World's first electronic tabla launches in Mumbai, Tabla Touch

Revolutionising Indian drumming, award-winning British producer Kuljit Bhamra MBE has introduced the world’s first electronic tabla, Tabla Touch.

Tabla Touch offers sound accuracy, featuring built-in sounds from various traditional Indian instruments such as the Dholak, Khol, Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Gautam, Hang, Tabla Tarang, Manjira, Temple bells, Jhanj and four different tabla sets.

Because of its accessibility, Tabla Touch will allow musicians to venture into the traditional realm of Indian drumming without the necessity for frequent tuning. The electronic instrument is currently priced at £1,458.

It also boasts an instant tuning capability allowing musicians to transition to a different key during a track effortlessly, and can also be connected to a MIDI or computer to create a tabla score in Steinberg’s notation software, Dorico.

Read this next: AlphaTheta announce debut rotary mixer, euphonia

There are three versions of the Tabla Touch: Studio, the most basic of the lot, encompassing three premium sound banks featuring professionally recorded sound banks of the Tabla, Dholak and Mridangam.

Pro is the premium choice, which includes a wooden base and 18 sound banks from four Tabla sets, Dholak, Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Shree Kol and metal percussions such as Jhanj, and Manjira.

Lastly, the Solo version is a single Dyan that is designed specifically for acoustic performances. It comes with a built-in speaker, eliminating the need for external amplification. Its physical resemblance to a tabla sets it apart from the other two, enabling musicians to use it in its traditional seated position.

Kuljit Bhamra, along with his team at Keda Music and a number of celebrities, hosted a launch event for the instrument in Mumbai.

Keda Music LTD, a startup at the Central Research Laboratory, was founded five years ago with a mission to make Indian drumming accessible to everyone. They developed a universal Indian drum notation system, alongside an electronic version supported by Steinberg music software.

Read this next: Roland and Serato team up to release special edition vinyl celebrating the TB-303 and the TB-606

During the launch in Mumbai, the producer shared that “the electronic tabla is a way of celebrating the traditional tabla; it's not a replacement, it is an option. But, it is a beautiful option if you’re carrying 38kgs of tabla and you’re changing the sur on every song.”

On the big screens, Kuljit Bhamra is known for his roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ‘Bombay Dreams’ and the 2002 film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. He is known as one of the pioneers of the British Bhangra sound.

Along with his role at Keda Music, he is also a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, teaching Tabla, Indian Rhythms and Improvisation.

Learn more about Tabla Touch here, and watch a video of it in action below.

Miki Kitasako is Mixmag Asia’s Social Media and Content Producer, follow her on LinkedIn