co-curated by SUNNY JAIN

with KARSH KALE SOUNDSYSTEM | DJ REKHA | AJNA DANCE | HEEMS | BHI BHIMAN | FALU | and more!

Promotional Partner

The fiery dhol player and frontman SUNNY JAIN brings together his friends and fellow musical travelers for a night of contemporary South Asian sounds. “Mela” is a Sanskrit word meaning “a gathering” or “festival” — a festive, communal vibe will prevail.

Jain’s Brooklyn-based band RED BARAAT “plays rollicking funk music steeped in Northern India’s wedding celebrations, with a dash of D.C. go-go beats and hip-hop,” (NPR), merging hard driving North Indian Bhangra with other equally danceable musical traditions.

KARSH KALE, a pioneering producer and musician who fearlessly explores the worlds of electronica, Indian classical music, rock, jazz fusion, and hip hop, returns to the Bandshell for the first time since performing his remarkable original live score to Enter the Dragon, a BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival commission.

DJ REKHA, a producer, curator, musician, and activist, has been at the center of South Asian music and culture in NYC for two decades: her Basement Bhangra party is about to celebrate its 20th year of existence. One of Rekha’s two DJ sets will include AJNA DANCE, an NYC-based company specializing in both contemporary and classical Indian forms.

HEEMS, an MC from Queens, first came to prominence with the underground hip-hop group Das Racist; he has since released several mix tapes as a solo artist on his own label, Greedhead Music.

BHI BHIMAN is a San Francisco based singer-songwriter of Sri Lankan heritage (he is named after a character in the Mahabharata). His most recent record is last year’s Rhythm and Reason (Boocoo Music / Thirty Tigers).

FALU, born in Bombay and now a New Yorker, was trained rigorously in the Jaipur musical tradition and in the Benares style of Thumrie. Now she “mixes Hindustani classical--a fusion of Arabic and South Indian music--with pop and Oriental styles.” (NY Times)

SHILPA RAY is a wailing, fire breathing Cyclops. She tornadoes everything in her path: small towns, big cities, and children’s dreams. Armed with an incomparable voice and a harmonium haunted by the ghosts of dead lovers, she's been a presence in the netherworld of the NYC music scene for more than a decade, first fronting the gothic Sturm und Drang of Beat The Devil and moving forward to the blues erosion of Shilpa Ray and The Happy Hookers. Her most recent album is Last Year's Savage, which came out in 2015 on Northern Spy Records. 

DJ Rekha’s Basement Bhangra afterparty at The Bell House: 11:00PM.

Friends Member Seating & Tent Access

Friends Seating: Rear seats open to Seat-Pass and Tent-Pass members 
Friends Tent: Open to Tent-Pass members
Sponsor Tent: Open to Tent-Pass members

Venue Information:

The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is one of New York City's longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festivals and is held every summer at the Prospect Park Bandshell. View seating arrangements here.

All Performances Rain or Shine. In the event of dangerous weather we will be communicating updates on our website, Facebook, and Twitter.

To learn more about our COVID-Safety precautions, visit our FAQ page.