Vincent Swierstra, based in Amsterdam, is the only sarangi player in the world that uses an amplified sarangi, which has given him the opportunity to experiment with effect pedals and create a new and unique sound. He likes to combine the raw, acoustic sound of the sarangi with electronic music.
After his sarangi was amplified in 2015, Vincent started performing extensively. At parties, festivals and other events at many places throughout the Netherlands. He has played at the main stages of the Landjuweel and Psy Fi festivals, the Healing Garden stage at Mysteryland, among others, and in the big halls of the 013 and Paradiso.
He discovered the sarangi on his first trip to India in 2003 and immediately fell in love with the instrument. He bought a beautiful old sarangi and started taking lessons. Because of the ten years of violin lessons as a child he picked up the technique quite fast.
Of all the instruments in the world, the sarangi resembles the sound of the human voice the most. Three gut strings are played with a bow and nails. The thirty-six sympathetic strings contribute to the mystic sound that makes the sarangi so beautiful.
