The Dhol Foundation

The Dhol Foundation is both a dhol drum institute in London and a musical group. The dhol school was founded in 1989 by former Alaap member Johnny Kalsi when several musicians asked him to be their teacher, and a first album was released by Kalsi and his students in 2001. Dhol drums are a traditional percussion instrument from the Punjab province in the north of India, from which Kalsi originates. In London he experimented with dance beats and electronic music, which he mixes with the traditional bhangra style in his albums. Their music has been featured in Hollywood films such as Gangs of New York and The Incredible Hulk, and have worked with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to the film Rabbit-Proof Fence. They opened the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. TDF have a connection to WOMAD, as they own the copyright to all of their songs, and they have also performed at WOMAD many times of the past few years. In fact, in the past two years, they have played at Womad Reading twice, despite not being scheduled to appear either time.