Sufi Music | Invoking Meditation, Conversation & Transcendence | As Featured on NPR and Acclaimed Performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and More.
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Based in New York City, Falsa is rooted in 14th century Sufi music (Indian classical mysticism similar to Rumi's elevating poetry) with contemporary arrangements transcending genre-specificity and cultural preconceptions, in collaboration with a diverse array of improvisational world musicians.
A Falsa experience can range from Minimalist Meditative to Raga Jazz Fusion to high energy World Improvisation that gets you moving, to a more explosive Ritual-Communitas oriented one featuring dancers and immersive visuals. But ultimately, Falsa is about normalizing the transcendent experience.
It originally emerged as a collaboration between long-term friends and has since evolved into an exploration of what's possible when people are moved collectively by the pursuit of the intangible aspects of a communal gathering. There's a mystical culinary connection here: Falsa gets its name from a tropical berry native to India and Pakistan. And Sufi music is about a state of separation that longs for union. There was a decade in Umer's (vocalist, Falsa) life that he couldn’t return home to Pakistan from the US due to Kafkaesque immigration bureaucracies. When he finally returned and had the fruit again, it "broke through all the intellectualization and numbness I realized I had cultivated to cope, and in the process of giving myself over to the majesty of feeling I realized that home is something you cannot take with you, you have to return to it"
In our music, we want to revere and dignify the most magical aspects of experience that are gifts and not acquisitions, like reclaiming a half-remembered dream. Our music is not about means to ends, but about meaning and transcendence, about healing a wounded alienation we feel in our very highly mechanized, and in the ways that matter, poorly connected society, one performance at a time.
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Falsa is a vibrant ensemble of diverse improvisational musicians who invite you on a transformative musical journey. Anchored in the mystic traditions of 14th-century Sufi music—akin to the elevating poetry of Rumi—Falsa seamlessly blends minimalist reflection, transcultural jazz fusion, and high-energy world improvisation. Their immersive performances feature the soulful depth of Sufi Qawwali vocals, the intricate expressions of Carnatic violin, the rhythmic heartbeat of Hindustani tabla, the rich tones of Bass VI and harmonium, and the driving rhythms of drums, creating a holistic experience that transcends genres and cultures.
The band's name, Falsa, derives from a tropical berry native to India and Pakistan, symbolizing the Sufi concept of longing for union. Lead vocalist Umer Piracha embodies this theme through his personal journey. Separated from his homeland for a decade due to intricate immigration challenges, Umer's eventual return was marked by a poignant realization. Tasting the falsa fruit once again broke through emotional barriers, revealing the realization that "home is something you cannot take with you; you have to return to it."
This profound narrative is intricately woven into Falsa's music, illuminating the magical aspects of experience that are gifts rather than acquisitions. In the world of Falsa, Sufi music isn't just a genre—it's a journey toward meaning and transcendence.