer Yotam Agam have collaborated on several EarthSync projects over the past years. Most notably on Laya Project, the award-winning audio-visual documentary and live show celebrating the music and cultural traditions of six countries affected by the 2004 Asian tsunami. They also worked together on the recent EarthSync releases Voice Over The Bridge and Nagore Sessions, which Rolling Stone magazine called “fantastic world music”.
The K&G live show features unique talents such as the flute virtuoso Navin Iyer (recently featured on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack), vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram (son of Indian fusion legend Vikku Vinayakram), composer and bass player Eyal Mazig, multi-percussionist Balakrishnan K.V., and the exquisite dance of Meera Seshadri. The show also pioneers innovative projected visuals.
A unique ear for blending the intriguing local music from around the world that they encounter on their constant travels to remote cultures, with up-and-coming electronic beats distinguishes Kartick & Gotam from the musical mainstream, and propels their exceptional downtempo grooves into a league with such renowned artists as Midival Punditz, Talvin Singh, Thievery Corporation, Nitin Sawhney, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Fila Brazilia, Karsh Kale, Massive Attack and Cheb i Sabbah.
Three years in the making, their debut album Kartick & Gotam - Business Class Refugees released on EarthSync in July 2009, and is available in India through EMI Music and worldwide through EarthSync’s various distribution partners.
