Kalaha (band)

Kalaha is a Danish electronic band that debuted in 2014. The bands artistic style takes inspiration from Afrobeat, Anatolian rock, electronic rave music, and jazz improvisation. Its members include drummer Emil De Waal, guitarist Niclas Knudsen, synthesizer player Rumpistol, and electronic producer Mikael Elkjær, also known as Spejderrobot.
Since their 2014 debut, Kalaha has been using Danish artist Zven Balslev as their art director. Balslev has also directed three of the bands music videos. Kalaha has collaborated with a wide range of artists from around the world including Hilal Kaya and Uffe Lorenzen of Spids Nøgenhat and Baby Woodrose.

History

Kalaha's debut album, Hahaha, was released in 2014. The album was a live recording from their first show ever as a band. Their follow-up album Masala received a Danish Music Award for Jazz in the category "Special Release of the Year". It also received airplay by Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music. Their third album Mandala was also well received by the critics and highlighted as album of the year in the Danish newspaper Information. The album featured the band's first Turkish song "Çok Küstüm", which became the beginning of a long time collaboration with the Turkish singer Hilal Kaya and also secured the band some attention in Turkey.
In 2019 they played a show together with American bass player Bill Laswell at Black Diamond during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. In 2020 their single "Eymen" brought Kalaha a Danish Music Award nomination for Danish Roots Track of The Year and their single "Dans Det Op" featuring Uffe Lorenzen was nominated as "Song of the Year 2020" for the Danish Critics Award Steppeulven.