Onderstuur
Ruhail Qaisar
Since April of this year, the Nijmegen scene has had a new recurring event: Onderstuur. Extrapool and Doornroosje collaborate on a monthly dose of eccentric, innovative, experimental and often surprisingly catchy yet unknown live music. This time, Indian artist Ruhail Qaisar is coming to Extrapool.
Ruhail Qaisar is an auto-didact musician and producer from the Northern part of India. With his music he intends to give a voice to the intergenerational trauma of the area of his birth, Ladakh, which has been torn apart by war. He creates a chilling sound collage with the use of power electronics, spoken word, drones and field recordings.
Very little is left of the once extremely rich cultural landscape of Ladakh after the terror of colonialism, constant international conflicts and the recent invasion of the tourism industry. In the capital Leh, where Ruhail comes from, you can see this reflected everywhere: the city is worn out and the populace is traumatised. Feelings of fear, anger and alienation are featured heavily on his debut album “Fatima” that came out earlier this year. Qaisar describes the work as a “requiem for a dead future”.
