The Dhol Foundation set out to really explore the capabilities and diverse range of music from various cultures around the world. This openness to other cultures sets the group apart from other dhol groups. This is, the unique sound of the Dhol Foundation and, the reason why the dhol has been exposed to cultures and countries where it has never been heard before... TDF style! Rock, pop and electronic, drum and bass, classical elements it’s all in there.

Johnny Kalsi, the UK’s most celebrated player of the Punjabi dhol drum, is no stranger to audiences across Europe. As a member of Afro Celt Sound System, Imagined Village and Trans-global Underground he’s featured in more bills than most.

But it’s The Dhol Foundation that’s his pride and joy, the organisation that delivers a now legendary wall of sound, global rhythms and thumping contemporary beats with the effervescent Johnny at the heart of their live shows.

The full stage show features an energetic batteria of dhols up front, bass, drums, guitar, dholak and can include bhangra dancers and guest singers powering out a sound that’s as eclectic as it is forceful. TDF The musical influences are drawn from a rich pallet of global sounds and it’s the openness to exploring the music of other cultures that has always set TDF apart from other Dhol groups.

The band have featured in the music of Hollywood films, Gangs of New York and The Incredible Hulk. They have also worked with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack for films including Rabbit Proof Fence and The Last Temptation of Christ.

The Dhol Foundation performed as the opening act with STOMP at the Royal Variety Performance which was screened on ITV1 in December 2011.

TDF played before their biggest ever crowd at the London 2012 Closing Ceremony in August 2012 when they built up an insistent percussive undercurrent to the soundtrack of ‘Running up That Hill’ by Kate Bush, a spectacular event watched by millions of viewers worldwide.