Rasa -

Rasa was an American jazz-funk/soul band that released the 1978 album Everything You See Is Me on Govinda Productions.

Members: Chris McDaniels (vocals, drums), Calvin Moss (vocals), Vakresvara Pandit (vocals), Bee Snow (vocals, backing vocals), Ruderial Blackwell (backing vocals), London McDaniels (guitar), Piers Lawrence (guitar), Dave Webb (keyboards), Roger Panansky (keyboards, synthesizer), Jorge Barreiro (vibraphone), George Young (saxophone), Patience Higgins (saxophone), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Randy Covens (bass), Anthony Jackson (bass), Webb Thomas (drums)

Background

Rasa formed in 1978 as a studio-based soul-funk project led by teenage brothers London and Chris McDaniels of Seattle. Sons of singer-songwriter Eugene McDaniels (Outlaw, “Feel Like Making Love”), both were home for summer break when their mother encouraged them to visit a local Hare Krishna temple for its free vegetarian meals. After several visits, the brothers—London, a first-year student at Berklee College of Music, and Chris, still in high school—were asked by temple leaders to create a record that conveyed Krishna-conscious teachings through contemporary American music.

The temple quickly mobilized resources to support the project, launching Govinda Productions as a label and assembling a studio lineup of seasoned jazz and soul musicians. Alongside the McDaniels brothers—London on guitar, Chris on drums and vocals—contributors included bassist Anthony Jackson, trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonists George Young and Patience Higgins, vibraphonist Jorge Barreiro, and a rotating cast of guest and backing vocalists. Lyrics were written by Krishna devotee Andrew Marks, while London handled arrangements and production at just 17 years old. The resulting band, named Rasa (a Sanskrit word for essence or flavor), recorded a single album under this lineup.

Everything You See Is Me

Rasa released their singular album, Everything You See Is Me, in 1978 on Govinda Productions.

The album combines soft funk rhythm, soul vocals, and devotional subject matter into a polished set of mid-tempo tracks and ballads. Distributed through Hare Krishna temples and events, the album features spiritual messaging with studio-level musicianship and accessible, secular stylings. It remains Rasa’s only release and one of the first Krishna-conscious records to feature modern production and songwriting structures rather than chant-based formats.

Andrew Marks supplied the album’s lyrics and co-produced the record, while London McDaniels arranged and produced the music. He also contributed all guitar work and horn and string arrangements. Marks arranged two tracks himself: “Questions In My Mind” and “The Dream Is Over.” Bassist Anthony Jackson appears on two songs: “Chanting” and “When Will the Day Come.”

A1. “Everything You See Is Me” (3:40)
A2. “Questions in My Mind” (2:52)
A3. “A Perfect Love” (3:38)
A4. “Just for Believing” (4:36)

B1. “Chanting” (4:55)
B2. “Within the Sound” (3:45)
B3. “When Will the Day Come” (3:58)
B4. “The Dream Is Over” (4:29)

Sessions occurred at Music Farm Studios in New York with Peter Robbins as engineer and Jorge Barreiro producing alongside London McDaniels and Andrew Marks. Assistant engineering was handled by Akili Walker. The album was released by ISKCON Inc. and mastered at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs.

Everything You See Is Me was the second of six albums released on Govinda Productions, which also issued titles by the Venezuelan-British symphonic band Ananta and the Jorge Barreiro projects Atma and the J.O.B. Orquestra.

Though the album saw no traditional commercial distribution, it circulated internationally through ISKCON and was sampled years later by artists like Common, Black Rob, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Boogie Down Productions. Everything You See Is Me remains a singular entry in spiritually motivated soul music of the late 1970s.

Later Developments

Rasa never recorded a follow-up. The McDaniels brothers reteamed in the 1980s soul-funk groups Carrera and World Sitizenz.

Rasa’s 1978 track “When Will the Day Come” experienced renewed attention in the 2010s and 2020s. It appeared on the Café Après-midi: Orange compilation (Apres-Midi, 2015) and was featured on Kerri Chandler’s 2017 DJ-Kicks mix for !K7 Records. In 2021, the track was reissued as a white-label single credited to Rasa featuring Jared Hines (J4J005). Backatcha Records followed with two limited-edition 7-inch releases in 2024, pairing the song with “Questions in My Mind” (BK033AB) and “Within the Sound” (BK033AC).

Discography: