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Throughout today’s Europe, music is in motion, and the sounds emanating from Paris, Barcelona and London are a powerful motif for the continent’s growing cultural diversity. Add to that list Cologne, home to percussionist Ramesh Shotham, and his rhythm tour de force Madras Special.

He’s a native of the bustling city of Chennai (formerly Madras), and a lifelong disciple of Carnatic music, the classical tradition of South India, revered for its rhythmic sophistication and its unique family of percussion instruments such as mridangam, tavil, ghatam, dolak and kanjira.

Based in Europe since the 80’s, he has been a charismatic ambassador for his tradition, performing with diverse artists like Lebanese oud virtuoso Rabih Abou Khalil and jazz provocateur Steve Coleman, the late great Charlie Mariano, Karnataka College of Percussion, the Carla Bley Big Band or the WDR Big Band. With Madras Special, he creates a living mandala of sound and rhythm, drawing on the vivid personalities of Zoltan Lantos, Sebastian Müller and Reza Askari.