British prog rockers Karnataka have announced they are to go on an indefinite hiatus. Having been rocked by the departure of keyboard player Cagri Tozluogo recently, it appears the subsequent and more recent departure of guitarist Enrico Pinna has forced bassist and founding member Ian Jones’ hand.
In a statement on the band’s Facebook page, Jones stated: “Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who came along to Karnataka’s Sunday night show - your support, as always, was fantastic.
I just wanted to respond to any speculation on the band’s future - rest assured Karnataka is not going away and I am continuing to work on new material. Having nurtured and worked within the band for 20 years, change becomes inevitable. Recently, Cagri decided to step down to focus on his other projects and also spend time with his new family. Enrico has decided to focus less on touring and more on his studio work, tennis coaching and his own music career, although I look forward to continuing to work with him on Chasing The Monsoon. Hayley and Jimmy also continue to develop their own individual careers.
Reflecting on this, and in light of the departures, it felt like the right time to pause and consider the band’s future. Personal logistics and extensive touring contributed to limiting the time available for writing new material and this in turn had led to frustrations. The changes have helped bring this into sharper focus and sadly, I have to announce that this chapter of the band has drawn to a close. It’s been an exciting period in the band’s history and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s contribution during this time. I appreciate this is sad news for many of you, but going forward, I’m excited about developing new Karnataka material alongside my other collaborations and I wish everyone every success with their individual projects.Thanks for your continued support.”
Jones is expected to continue with his Illuminae project with vocalist Angnieska Swita, whose debut album, Dark Horizons, is slated to be released in 2018, according to an advert on the Karnataka website, and which will also feature appearances from Steve Hackett, Craig Blundell, Troy Donockley and Luke Machin.
