Kasper Eistrup (vocals, guitar), Mads Tunebjerg (bass), Asger Techau (drums), Henrik Lindstrand (keyboards) The story of Kashmir begins in 1991, when three students from Kastanievej Continuation School in Copenhagen formed a band called Nirvana (!). The group played heavy blues, but as the grunge wave hit Denmark they developed their own style, which lay in the interface between grunge and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin also provided the inspiration for the name Kashmir, which replaced the group’s original name. The renamed Kashmir then toured the Copenhagen underground clubs, where their energetic sound thrilled audiences. The breakthrough came at the Danish Rock Championships, when Kashmir came second to Dizzy Miss Lizzy, and the group's stage-diving performance, combined with their humorous dialogue between the numbers, helped to attract attention. Danish rock had fallen on hard times, however, so Kashmir had to wait until 1994 to gain a coveted recording contract. The result was the album ’Travelogue’, a wonderful blend of heavy rock, funk, rap and psychedelic lyrics, in a style that Kashmir themselves dubbed 'groovecore'. The follow-up, ’Cruzential’, revealed Kashmir's versatility. On this album the humour was more subdued in favour of the more personal lyrics of Kasper Eistrup, who was also gaining more and more of a name for himself as one of Denmark's leading vocalists. It was not until ’The Good Life’, however, that Kashmir seriously developed from a fun curiosity into a serious rock band. In co-operation with producer James Guthrie, Kashmir created an album that, in the opinion of many, represents a milestone in Danish rock. On the subsequent album, ’Zitilites’, the rock was downplayed on behalf of an airier musical foundation, but it still had everything required to satisfy both old and new fans. In connection with the creation of 'Zitilites', Kashmir was filmed by the director Kasper Torsting. This became the film 'Rocket Brothers', which charts the artistic highs and lows of the band as they attempt to follow up their successful breakthrough album, 'The Good Life'. Kasper Torsting also filmed the group performing live, and two sold-out concerts in Vega in Copenhagen in November 2004 formed the basis for the concert film 'The Aftermath', which was released on DVD in June 2005. The recordings for the new album 'No Balance Palace' took place in New York and were co-produced by Tony Visconti, who has previously worked with David Bowie, Iggy Pop and T.Rex. With 'No Balance Palace' Kashmir said goodbye to the big ballads and a tendency towards sentimentality in favour of a tight, progressive and dark rock expression. The fact that Kashmir managed to get two of the world's greatest rock legends to appear on the album also created a great deal of attention in advance of the release. On the album, David Bowie sings duet with Kasper Eistrup on the number 'The Cynic' and Lou Reed recites on 'Black Building'. By Ole Jakobsen This article is provided in cooperation with DR - dr.dk/musik Læs profilen på dansk på dr.dk/musik/leksikon

Kashmir was formed in 1991 Selected recordings:  No Balance Palace (album - 2005) Zitilites (album - 2003) The Good Life (album - 1999) Cruzential (album - 1996) Travelogue (album - 1994) Web: www.kashmir.dk Kashmir on MySpace   ·