Mumbai Keyboard Virtuoso Karan Joseph Dead at 29

Mumbai keyboardist Karan Joseph aka Madfingers has died at the age of 29.

Joseph allegedly jumped from the 12th floor of his Mumbai residence this morning. The reason for the suicide is not yet clear.

A Berklee College of Music graduate, Joseph was known for his genre-bending ability on keys. He played a host of styles, ranging from jazz, funk, rock and blues, with great skill and versatility.

Karan Joseph with The Ska Vengers

Joseph was a regular on the Mumbai indie music circuit and shared the stage with everyone from jazz veterans, rock musicians and EDM artists. His performances as part of the house band at the now defunct Mumbai venue I Bar were particularly popular, and drew a dedicated crowd of music lovers that came to watch him jam with fellow musicians Rohan Mazumdar (vocals), Clayton Hogermeer (guitar) and Nathan Thomas (bass), among others. As were his enthralling sets at Café Zoe for their Monday night jazz nights. More recently the keyboardist’s solo project known as Madfingers included collaborations with DJ Uri, drummer Dhir Mody and vocalists Andrea Tariang and Azamaan Hoyvoy. In July, the musician toured Europe with New Delhi band The Ska Vengers, filling in for founder member Stefan Kaye.