A Cross-Cultural Jam At London’s Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel
At London’s Karma Sanctum Hotel last Thursday, an intimate crowd witnessed something quietly extraordinary – the launch of Notorious Partners in Crime, a new collaboration between American rocker John Fishell and South African-born Indian flautist Deepak Ram. What could have been a curious experiment in fusion became a genuine meeting of minds, built on trust, humour, and three decades of friendship.
From the outset, the duo’s chemistry was undeniable. The show opened with a hypnotic flow of sound that nodded to George Harrison’s Indian-inspired era – including a mesmerising take on Within You Without You.
The centrepiece of the night, Space Time, captured the heart of their project. Originally an instrumental by Ram, it’s been reshaped by Fishell with lyrics and shifting rhythms. His rock-inflected vocals and Ram’s haunting flute work in harmony – one raw, one refined – merging two distinct traditions into a seamless soundscape.
The breezy humour and soulful flute runs of ‘Valentine’ had the audience smiling, before the pair closed with a blistering cover of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir. Stripped back and reimagined, it was a daring, emotional finale that drew an eruption of applause.
Between songs, their banter revealed the partnership’s strength: Fishell’s easy charisma and Ram’s understated grace. “He’s the fine wine,” Fishell joked. “I’m the greasy cheeseburger. Somehow it works.” And it does – spectacularly.
The project stands proudly in the lineage of East-West collaborations, echoing Harrison and Ravi Shankar or John McLaughlin’s Shakti, yet it feels armed with melodic sensibility. Where others pursued spiritual fusion, Ram and Fishell chase storytelling and emotional honesty.