KSHMR – From Hip-Hop to the Dancefloor and Back Again
KSHMR is an American musician, producer, and DJ with a large global fan base. Known by his parents as Niles Hollowell-Dhar, he has been rapping, singing, and making music for most of his life. Lots of great music has been released under the KSHMR name since 2014, with progressive and electro house grooves mixed with future bounce, hip-hop, and a touch of psytrance.
While the dance floor has always been a priority, Hollowell-Dhar has rediscovered hip-hop over recent months. He’s working with a number of established hip-hop artists, with the new single “Legacy” featuring Indian hip-hop star Raftaar, and the new album Karam featuring rap heavyweights from
across the Indian subcontinent.
The KSHMR story
Niles Hollowell-Dhar was born in Berkeley, California, in 1988. His dad is a Kashmiri Hindu originally from India, and his mom is American. Niles loved music from an early age, and the diverse hip-hop culture of California was a major influence. After experimenting with beats and flows throughout high school, he co-founded hip-hop group The Cataracs with his good friend David Singer-Vine.
The year was 2003, and Hollowell-Dhar was just 15 years old.
The Cataracs released lots of music over the next decade, including hits such as “Like a G6” with Far East Movement and “Bass Down Low” with DEV. They co-produced a Selena Gomez song from her debut album Stars Dance, thrusting the talented duo into the global spotlight. Hollowell-Dhar developed a real love of dance music over this time, and he started working on his own project under the
KSHMR name.
Music releases, collaborations, and live shows
KSHMR was born in 2014, with Hollowell-Dhar making energetic beats with electro house vibes. His first single “Megalodon” was released on Spinnin’ Records, and a collaboration with R3hab called “Karate” came out in 2015.
Another collaboration single, this time with DallasK, reached No. 1. on the Beatport Chart a few months later. Entitled “Burn,” this energetic number cemented the KSHMR name with releases on Revealed Recordings, Spinnin’ Records, and Ultra Records.
Hollowell-Dhar kept working on new music, and he managed to keep things fairly low-key. That all changed at the Ultra Music Festival in 2015, however, when dance music heavyweight Tiësto introduced Hollowell-Dhar to the excited crowd. His song “Secrets” with Tiësto and Vassy came out that year, and once again, it reached the top of the Beatport Chart. KSHMR’s debut EP Paradesi also came out in 2015, with other EP releases including The Lion Across the Field
from 2016 and Materia from 2017.
KSHMR performed live for the first time in 2015, making the dance floor go wild at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. This kick-started a very successful live career, with KSHMR having performed at festivals like Coachella, Ultra, and Tomorrowland. Along with hit singles and sold-out shows, Hollowell-Dhar has become a legend in the production community thanks to his sample packs.
Called “Sounds of KSHMR,” this allows other producers to make their own tracks with KSHMR sounds and vibes.
Global sounds and recent releases
Hollowell-Dhar has always enjoyed working with global sounds. Early songs like “Festival of Lights” and “Kolkata” were strongly influenced by Indian culture, and he collaborated with Bollywood star Sonu Nigam on the track “Underwater.” In fact, KSHMR has produced numerous songs based around his Kashmiri ethnicity, from “Delhi” and “Jammu” to “Bazaar” and “Dharma.”
KSHMR’s current musical venture is also heavily inspired by his Indian roots. The new single “Legacy” features Indian hip-hop artist Raftaar, with this track about empowering future generations with respect and positivity. “Legacy” is the third song from KSHMR’s much-awaited hip-hop album Karam, which features a tribe of hip-hop stars from across India. From cutting-edge production to emotive story-telling, Karam is a true legacy record crafted by one of the best producers in the game.
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