A tour through the website would throw light on Navin’s association with music in the non-filmy segment too.  Collaborations with artistes from world over in this young age, actually  adds to his element of versatality and such projects kindle his quest for eternal learning.  One such interesting collaboration is with the world-music record label based out of Chennai, called EarthSync.  Their maiden and the most acclaimed

Kartick & Gotam Team: vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram, Israeli music producer and designer Yotam Agam, flautist Navin Iyer, percussionist K.V Balakrishnan, dancer Meera Seshadri, Israeli music composer Patrick Sebag and vocalist Anuradha Viswanathan

album is Laya Project – wherein the team from EarthSync toured countries that were affected by the Asian Tsunami and brought out music from lesser known lands and presented that in a contemporary format.  This is to say, one gets to listen to music from Myanmar & Thailand shaking hands with South Indian Thappatam & Odiyattam. Laya Project is a collaboration of cultures across lands and it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit

It will certainly be a surprise for many, to come across something as off-beat as a world-music label in Chennai. Navin’s association with the label dates back to more than a year.  He has contributed majorly to the live shows of Laya Project such as in the Perth International Arts Festival etc.  Navin’s melifluous flute can also be heard in the other projects of EarthSync such as Nagore Sessions and the Voice Over the Bridge.

Over the last two months, Navin has been touring cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad along with other artistes from EarthSync for the live shows of the album, Business Class Refugees, the first album of Kartick & Gotam (Yotam Agam and Patrick Sebag of EarthSync).  The album is an electro folk remix of all of EarthSync’s folk productions.  An attempt to create an alternative and unusual electronic theme for the new album.  You can read more about the album in: Kartick & Gotam’s – Business Class Refugees, for there’s a very interesting story behind the genesis of this album. You can also listen to some of the tracks of the album from that page.

Also check out a trailer of the live show and a video from Business Class Refugees Live during the EarthSync Festival 2009:

Kartick & Gotam’s Business Class Refugees Live Trailer

Business Class Refugees video – Navin Iyer

While the trailer gives a sweeping preview to what the album is all about, the video highlights the brilliance of Navin’s music and EarthSync’s uniqueness in blending music from all parts of the world.

“Working with the EarthSync team is a liberating experience.  Be it Laya Project or the latest Business Class Refugees, it has brought out the best in me.  With artistes like Vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram, Violinist Padma Shankar, percussionist K.V Balakrishnan and very passionate Yotam, Patrick and Eyal from Israel, by the side, it is more like holidaying with the family and doing some beautiful music at the end of the day.  I always look forward to these live shows with EarthSync as this is one collaborations that has given me the ticket to music at an international level.  I am actually looking forward to discovering more such labels and artistes to work with.”