Based in New Delhi, India, Amarrass Records is a multi-faceted independent record label, artist management company, and event production enterprise. Since 2009, we've been dedicated to a mission of making music sustainable by preserving and reviving traditional folk music and nurturing the creative spirit of both artists and folk instrument makers. Guided by the principles of fair trade, we connect diverse musical cultures with a global audience through high-quality album releases, international tours, and curated events. We are also at the forefront of vinyl revival in India, operating a facility that produces hand-cut records to present our diverse catalog in high fidelity.
Preservation & Revival
The Amarrass Story
We operate on the principles of fair trade, working directly with folk musicians and instrument makers to ensure ancient traditions thrive in the modern global economy.
Global Policy Recognition
Our sustainable arts model is featured in the UNESCO Creative Economies Report as a benchmark for cultural preservation.
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Masterful
Archiving
We have produced over 300 music videos and 15 high-fidelity albums, documenting living legends for the public domain and future generations.
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Analog
Pioneers
Analog Pioneers Amarrass operates India’s first boutique hand-cut vinyl workshop, reviving the warmth of analog sound for folk field recordings.
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Visual
Legacy
The Aga Khan Museum (Toronto) produced the three-part docuseries Searching for the Blues, chronicling our journey through the Thar Desert to document the roots of the Indian Blues.
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Global Media Authority
Our work is consistently featured by The New York Times, NPR, BBC, The WIRE, Rolling Stone India, The Independent, fROOTS, and Downbeat.
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The Kamaicha Revival Project
The revival of the Kamaicha with Shankara Suthar, the last known Kamaicha maker in India, is a cornerstone of our work. It was when recording at home Sakar Khan when he mentioned that there is just 1 Kamaicha maker, as the rest do the touristy jobs; later this was confirmed by the late John Singh of Jaipur Virasat Foundation.
At the time, Shankara was making sofas in Pune!! Adding to the work of archiving music, I realised revival of the instrument making was crucial to this work and since all this work was not-for-profit, we started Amarrass Society for Performing Arts. We called Shankara back to Jaisalmer and gave him an order of 2 kamaichas to be made under the supervision of Sakar ji, and the revival began!!
MAKING MUSIC SUSTAINABLE
Amarrass Society for Performing Arts
The Amarrass Society for Performing Arts (ASPA) was established in 2010 as a not-for-profit organization. We are dedicated to creating sustainable livelihoods for folk musicians and craftspeople.
We address the urgent need to preserve traditional methods of instrument making. These skills are fast disappearing due to modernization, lack of opportunities, and disaffected youth.
Our core belief is that we must work with the last remaining keepers of these centuries-old traditions. These keepers include craftsmen, singers, poets, and musicians. Our goal is to preserve and disseminate their knowledge and skills, and ultimately, to train the next generation.
Our Actions ASPA travels into remote regions of India to:
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Research, archive, and record folk and regional music and poetry.
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Develop relationships with traditional instrument makers.
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Promote and create market and trade opportunities for musicians and indigenous craftspersons.
Outcomes
We also believe in supporting our artists directly in times of crisis. During the pandemic, the Amarrass COVID-19 Fund was established to provide direct relief, with 100% of all funds raised going to our artists and their families to ensure their immediate well-being.