Sikhara exists in a constant state of motion, claiming no land as home. This rotating members project, lead by Scott Nydegger was co-founded by drummer Sam Lohman and synth player Paul Beauchamp in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1999. Since then, Sikhara have gone on to perform 400 concerts in The US, Europe and Asia. Utilizing both machinery and acoustic elements, Sikhara creates a disturbed environment of ritualistic sound. Manipulated sources of primitive voices are collaged into a hypnotic new language, which melds instinctively with animalistic tribal percussion. Numerous Sikhara releases are available on cd and vinyl, but from conception, it is foremost a live band. On stage, Sikhara manifests itself in a trance induced mayhem, blurring the lines between the music and the audience. Having given concerts in a variety of conventional venues such as clubs, theaters and galleries, a constant theme of Sikhara is to seek out somehow extraordinary locales. Amongst the examples of these events are: Multiple visits to the bustling Taxim district of Istanbul, Turkey, deep within the tunnels of a Polish coal mine, an abandoned metro passage underneath the city of Linz, Austria, and within the 1400 year old Zenjouki Temple near Kobe, Japan. For this session, they were joined by the master monk of the temple, who was born 55 years earlier in the same room. Sikhara's growing work with non-profit and cultural organizations has opened the opportunity to gain an audience outside the realm of night-life concert goers. Sikhara have appeared on multiple events of Slovenia's DMRK collective, Portland's 2 Gyrlz Performative Arts, been hosted by diverse associations in countries such as Serbia and Romania and visited city funded venues such as Lisbon, Portugal's Fiera do Livro, Bratislava, Slovakia's Dubravka an the Palais de Tokyo inside the Paris Museum of Modern Art. At the beginning of 2004, Sikhara relocated to Europe for a period of about 2 years, establishing an international line-up as an American, French and Portuguese trio with Gustavo Costa and Yann Geoffriaud. In the duration of this stay, Sikhara performed nearly 100 times in 16 countries, as well as recording the material featured in the concerts, for the cd "Bardos State" on the URCK label. With the releases of their most comprehensive recorded work to date, they embarked on a tour ambitious even by Sikhara standards, returning to reclaim the American homeland amidst a tri-continental tribal road fury. The new year brings the next phase of Sikhara, with work on a a new album and dvd, sure to include such constant collaborators as Sam Lohman, Sasha Drumure and Gustavo Costa. AND of course, more touring In the coming months, Sikhara will expand the scope of their travel, to include yet unvisited countries and regions{Scott Nydegger}In addition to his work with Sikhara, Scott Nydegger
occupies himself with a wide variety of activity,
having toured with such acts as Steve Mackay's Radon
Ensemble (a rotating band for which Nydegger serves as
a musical director) Damo Suzuki's Network,
Mecanosphere, Master Musicians of Hop-Frog and Temple
of Bon Matin. These numerous collaborations have been
documented by such labels as Bar La Muerte (Italy)
Chrome Peeler (New York) Samboat (France) and Bulb
(USA).
In the studio, he has worked as an engineer, producer
and guest musician including projects such as Steve
Mackay's Michigan and Arcturus, the USA is a Monster
cdr Weedblood, and co-producing a series of
releases in co-operation with the Fonoteca Municpal
Lisboa.{Yann Geoffriaud}A permanent member for the past 3 years, Geoffriaud
earned a reputation as one of Europe's fastest drummers
during his time with fast core unit George Bitch Jr. Before
their implosion, the group became one of the most recognized
bands in the genre, giving memorable performances on
some of central Europe's most important festivals.
For his infusion into the sound of Sikhara, he has adapted
techniques including double kick bass drum into an
un-categorizable style that has shaped the very nature of
Sikhara's current sound.
