VIBES_ February 2011 by Eclectic Publications

ARUNACHAL PRADESH • ASSAM • MANIPUR • MEGHALAYA • MIZORAM • NAGALAND • SIKKIM • TRIPURA

FOR MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT FEBRUARY 2011

R 30

AST NORTHE BY HEART

TRACKLISTING VOLUME- I ISSUE-7

28.

From Bollywood remixes to international spins, it’s been quite a wild ride 10. LET THE GAMES BEGIN Move over video games! For now is the time for social gaming… 12. The CNN Hero of 2010 used his passion for cooking to feed millions of hungry destitutes in his city 16. Vibes caught up with him while he was spinning the Shillong crowd to a tizzy 19. You’ve heard Aikon Baikon, now listen to the man who made it 24. Assam boy Vishal J Singh talks about the new album, The Quantum Hack Code 34. They are known for their unconventional sound, but they’re definitely more than that 38. An exclusive interview with the first ever rock star from Pakistan 44. No plans yet for Valentine’s Day? No worries! Go grab one of these CDs and fill the day with lots of mush 06 EVENTS 46 CAMPUS CALL 47 JOCK TALKING

22 FYI 27 WOC

48 VIBES CORNER

37 ON DEMAND

49 BHEJA FRY

43 TRACK RECORD

41. BEST TRACKS OF 2010

EDITORIAL

TEAM VIBES managing editor - Tanushree Hazarika tanu@eclectic.co.in

… very new day, every new month brings with it, its fair share of festivities. But, February is more about the feelings than about any particular event. It’s about promises, commitments, compassion, care, trust and faith. It could mean a hug, a pat, a note, an SMS, or even a call — the means and ways of expressing love knows no bounds. And most of us celebrate ‘love’ the typical way and the “unusual” ways do not necessarily catch the eye. But, are there any other ways of expressing heartfelt feelings apart from glitzy merchandise and costly gifts? We believe there is! The answer, my friend is ‘art’. Art which encapsulates music, dance, rhythm et al. Art forms are the best way to express all that you wish to…and you can do so with passion! You never thought about it, right? It doesn’t involve the typical mushy ways of gifts or cards yet through every musical note, every word of the lyric and with each strum of the instrument the passion sings out loud and clear. And that very passion is what we wish to bring to you through this issue. Gracing the cover is the kingpin of remixes, DJ Suketu, whose music has captured the imagination of every Indian. Don’t be beguiled by his dimpled smile and easy demeanour because his is a name that’s still to reckon with even after 15 long years in the business. Coming back home, we have for you none other than Joi Barua, the Bollywood wonder boy who is back to the Assamese music scene with his new album, Joi. He is our ‘Sound of the Soil’ this month because his story will take you on a ‘Joi Ride’ that has much more than just the hit number Aikon Baikon. While music is definitely an obvious way to express love, there are some who do it in their own special way. You may not know this but Narayanan Krishnan was the only Indian to figure in CNN’s list of Top Ten Heroes last year. He loves to cook and his cooking has fed millions of hungry destitutes in Madurai over the last few years. ‘Food for Thought’ is our tribute to this man’s selfless love and compassion, that makes us beam with pride and smile with happiness. Such acts depict new levels of love, love that can inspire even the most hard-hearted souls. Among all these extraordinary stories we also have stories for the die-hard romantic in you. ‘Love Actually’ will take you down memory lane among all those classic romantic movies that ooze love in every frame. And our selection of the best ballads in Track Record will keep you humming all through the month. So ‘love’ is definitely in the air, folks! But out here it is nothing like you’ve seen before. After all, when did Vibes bring out the typical? Happy Reading and Keep Loving!

executive editor - Koushik Hazarika consulting editor - Bidisha Singha content supervisor - Himakshi Goswami content co-ordinator - Pooja Barkataky regular contributor - Kaushik Barua layout artist - Himangshu Lahkar director – Bibha Hazarika admin officer - Prasanta Talukdar deputy admin officer - Monjari Mahanta

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Edited, printed and published by Tanushree Hazarika on behalf of Eclectic Media Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, Eclectic House, 34, PB Road, Rehabari, Guwahati - 781 008, Assam Printed at Swapna Printing Works Private Limited Doltala, Doharia, P.O.- Ganga Nagar, Dist- North 24 Paraganas, Kolkata- 700 132 Design ©Tattva Creations Pvt. Ltd.

(Managing Editor)

Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders. The publishers apologize for any omissions, which they will be pleased to rectify at the earliest opportunity. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor.

January, 2010

Hey, it’s me metal guy. I’m a huge fan of Vibes since I was 15 years. I am addicted to metal core and it really kills me. So, I expect all you guys to soar your talent all over the world. Sanjay Paul, Guwahati Cool Sanjay! We share your love for metal. Stick around to get more of what you’re looking for — Team Vibes

LETTER OF THE MONTH

It’s my immense pleasure to say a big thank you and heartiest congratulations to your team for bringing out such a wonderful magazine for all the music lovers and readers. Your coverage of The Karbi Anglong Beat Contest at Rongtheang Festival, Diphu was very impressive. I wish you all the best and success ahead. Well done Vibes! Keninlo Seb Rengma, Diphu The pleasure was all ours. Rest assured we’ll try to give out the best always — Team Vibes

Hi to the team of Vibes for making the magazine electro and dynamic. The Textures interview in your last issue was just great. Vibes is one of the best music magazines from here. It has great stories. I think it’ll get better if you put a band or artistes’ poster along with lot more stuff about NE bands. Till then keep rocking, guys! Nick, Guwahati Cheers, Nick! We love readers like you. Keep reading and stay in the loop for more — Team Vibes

The last page of Vibes, Bheja Fry is always such a wacky read! I really enjoy them. And the designing of the magazine is really cool. The call for an ultimate music magazine from Northeast India has finally been answered. You guys really have the eyes to make stuff so cool! Bobo Hmar, Aizawl Thanks Bobo. Stay with us and you’ll get to read a lot more and see a lot more — Team Vibes

There’s a saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Although all your cover pages are awesome, the real deal has always been inside. This is a magazine that every rocker whether from Northeast or from anywhere else in India should own. Kaushik Barua’s articles/interviews are super-cool. He is the guy whose name I always look for in your magazine! Jai and Bidisha’s work is superb as well! Vibes rules and will rule forever. Amitabh Kanwar, Shillong

Eclectic Vibes is surely becoming a great music magazine and has the edge to kick ass other magazines. I really liked the story ‘The American Assamese!’ It feels good to know that even our very own Bihu has elicited such interest from the field of Ethnomusicology! I congratulate the team on bringing out great stuff consistently! Shivani, Guwahati

It’s so amazing to get letters like this and it makes us all the more indebted to give you the best always -- Team Vibes

I bought Vibes from a shop in Golaghat and became a great fan. The team’s effort is really appreciable and the magazine is a boon for music lovers. Please publish something about Linkin Park, Bullet 4 My Valentine and Lucid Recess for fans here. Nayan Jyoti, Jorhat

I recently picked a copy of Vibes while visiting a friend in Assam. It has all the punch to rock in any big city in India. I’m from Delhi and I really hope that I can pick up a copy from a local stand here sometime soon! Rishi Mathur, Delhi Wow Rishi, glad to get your feedback and stay tuned as we’ll be in your city very soon — Team Vibes I liked the article on Textures, which is one of my favourite bands. And also thanks for the great reviews of Indian bands, looking forward to getting more such stuff in the next issue. Ishaan, Guwahati Sure Ishaan, you’ll get even cooler stuff in all our issues — Team Vibes

Hey Shivani, we’re so glad you enjoyed the story — Team Vibes

Thank you Nayan for all those kind words! We’ll try to get your favourites into our pages very soon. Stay in the loop! — Team Vibes

WRITE TO US AT: VIBES INBOX, ECLECTIC VIBES SARASWATI MARKET, 2ND FLOOR, ABOVE SBI, SIX MILE BRANCH, G.S. ROAD, GUWAHATI - 781022 MAIL US AT: editorial@eclectic.co.in or SMS US AT: + 91 96780 85012

VIBES EVENTS

What: ‘Bhavishaya, A Party to Welcome the Future’ Where: Brahmaputra Ashok, Guwahati When: December 31, 2010 Guest performers: Underground Authority

What: Bollywood Fashion Party Where: Ginger Hotel, Guwahati When: December 31, 2010

VIBES EVENTS

What: Performance by Lucky Ali Where: Nagaon Auditorium, Nagaon, Assam When: January 3, 2011 Organisers: Local TV channel Nagaon Talks and weekly newspaper house Aamar Nagaon

VIBES EVENTS

What: Book Release of Tawang-The Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains, a coffee table book on Tawang written by Pomi Baruah Where: Hotel Gateway Grandeur, Guwahati When: January 5, 2011

What: ‘Dance Til Dawn’, New Year’s eve party Where: Cloud 9, Shillong When: December 31, 2010 Guest DJ: DJ Moit from Mumbai

VIBES FAD

Games People Play

id you ever think you could ‘buy’ a plot of land and have your own farm? Did you even dream of rearing cattle and horses and using farming equipment to plough and harvest flora? I know you know where I’m getting it. And yes, it happens on, where else but, Facebook! It’s basically a simple application which has millions of us clicking and tapping our computer keys to create and maintain a perfect farm in Farmville — the virtual space to fulfil all our agrarian dreams. So are you hooked on to your screen for hours at a stretch just to beautify your farm or to become the biggest bad a** mafia leader? If yes, then you are neck deep into social gaming. And you are not alone. There are an insane number of players logged onto Facebook and to other social gaming sites like IBIBO just to get a kick out of beating total strangers. There are so many out there who play diligently and perform their roles with perfection. Be it as a farmer in Farmville buying poultry, planting trees, constructing stables and nurseries or as a slick gangster in MafiaWars.

It was just yesterday when we would simply crash at a friend’s place and play a game or two on their latest Xbox, Playstation and Wii. And remember those days when we would bet on a game of carrom or cheer over a board of chess? Now, with more and more people getting addicted to the internet and turning into net-worms, the age-old gaming techniques have gone for a toss. It’s now the time to take your friends and foes head on in the virtual realm. And there are many who love that thrill. Prerona G, a law student from Bengaluru, starts and ends her day with Facebook and she has no qualms about it. And what does she do on FB? “Yoville, Cafe World, Farmville, Petville and my favourite is the Text Twister. I can sometimes search for the best words online and this makes me a winner all the time. I am totally an FB person and with their games I love and live them,” she gushes. And it’s not just Facebook that’s reaping the beneﬁts of this new trend of social gamers. A similar social gaming site which is fast catching on is Ibibo! ‘Why play akele’ as they say, aptly describes the basic funda of social gaming. Much like

z Social gaming started 3 years back with Facebook. z The numero uno social gaming site is Facebook. z 53 per cent of Facebook users play games. z 56 million people play daily which is more than the entire population of England! z 290 million people play monthly which is close to the United States population. z Up to 265 million Facebook gamers x 210 minutes of game time per gamer, per month gives us 927 million hours per month of collective game time. That’s 105,878 man-years’ worth of virtual farming. z Most popular Facebook games are Farmville, MafiaWars, Scrabble, Cafe World, Text Twister.

h They are Android enabled and faster than regular online games. h Virtual-reality feel in the games. FB, choices here are aplenty from Teen Patti to Rummy, Car Games to Mumbai Underworld. Come Diwali and we gang up for the infamous game of Teen Patti. We bet our money and hope for luck to favour us. Here on Ibibo.com, this game of three lucky cards has gamers addicted to it throughout the year. Once you have created your account, you’re ready to knock your competing players oﬀ the table. What’s more, you don’t even lose real money. So, you’re a winner anyways. These and many more such games and gaming platforms have become quite a buzz across nations, simply for the fact that they can be played anywhere, with anyone, and anytime! No deadlines, closing hours or not even the slightest worry of losing out any moolah. And who doesn’t love to win? Reshma G, a PR professional from Mumbai, says “These games are crackling and addictive. Whoever thought I would win over a game of chess with my bro, who stays in Queensland, without even having to wait for his visit home.” Another avid gamer is Mrinmoy Buzarbaruah, from Pune, who loves the word-games on internet. “Word games are my thing and I

rock my fellow players’ games just clicking away some awesome words. I even enjoy winning over my two brothers who live in Gurgaon and Brisbane. Thumbs up to Facebook and Ibibo!” Anything that has followers by the dozen can be easily called a trend. And social gaming is no less. What with the Facebook-ers, Ibibo-ites, Zynga et al it is catching onto people by the numbers and never before did we see ads on the electronic media about them. This has to mean something right? And we do have facts and ﬁgures to prove just that. A survey conducted by the Information Services Group on the top 10 social gaming countries including India revealed that there are a whopping 100 million social gamers across these 10 nations and approximately $1 billion in revenue was earned in the year 2010 with the same or more expected in 2011. The survey also revealed that 55 per cent of social gamers are female and 45 per cent are male. Facebook is the most popular destination for online games, with 83 per cent of respondents saying they have played games there. 28 per cent have purchased in-game

h More Indianised and ‘desi’ feeling. h Very youth centric. h Most popular Ibibo games are Ibibo Farms, Mumbai Underworld, Chess, Teen Patti, Car Park and the Indian Rush Hour

currency with real-world money like Farm cash through Farmville, or restaurant space in CafeWorld. The average gamer has played six social games, and more than 50 per cent of gamers started playing a game because a friend recommended it or because they saw a friend playing it in a news feed or other social stream. There you have it. So, we are just not making this all up. Social gaming is indeed a huge phenomenon which might just not be a fad but a lot more in the days to come. What with the games being cool, fun, open to all, free and easy to play, social gaming is a winner all along. So keep playing and keep winning! WORDS: POOJA BARKATAKY

VIBES PASSION

e come across hundreds of destitutes day in and day out but do we really bother to stop by and give them a second glance? Not really. Sad but true! They are ignored, overlooked and shut out of our minds only because they make us feel uncomfortable. If at all we do think about them we might simply wonder why the ‘authorities’ aren’t doing anything for this poor lot. Unlike us, though, is this young man from Madurai who has had the guts to

dump his sophisticated job as a gourmet chef to fulfill a greater calling — that of providing food to hundreds of hungry and homeless destitutes on a daily basis. Narayanan Krishnan, the 29-year-old messiah has served more than 1.2 million meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — since he started his non-profit Akshaya Trust in 2003. He was an award winning chef with a five-star hotel and was on the verge of getting into an elite job in Switzerland. But one life altering moment changed the

course of his life as well as all those lives that he has touched in these last seven years. “In 2002, during a quick visit to home just before heading for Europe, I experienced a life-changing event. I saw an old man eating his own waste out of

5-star hotel! Instead, he wakes up at four in the morning, cooks a cartload of hot meals, loads it in his van and travels around 200 km feeding the homeless in and around his city. The number goes to around 400 a day. And very often he feeds them with

acute hunger. That stark sight changed my life forever. I bought him some food from a nearby shop and as the old man ate, he looked at me with gratitude and touched my hand. I felt an inexplicable energy coursing through my veins and heard an inner voice to help the mentally ill, inﬁrm, forsaken and destitute. From that moment, I decided this is what I should do for the rest of my life,” says Narayanan. Feeding people is what Narayanan was professionally trained to do. But he doesn’t do that in the swanky conﬁnes of some

his own hands. Narayanan even carries a comb, a pair of scissors and razors to give these people a fresh shave and a haircut whenever necessary. He has even trained himself in giving eight diﬀerent styles of haircut. Now is that a ritual? “It’s not like a ritual. Hair cuts and bath are given to the needy people periodically. A couple of years back when I realised some of the destitutes need hair cuts, there were diﬃculties in arranging this. So I went to a barber shop and took training in hair cutting,” he says nonchalantly.

Despite all this, you may say that Narayanan’s job is a thankless one because most of the people he feeds aren’t in a position to show their gratitude, “Most of them are mentally ill and are not in the condition to thank us. And we don’t really

VIBES PASSION expect anything in return from them for our service.” When he started out even his family wasn’t too keen. “At ﬁrst my parents were upset with my decision to give up my career at a young age but gradually lent their support. They were sad because they had spent a lot on my education. But once my mother came and saw what I was doing and she said, ‘You feed all those people, the rest of the life I will feed you.’ Now, I’m living for Akshaya and my parents are taking care of me,” Narayanan smiles. And just like his parents even the world

came to realise the importance of his work and Narayanan Krishnan found himself in the top ten list of CNN Heroes last year. “It feels good to be a CNN Hero. The satisfaction is on account of recognition of my work and the exposure we have been able to get from a much wider platform. This awareness has helped in gaining ﬁnancial support which we need for our project. To this extent it is gratifying.

The last nine months of 2010 was very significant in the growth of Akshaya,” he feels. On account of the nomination, Narayanan went to Los Angeles and hobnobbed with several American celebrities during the event. But the man whose world only revolves around the needy and the hungry, didn’t acknowledge the presence of these big names. “I am not aware of any of the celebrities or the admiration they draw from the general public, so there was no specific reaction in me. In fact, I was not even aware of many of the celebrities who were present there because our fields are totally different,” he says. His stint in the USA did, however, inspire him to start the Akshaya USA. “Akshaya USA was incorporated later and it is helpful for donors in the US to make contribution as well as obtain tax exemption.” The Akshaya Trust meets its expenses from personal savings, donations and financial help from the general public and organisations. All this is not really enough to keep the work going at the scale at which Narayanan wants it to go. And at present Narayanan is constructing the Akshaya Home to house his beneficiaries. “The construction is half way through. I hope to get sufficient funds to complete the construction by the end of 2011. And by second quarter of 2012 we hope to make the home operational. It will take a couple of years for the home to stabilise, though,” he informs.

On the personal front Narayanan has plans to settle down. “The girl is fi xed and I’ll be married soon. The girl’s family is known to our family for several decades and they are also oriented to my work and have been supporting for several years. My wife is also inclined to support me,” he says. So what special food will he cook for the new bride, “I am sure she likes all the cooking I do for the Akshaya beneficiaries,” the soon-to-be groom quips. For this man, there is no such thing as personal benefits or interests. His only interest is to serve and to make the most of his time and energy in doing so. “Akshaya work itself is more than full time. I enjoy doing my work. So, there is no need nor do I have time for any other hobbies or interest,” he claims. Workaholic, it might seem! But when one’s work is all about giving it may not seem like work at all. “The joy of giving is a personal experience which each one has to enjoy from within. It is like trying to explain a taste. And once you experience that joy, it is difficult not to indulge again,” says the real-life hero. We give you that, Mr Narayanan! Kudos! For more information and contributions log on to www.akshayatrust.org WORDS: HIMAKSHI GOSWAMI PHOTO COURTESY: AKSHAYA TRUST

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

HEY, HOW WAS SHILLONG? The hills, the nature and the beauty it was just sensational! And the crowd was amazing and they responded to almost every genre, the energy was electrifying and the placed rocked on New Year’s Eve! Not to forget DJ Larry and DJ Ashley, they did a wonder job with the opening set! Thumbs up, boys! Hope to share the decks with you soon!

AND WAS IT ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER PLACES YOU’VE PLAYED AT? Yes! The whole feel of the club was so diﬀerent and comfortable that I felt I have spun here before and that the people around me were all my close buddies! It felt like home! And trust me, it doesn’t happen that often!

SO, WE’LL SEE YOU AGAIN THEN? Well honestly,

I don’t wanna miss any chance of coming here again since now I know the taste of the crowd. So I think if I come, my next gig would be 10/10 (winks). Thanks Shillong for calling me and making it big!

GREAT! OKAY, WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO THIS PROFESSION? Well, you might ﬁnd this funny but I never had plans to become a DJ! It all started from my friend’s birthday party when I was 16! People loved it and called me for another one! Then a party hall approached me and gave me the equipment and I started playing. Couple of years later, I got a call from Toronto to perform in a big club there! And since then, the ball started rolling...

WOW, YOU STARTED OFF REAL EARLY! Yeah. I started DJing because I love music and as I was a self-taught DJ, it took me a lot of time to get hold of things, knowing equipment, handling the crowd and the technicality bit. But as I performed more and more I became more conﬁdent. Anyone can love and feel the music but everyone can’t be a DJ. It takes that extra eﬀort (winks).

YOU’VE BEEN AN RJ AS WELL. WHY THE SWITCH? Well, I never worked as a full-ﬂedged RJ at a station. I did DJ sets on Live 365 Radio which is an internet radio station. But as an

experience, it’s almost like a normal RJ job, only diﬀerence is that it’s on the net. It feels amazing to connect to your listeners, take their calls, talk to them, listen to what they have to say and most importantly play their favourite tunes.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WORKS FOR YOU AS A DJ? I feel it’s my attitude towards the people who download my tracks and come for my gig. I am an absolutely chilled out guy and I never carry a celebrity image on me. In fact, I don’t wanna be a celebrity; I just want people to come, shake hand after a gig and say “we enjoyed it” or a thumps up from the ﬂoor or a wink! That’s all I want and I manage to do that and that’s my USP.

WHAT ABOUT THE INFLUENCES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR MASH-UPS? ANY PARTICULAR GENRE THAT YOU ARE FOND OF? Okay! First, I don’t do mash-ups, I do remixes with originally produced sounds. I edit / produce my own unique sounds and don’t really like to pick someone else’s track and mash it up. With OST, I am remixing. As far as genre and inﬂuences are concerned, I love Gareth Emery, Paul van Dyk, Alton, PROFF to name a few.

AND WHAT’S YOUR FORTE? I love to listen to practically everything from romantic songs to Psy trance! But mostly, progressive tunes. And I love to play Bollywood / House / Hip Hop / RnB / Commercial Bhangra / + Progressive / Trance and Electro. My proﬁciency is in Harmonic Mixing and using MIDI during performances. Harmonic mixing is an innovative way to mix tracks together creating perfect DJ sets. Using MIDI means I produce live basslines or a tune in the middle of the song while it’s being played in the club. It just gives that extra energy and vibe to the crowd. Many DJs don’t do that in India. So, it’s kinda unique.

YOU’VE ALSO WORKED WITH INTERNATIONAL ARTISTES. HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM WORKING WITH ARTISTES HERE IN INDIA? There’s no diﬀerence at all, all artistes have one thing in common — love and passion for music and that connects all of us together, so whether it’s New Delhi or New York, there’s no diﬀerence in working whatsoever.

COMPARED TO BOLLYWOOD AND COMMERCIAL BHANGRA, HOW’S THE ELECTRO / PROGRESSIVE HOUSE AND HIPHOP / RNB SCENE IN INDIA? Hip Hop and RnB has always ruled the scene but Electro / progressive house

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

which is also known as EDM (Electronic dance music) is now spreading like ﬁre in India, mostly in festivals like Sunburn. With around 20,000 people at one time at one place is crazy to see so many Indians getting into EDM.

AND HOW’S THE CLUB MUSIC SCENE IN INDIA DIFFERENT FROM THE SCENE ABROAD? It’s extremely diﬀerent, clubs in India play any genre at any day right through the week but abroad it’s extremely restricted. Like on Fridays in most of the places you will only hear Hip Hop / RnB and EDM only on Saturdays. There are special events for Bollywood which happens 1-2 times a month. I personally prefer India a lot in the clubbing scene as it’s more versatile.

OKAY. NOW SINCE WE HAVE CAUGHT YOU IN THE VALENTINE

MONTH, WE CAN’T HELP BUT ASK THIS. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL SOMEONE IN LIFE? Oh my! I wasn’t expecting this one coming. Hmm… well, you need to gimme a moment on this one (laughs). Love can’t be deﬁned and if anyone can then that means they haven’t felt love! And yes, lemme confess I have someone very special in my life and I’ve been with her since I was 16 and still feel it’s growing every moment. And I don’t think I can live without her! I am sure you wanna know her name! She is “Music”! Ha ha. But honestly, I’m single.

HMM…BUT IF YOU WERE TO SING TO A LOVED ONE, WHICH SONG WOULD IT BE? I have a decent voice on mic but otherwise a pathetic singer. If ever my loved ones want me to sing, I will go for - Tera mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Naata Koi, Yoonhi Nahin Dil Lubhaata Koi, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Maane Tu Ya Maane Na… WORDS HIMAKSHI GOSWAMI PHOTOGRAPHS AUDIOBESITY

VIBES MUSIC SOUND OF THE SOIL

he term “oxomiya rock star” might sound a little weird but if you’ve seen and heard Joi Barua you’ll know what we’re talking about. And if you’re a regular at Youtube you’re sure to come across his band’s hit single Aikon Baikon, which has become a big rage all around. With Aikon Baikon at the core, Joi Barua’s band Joi has recently launched their ﬁrst album by the same name, Joi, Looking Out of the Window. A full ﬂedged Assamese language album with eight songs, Barua’s motley gang intends this album to be a tribute to Assam. “We all live in Mumbai and we’ve been working in Bollywood for long but we wanted to do something for the people of Assam and this is our way of doing that,” Joi says.

Born in Digboi, the quiet little oil town in Upper Assam, Joi Barua’s sedate nature seems to be a reﬂection of the place that he comes from. “I am a quiet person with an intense passion for music,” he says. That’s pretty evident in the fact that Joi has always wanted to be a musician despite knowing that the ride wouldn’t be an

VIBES MUSIC SOUND OF THE SOIL

easy one. “I have been singing maybe since the age of seven though I’m not trained as a singer. I do play the violin, guitar and keyboards,” he informs. His musical influences range from the Beatles, Eagles, Doors, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden and Deep Purple to Jayanta Hazarika and Bhupen Hazarika. It is quite a concoction. In fact Joi even used to play L Subramanium’s fusion pieces on his violin when he was in the seventh standard. But his basic inclination has always been towards western music and Joi did have his confusions about how he would fit that into the Indian music scene. “I always wanted to do music, but didn’t know how. Coming from a primarily western background of singing I didn’t know where I would fit. There was a lot of confusion throughout the growing up years,” he confesses. It was probably during this stage of his life that Joi invented his alias “Rocko”.

Or so we ask? “Wow! This one really did the rounds. Actually I was in Gauhati Commerce College for my graduation then and was into this whole rock band stuﬀ. And we were the ﬁrst band in 33 years to be allowed by our principal Bhagawan Lahkar to perform in college. It made me pretty famous. Best thing was that we did it without the clichés of drugs

and alcohol...that was something,” Joi reminisces. Unlike most families, Joi’s parents were very supportive of these endeavours. And it wouldn’t be wrong to say that music did come to him through his genes. “Ours is kind of a musical family. My dad played very good violin and gave me one when I was four years old. And all my cousins sang and played some instrument or the other,” Joi says. And when the young Joi decided to take the ﬁnal plunge and head for Mumbai his family was only too happy for him. “They like the fact that I am doing what I wanted and I have been able to do it well.” And he has indeed done pretty well.

He landed in Mumbai in 2003 and went through the usual rigmarole of visiting studios and music directors. “I came to Mumbai when I knew that I could not do anything else in life and

music was the only option I could explore. Zubin (Garg) called me over and I stayed with him for six months. He taught me the rudiments of studio singing and took me around to meet the professionals,” he recalls. And now after almost seven years in the industry Joi has worked with the likes of Pritam, Vishal Shekhar, Amit Trivedi, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Ram Sampath, Salim Suleiman, Anu Malik and Anand Raaj Anand. From radio jingles and advertising campaigns, Joi has come a long way and has now become a part of the changing brigade of new voices and singers in Bollywood. He has sung the title track of Udaan, the much acclaimed ﬁlm of last year and the DevD song Ek hulchul si; he has also lent his voice to the hit song of last year Tera hone lagaan hoon from Azab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani with the English lines Shining in the setting sun plus the Assamese lines in the Jab We Met number Mauji hi Mauja. Not just that Joi has expanded his horizons to the Telugu industry as well with his songs for Kalavar King.

Back home Aikon Baikon has all of a sudden made him the cynosure of all eyes. This song made by the band comprising of Abani Tanti, Pawan Rasaily, Manas Chowdhary and Ibson Lal Baruah, is gradually taking the rock scene in Assam by storm. “The melody of the song happened suddenly to me and I knew instantly that it was something special. We decided to go for this sort of a dance rock thing that I’d made a demo of. The challenge was with the lyrics, which Ibson managed so well. Then other things fell into place,” he says. The band, though, has been working on the album for more than a year now and that shows how important this project is for them. And what’s the album about? Joi elucidates, “It’s a mix of rock and soul and deﬁnitely my interpretations of both the genres. It has diﬀerent stories to tell,

of love, anguish, growing up, spirituality, folklore and all that has touched us in our years of growing up. It celebrates vulnerabilities as much as it celebrates life.” Aikon Baikon, meanwhile, is about urban loss. “We are from small towns and are now living in a city like Mumbai. So

there is the sense of loss which we have tried to portray through this song,” Joi says. But despite the song doing so well Joi and his boys do not seem to have cashed in on the initial popularity. “We’ve promoted the song with whatever help we’ve managed with the media. They have been enthused far more than us! But have we done enough? I don’t know. We are all lazy people!” That’s quite an excuse, we say. With a successful career in Bollywood and a band to play gigs with, Joi seems to be in the right place at the moment. But what more, we ask him? “I will do whatever moves me. I like to see people smile when I sing, to see them moved by a song...give them a good time while they’re with me. It’s a tough world out there…maybe give them a little happiness,” he says. We like the answer, Joi! WORDS: BIDISHA SINGHA

VIBES MUSIC FYI

I like this album, not really love it. Very low-end production tied with averagely implemented instrumentation and song-writing that doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere: that’s what this is all about. However, as an Alt-rock fan I do succeed in feeling the little things that the band has roughly carved into this four-song E.P. I sure as hell can’t recommend this to listeners who do not have the patience to sit down and look for stuﬀ to connect in an album. Of course, I do not belong to that group as I do it because it’s my job.

Yonsample’s debut E.P. Paraphernalia epitomises the fact that 2010 was one of the best years for Indian metal. Sharply produced, decently written and ﬂawlessly executed Paraphernalia in its entirety is one of the best metal CDs to have come out of the Kolkata scene in years. What I really like about this ﬁve-song monster is the ability to keep you hooked even after repeated listens. Most recent releases fail to evoke enough interest for even a second listen.

Another Reason for you to wear that metal tee and bruise your neck. The most die-hard thrashcore fan will tell you that even masterpiece albums like Attention Cassette or Now That I Have the Attention, What Do I Do with It can be tough to get through without a pause; Artillerie amalgamates prog and core elements like rhythm changes and dynamic shifts into their sound so eﬀortlessly that you hardly even notice they’re there, giving Eradeﬁled a listenability that contradicts how exigent and convoluted it really is.

Top-notch compositions, rabid vocals and production that’s destined to make your ears bleed — Aggressive World Dynasty is a metal kick in the nuts. This is tour de anger, a splendid hour exemplifying pretty much every element of metal you’ve ever heard before. The solid grooves intersperse the songs with a bit of dynamic variation that does nothing to thwart the album’s all-important impetus; in fact, listeners are not likely to ﬁnd anything that does. By the time the album closes out with Existence Failed V-3.1 you will realise that you’re fatigued, having been imprisoned by the album’s breathless pace for almost an hour, without even realising that much time has passed. That speaks about Aggressive World Dynasty: the ability to craft massive tunes that never drag.

WORDS: KAUSHIK BARUA

VIBES MUSIC BAND OF THE MONTH

aving already established himself as one of the pioneers of Hybrid metal in India with his debut album Abolishing the Obsolete System, Vishal J Singh, father of India’s biggest postprogressive / experimental outﬁt Amogh

Symphony, continues to obsess with his compulsive need for fusion and his craze for sci-fi stories and themes. Originally from Duliajan, Assam, Vishal formed Amogh Symphony in 2004. Before that he used to play for Pune-based metal outfit Infi nite Ashes alongside the likes of Vedant Kaushik (of SOR fame). As for the unique name, Amogh Symphony, “Amogh” was given by Vishal’s father when they were discussing the process of writing compositions and melodies. Later, he added the word “symphony” because of his deep connection with western classical

symphonic music. Vishal has always been a huge fan of The Mahavishnu Orchestra. And he has always had a lust for the kind of names that sounded spiritual and holy. Naturally, he wanted the name of his project to symbolise spirituality as well as he felt deeply connected with the same. “Amogh Symphony” is essentially a combination of a Sanskrit word and an English word which represent the idea of “Old established concepts meet new invented ideas”. Come this year, the Mumbai-based sound-engineer / producer is all set to outshine and unleash himself having

collaborated with powerhouse drummer Jim Richman. Jim is from Virginia, United States, and is a drummer who has opened for numerous acts, varying from the likes of Joan Jett and Angela Bofi l to Cannibal Corpse. Besides his solo ventures he has also been part of famed death metal outfit Modulus — one of Vishal’s biggest influences. As the two have come together for Th e Quantum Hack Code, Kaushik Barua catches up with the duo to know more about this new venture.

TQHC

HEARTIEST METCHUL GREETINGS, GUYS AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO SPEAK TO US. SO, TELL US ABOUT YOUR LATEST ALBUM THE QUANTUM HACK CODE. Vishal: Th ank you. We are honoured. Just wanted to let you guys know that I’m already a huge fan of Eclectic Vibes. When Ashwin (manager) told me that you guys are going to do an interview with us, I was jumping around like a kid due to excitement. Laaz lagi goise (I was embarrassed).

Jim: TQHC is a concept album, a movie without the movie. It was done all throughout 2010. I did not know what I was getting into when I said I wanted to join Amogh Symphony instead of doing a “project.” The learning / recording process was gruelling. There was literally no point of reference to go from, and creating usable drums was very diﬃcult. I did many versions, always looking for the perfect interpretation. Sometimes it was done a few months before, and since I was so wrapped up in all the tunes I did not realise it!

IN SYMPHONY Genre: Post- progressive / experimental Based in: Mumbai Albums: Abolishing the Obsolete System, The Quantum Hack Code Popular numbers: Cyborg activation, Vectorscan Links: www.myspace.com/mohenjadaro

AND VISHAL, HOW IS THE QUANTUM HACK CODE DIFFERENT FROM ABOLISHING THE OBSOLETE SYSTEM? Vishal: Abolishing The Obsolete System and The Quantum Hack Code are two parts of one sequel. But yes, there are differences in these two albums. The previous album was more silent. The new album is slightly matured or say grown-up than ATOS. Instrumentation, arrangement, production are different. Concept story is more deep and little darker. Basically, it’s all about a mind’s thinking abilities. Plus, the biggest difference is that TQHC has narrations

in it. Kudos to Chela Harper for her great job in the narration part! She is not just an amazing vocalist, composer and multiinstrumentalist but also a great narrator. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM’S CONCEPT. Vishal: It’s about the existence of an advanced internet world called Q-Web invented by a human called Daniel Dvorzhetskii. Biohazards, complete damage of ozone layer and global temperature warming made the atmosphere of earth impossible for living creatures to exist. The purpose of making

VIBES MUSIC BAND OF THE MONTH

The previous album was more silent. The new album is slightly matured or say grown-up. Instrumentation, arrangement, production are different. Concept story is more deep and little darker. Basically, it’s all about a mind’s thinking abilities – Vishal J Singh

the Q-Web was to preserve the memory existence inside every human being on earth. Artiﬁcial Intelligence known as The Mainframe dominated the humanrace and it was a perfect atmosphere for them to survive. But because they were machines, they needed to put a “living human” memory inside their chip. The QWeb was under Mainframe. In short, the concept is about how a human mind survives. It’s just like an integer table. Considering zero as equilibrium and neutrality, positive integers as good nature and negative integers as bad nature, mankind’s future is existing on a table. The concept or hope of “evil should die” or “a world of equality, love and happiness and world peace” is something that will never help humanity to survive in the future. It’s as simple as food chain. The good nature and the bad nature cannot exist without each other. The only way to get out of this realm is – 1. Choose your negative side. 2. Choose your positive side or 3. Choose the neutral side. This nature of human mind is something that no machine or computer can put on any graph. Every human brain is based on this concept but it’s just about self-realisation and focus in thoughts. Some of us understood it. Some are still clueless.

JIM, YOU STAY IN THE US AND VISHAL IN INDIA, HOW DO THINGS WORK OUT FOR THE BAND? HOW DO YOU GUYS JAM, RECORD AND COMPOSE? AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO IT? Jim: We have yet to “jam” in a conventional sense. He has never broken down any section of music for me. I must do it myself. (Laughs). Vishal is the composer, I am the catalyst. We have a synergy that goes on through our recording, and sending fi les back and forth. I recorded over several months, and had to make sure my drum heads were not shot. I went through several sets of heads. After listening to basic arrangements, I would record every night for a week or two. Send V drum parts, get back re-arranged versions, do some takes and that’s it. Then do another song and another and another… DO YOU GUYS PLAN TO GET OUT OF THE STUDIOS AND PLAY GIGS AS WELL? Jim: Yes. I think playing some gigs in this band is very important. I imagine the first gigs would be in India. It all depends on selling CDs to finance the travel arrangements. Also setting up some shows. I think the first gig will be in someone’s basement around Mumbai. Maybe we

will do a basement tour. I would be happy with that. And yes, we would love to tour the beautiful Northeast region of India including Guwahati and Shillong. I have never been to India. I would love to. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. WHAT ELSE? THIS IS YOUR SPACE. GO BLAB! Jim: We will be having a new website up soon — www.amoghsymphony.net. Right now it’s pointed to our record label. Look forward for some sick videos! That is in the works. Also, there is a top secret track that will be out in a couple of months. Could there be another member of Amogh Symphony? Will society survive and see the sun come out again, and breathe the air? We’ll see.

Vishal: Thanks for this interview. Th is is our ﬁrst interview with the best magazine from my homeland Assam. Mur khube bhaal lagise aru soboke dhonyobaad jonaisu (I am very happy and I thank everyone). The CDs will be available in Guwahati for all the fans and friends in Northeast. Thanks for being supportive and yes we are coming up with more stuﬀ for you guys. Joi Aai Axom (Long Live Assam). WORDS: KAUSHIK BARUA ALBUM ARTS: SALONI SINHA.

VIBES MUSIC WOC

Jim Dunlop Original CryBaby GCB-95

Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer

This one’s a highly popular ‘wah’ pedal. In fact it’s one of the most talked about and it has found its way into many a record. The CryBaby’s sound, tones, pitch and range puts it on top of even the highest end models. Revered by many a musician this one’s your best chance to create that perfect ‘wah’ sound. Who knows, you might be easily able to imitate even a Jimi Hendrix classic with this one.

If you’re the classic rock addict and wish to play like your gods — Led Zeppelin, AC/DC or CCR — this one’s the right pedal for you. You’ll get some nice crunchy chords if you play rhythm with full chords without the fuzzy or muddy noise. But do not try anything heavy on this one. The sound might disappoint you then. With 3 knobs, drive, tone and level, it’s pretty darn easy to use as well. Plus the all metal construction makes it a real tough gadget.

Boss HM2 Heavy Metal B.K Butler Tube Works Tube Driver

Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive

Devout guitarists call it the Holy Grail of guitar pedals but very few of the younger lot have heard of it. Basically a tube-driven pedal this one’s a bit sensitive to the choice of tube. The basic model will have four knobs — Out level, Hi, Low and the Tube drive. And they do what you expect them to. The Hi level boosts the highs, the low boosts the lows and the Tube Drive controls overall distortion. By adjusting your guitar and this pedal you are sure to get all the sounds you need.

Used by numerous professionals this one produces a warm and smooth distortion and also maintains the nuances of your picking technique. With three knobs for volume, tone and drive, it’s rather simple to use. It’s a good bet for those who love to play the blues, rock (classic, puck, hard or soft) as well as some pop and country. And being a Boss you can rely on its durability and mechanism.

If you’re a fan of classic heavy metal of the ’80s, you can recreate the era again with this awesome pedal. Solid as a tank even though it doesn’t look very pretty. But who cares! It’s very easy to use with only four controls and standard input and outputs but you do need to know how to tweak the knobs perfectly to get the exact sound that you’re looking for. It’s good for all kinds of sound from punk to hard rock but heavy metal is its forte. So all you metal heads, do try to get your hand at one of these, although it might be a tad diﬃcult to do so now.

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

emix might very well be his middle name, for it is this knack that has brought DJ Suketu this far. After 15 long years in the trade, several remixed hits to his name and a number of international collaborations to his credit, DJ Suketu is not just another DJ in the block. He plunged headlong into this profession at a time when very few people really knew what disc jockeying was all about. He remixed classic Hindi film hits and brought them back into the popular realm, thus carving a niche for himself in the Bollywood remix circuit. At present every other Hindi film has remixed tracks in the album and most of these tracks bear the DJ Suketu touch. Now as the man releases his fourth international collaboration, we try to figure out how Suketu Radia became DJ Suketu. Excerpts from an interview: HEY, WHAT’S UP AND WHAT’S NEW? What’s new is my international remix release with Flo Rida. So, I’m not just remixing for Bollywood films and music directors any more. Trying to go international and bagging some remixes for international artistes as well and Flo Rida is my fourth. Have done remixes

earlier for Sean Kingston, Tata Young and Iyaz. YEAH, WE HEARD ABOUT THE FLO RIDA TIE-UP. HOW DID THAT WORK OUT? As mentioned this was my fourth tieup with an international artiste. I already had remixed a track for an EMI artist called Iyaz. It’s a track called Replay, which EMI music and the listeners loved. So they suggested Flo Rida and his manager to do the same for Flo Rida’s album called Only One Flo Part 1. They heard the Iyaz remix and said it would be a great idea to do something new like this for his album too. That’s how the whole thing came about and I got a chance to remix Flo Rida’s track Turn Around (5,4,3,2,1). The album released in December 24, last year in Asia and the Middle East. YOU’VE ALSO REMIXED FOR SEAN KINGSTON AND IYAZ. HOW IS IT WORKING IN INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS DIFFERENT FROM WORKING WITH INDIAN COMPOSERS? There is a lot of diﬀerence. Here I remix keeping in mind the music director and the song. When remixing for an international artiste, it’s the artiste, his/her

manager, the producer, the music company and the listeners I have to keep in mind. The music company looks at the sales and airplay point of view. The artiste and manager looks at it in terms of creativity and feel and the album or track producer sees if it’s keeping up with the original and if it’s going with the flow in the whole album. So it becomes slightly difficult to impress all. Plus when you’re dealing with music composers here, you as a DJ and remix artiste know more about the new sounds and feels going on in clubs and parties and internationally than them. So you have a upper hand in that. When it comes to international artistes, they know as much and probably more than what you know. So impressing them and giving them a new sound is more difficult. Also we have to work the other way around when remixing for international artistes. You have to give them a remix with an Indian touch but while remixing for Indian music composers you have to give them full-on international club feel. So it’s fun and interesting working for both. IT SURE MUST BE! SO, A DECADE IN THE TRADE…HOW HAS THE JOURNEY BEEN? (Smiles) Well, actually it’s 15 long years

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

in the trade. The journey has been really exciting and I have gone from “Who is this DJ”, to “It’s this DJ again”, to “Where has this DJ gone” and to “Here is this DJ again”. I like the fact that I have gone through this industry pretty well and did a lot and learnt a lot on the way. Made some great friends in and out of the industry. It’s been a superb ride. LOOKING BACK, YOU ARE ONE OF THE PIONEERS IN THE FIELD IN INDIA, WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO DJ’ING? What got me in to it was total curiosity of the profession and the love for music. When I used to listen to DJ’s perform at college shows, I used to wonder what went in to becoming a good DJ. I took it up as a challenge to see if I had it in me and one thing lead to another and here I am.

YOU HAVE QUITE A FEW COLLEGE DEGREES TO YOUR NAME. ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU’D GET INTO A TYPICAL CAREER? I have been brought up in a business family and have always been taught that education is something that no one can take away from you and will come to use in some way or the other. I studied not just to keep it as a back-up if I did not make it as a DJ, but also to widen my mind and to expand my horizons in the industry. Plus, it’s fun to know that you are the most

highly qualified person in your field. It’s a matter of pride to have finished B Com, M Com 1 and 2 and have a management degree. YOU STARTED OUT WHEN DJ’ING HADN’T REALLY CAUGHT ON IN INDIA. WEREN’T YOU APPREHENSIVE? HOW DID YOUR PARENTS REACT? It’s true that DJ’ing wasn’t a profession that one used to think of taking up when I began. But my parents were always supportive of what I did. Their only condition was that I shouldn’t let my education suffer. I never gave them a chance to complain on that front. Besides I am a person who doesn’t mind trying something new. So I took up DJ’ing. ANY INITIAL HICCUPS OR WAS IT SMOOTH SAILING?

Hiccups, for sure. The first obstacle I faced was to find out the right way to make it in the profession. Normally DJs start playing at clubs and then move on. I was one of those bedroom DJs. I started playing for private parties. People didn’t think I could play at clubs and do proper performances as they thought I was a private party DJ. Another problem I faced was to get someone to teach me the art of DJ’ing and mixing. Unfortunately, there were no courses or classes. I had to learn it on my own by just watching my senior DJ’s or ask my friends and cousins to send me video cassettes and magazines on DJ’ing. There was no internet either. When I took my first course the instructor returned my fees and said that I already knew whatever there is to know. I still went ahead and took the class, because I feel that there’s always something to learn from a senior. But the biggest obstacle was to mentally train myself to treat my

console as an office and to keep away from the menaces which come with the profession — smoking, drugs, fights. Also it is very difficult to make it in an industry which itself was unknown at that time.

THAT SO? That’s absolutely correct even though, I have other credentials to my name. Bollywood remixing has got me to another level.

SO, WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALISE THAT YOUR DECISION HAD PAID OFF? I think the ﬁrst DJ competition that I won in 2000 was when I knew that this was it and that this is the breakthrough and chance I was waiting for. After the DMC in 2000 people knew that there is a DJ Suketu and that he is damn good.

WHAT’S IT THAT YOU INTEND TO DO WHEN YOU SET ABOUT REMIXING AN OLD BOLLYWOOD SONG? HOW DO YOU PICK A SONG AND HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IT? I pick an old melody if I like it. That is the most important criteria. If I don’t like the track I may not be able to remix it well. And while I’m remixing it I keep in mind not to spoil the original song and keep my remix simple and groovy. The more you add on to the remix, the more it gets spoilt. Any of the previous remix hits you hear of are groovy, dancy and simple. A good groove, a good base line and a nice lead synth, that’s all.

IF WE ASK YOU TO LOOK BACK AND TELL US ABOUT THE SCENE THEN AND NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE TO SAY? Well, there are three main diﬀerences that I ﬁnd in the industry. Back then when you told someone that you are a DJ, they used to look at you as if to say “Get a life

h Dj Suketu is a post graduate from S.P. Jain Institute in Mumbai. h His first remix album was 440 Volts with hits like Pyar zindagi hai and Bombay in my soul. h His most popular remix is Bin tere sanam which won the Best Remix Award at the 2004 MTV IMMIES Award. h His most popular modern day remixes are Woh Lamhe from Zeher, Aadat from Kalyug, Beedi from Omkara, Ya Ali from Gangster et al. h He has also remixed the tracks of films like Awarapan, Race, Kismat Konnection, Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani, Prince etc. man and get serious”. Now when you say you’re a DJ, people actually think “Wow that’s nice”. Secondly, it is the quality of DJs. Earlier DJs or wanna-be DJs, to be precise, didn't know how to mix and how to play properly. Now even the newcomers are fantastic and know their work and music really well. Th ird, it is the music. Bollywood wasn’t such a big part of our party music sets then, like it is now. Now Bollywood is an integral part of any DJ’s sets. YEAH, AND YOU SEEM TO HAVE GAINED POPULARITY BECAUSE OF YOUR BOLLYWOOD REMIXES. ISN’T

BUT CRITICS DO COMPLAIN THAT REMIXES KILL THE ORIGINAL CHARM OF OLD CLASSICS. WHAT’S YOUR REPLY TO THEM? Some bad remix artistes and DJs have spoilt the name of remixing. Because of a handful of bad musicians, all the DJs and producers are facing this criticism. Another reason why people say that, is because of the cheap music videos. The video has got nothing to do with the remixes or the producers and DJs who remixed the song. YOU’VE WORKED WITH MANY BOLLYWOOD COMPOSERS OF LATE.

VIBES MUSIC ON THE RECORD

WHO’S THE MOST FUN WORKING WITH? HOW MUCH FREEDOM DO YOU GET WHILE REMIXING THEIR SONGS? I have worked the most with Pritam and I enjoy working with him. He has given me a free hand every single time. His theory is simple — “I am a composer and I know my work and I do it well. You are a DJ and remix artiste and you know your work well. If you think the remix you have done is new, fresh and will work. I am with you on it.” It is fantastic. That’s one of the reasons most of my remixes with Pritam are always hits. OKAY. SO, WHAT ARE THE MUSICAL INFLUENCES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR REMIXES? I have been very much inﬂuenced by House music a lot. My remixes also show that. I love House music and I try to remix my tracks in a similar fashion. BUT IS THE INDIAN HOUSE SCENE AS GOOD AS THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE? The Indian House scene is really good and it’s getting better. Thanks to Nikhil

Chinappa and his company Submerge which started the music festival, Sunburn. It’s growing and it’s nice to know that people are getting educated on House music and starting to enjoy it. But the scene is obviously not as big as the international scene, but the way things are going it will get there soon. DJs like Paul Van Dyke, Roger Sanchez and Armin Van Burren are making repeated visits to India to perform. I’m sure they have understood the house music scene in India and that’s why they keep coming back. APART FROM YOUR INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, YOU’VE ALSO WORKED WITH WORLD RENOWNED SARANGI PLAYER USTAD SULTAN KHAN. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH A CLASSICAL EXPONENT? It’s always fun to work with a music maestro like Ustad Sultan Khan sahab. You get to learn a lot about music. People like him are on a level of music that I cannot even dream of reaching. And probably can’t. His input and interest shown in remixing his track was excellent.

I really didn’t expect it at all. He was very open minded and took in what I had to oﬀer him and exposed me to his views of what the remix should sound like. WHERE DO YOU ENJOY PERFORMING THE MOST AND WHY? In India I like performing in Delhi the most. I like it cause the clubs are bigger and there is not really an early time line to shut down. This gives a DJ, especially me, a good amount of time to perform and play my music properly and space it out. Else, if I have a time line to meet, I have to cut in to one song to the other real quickly and play real fast. I would like to play everything at the right time and make my performance a journey for the crowd. FINALLY, IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE PERSONAL FAVOURITE OUT OF YOUR SEVERAL REMIXES, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? According to me, my best work is Pyar zindagi hai which is my ﬁrst release from my album 440 Volts.

to e b i r c s Sub ANY TOURS IN THE NORTHEAST? There are two shows for October – one in Guwahati and another in Shillong. But nothing is conﬁrmed yet.

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VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

eeting rock stars is cool enough and when you get to jam with them in their own den, you feel like you’ve arrived. It felt the same when I met the band members of Lounge Piranha, the 3-piece post-rock band from Bangalore at their jam room. Abhijeet

Tambe and George Mathen were the interviewees for the day while Kamal Singh skipped the talk but did keep us company with his guitar playing all throughout. The band needs no introduction to all those who know their music but for the uninitiated few let me tell you that these boys have been around for the last ﬁve

years and that’s quite a mean feat in this ﬁckle music industry of today. What works for them and their fans is the fact that Lounge Piranha is not just about one sound…they have experimented with unusual instruments like didgeridoos and djembes and have branched out into newer sound and spaces every time. Their debut

YOU SEEM TO HAVE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT INFLUENCES. BUT WHEN YOU MET DID YOU CONNECT OVER ANY PARTICULAR BAND? Abhijeet: Our common friend was being kind of hands-oﬀ about the whole thing. So I was told that George is like a “metalfellow”. But I was desperate to play with a drummer. So I thought, “Alright! I’ll do it.” And I walked… carrying my guitar, amp, and all that, over to this guy’s (George’s) place. I didn’t know what’s going to happen. We just had a guitar and drums. And I think George was also under the impression that I might be from a diﬀerent kind of musical thing or I don’t know what. But when we started playing I don’t think we were thinking about that…it was just a good jam.

BUT DIDN’T ANY OF YOU EVER HAVE A PARTICULAR SOUND THAT YOU AIMED TO GET FROM THE MUSIC YOU MAKE? NOBODY EVER SAID, “YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS SHOULD BE DARKER OR HEAVIER?” Abhijeet: That kind of discussion never happened! No. We didn’t talk about it. I think Lounge Piranha, for the most part, turned out to be a surprise. No one came with too many expectations, or like, with an idea to form a band that’s going to sound like this or that. It started happening and it was like, “Oh, cool!”

PHOTOGRAPHS: PERVEZ RAJAN

album Going Nowhere is an instance of this ever evolving band. My purpose, therefore, was to know more about the sound that is Lounge Piranha. So, here goes: YOUR SOUND IS THE MOST TALKED ABOUT ASPECT OF YOUR BAND. HOW MUCH OF IT WAS DELIBERATELY PLANNED OUT AND HOW MUCH OF IT JUST HAPPENED? George: I think it was just our own individual sounds that we were concentrating on.

THAT’S INTERESTING! MOST BANDS START OUT WITH AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY’D LIKE THEIR SOUND TO BE. George: I think we’re all a few bands old. So it was pretty simple after we started playing. SO, HOW DID YOU TWO MEET? George: Abhi had just reached Bangalore from the US. And I had just reached from Bombay. We met through a common friend who knew that we both were looking to play with somebody. She got us in touch and we started jamming. Bangalore was a new place and we knew a few musicians here but you don’t always strike the right chord with them right away.

THE NAME. HOW DID THE NAME COME ABOUT? Abhi: Rohan (ex-bassist) came up with it. George: Yeah. Kamal found him and brought him to the jam room. Right then we decided, “Ok, ﬁne. This band’s happening.” Then we had a big session to pick out the band name. Finally, everybody decided that ‘lounge’ sounds nice. But we had something else instead of ‘piranha’ originally. Then we mixed and matched until we settled on our name. TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW BASSIST. IS SHE A GUEST ARTISTE? George: Shalini is our bassist. She doesn’t jam with us as much, so in that way she is a guest artiste. She just prefers to play songs from our album (Going Nowhere). So far, there’s no bass on the new album. REALLY? ARE ALL YOUR NEW SONGS WITHOUT BASS? George: So far, yes. We’re going to see how this works out. Abhjeet: If we record in the next two months it will be without bass. We’re goingto see if we need a bass. If it’s not working without a bass, we’ll add that in. WHAT HAS BEEN THE CHANGE IN YOUR SOUND FROM THE OLD ALBUM TO THE NEW SONGS? Abhijeet: No bass. (Laughs) George: We don’t know. You tell us. We don’t like to analyse too much because we

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

PHOTOGRAPHS: PERVEZ RAJAN

don’t want to lose focus on playing. I’ve been asked these questions before…twisted questions like inﬂuences, etc. I don’t want to get into that, you know? I MEAN HAS IT GOT HEAVIER, DARKER, ETC.? LOUNGE PIRANHA SONGS USUALLY HAVE DARK THEMES. I’VE ONLY HEARD ONE MELLOW SONG… EBB. George: It’s faster. It’s louder. I don’t know if it’s darker. Abhijeet: It’s tough to say because it’s still coming together. The lyrics are not completed. I’m still making changes to them. Because there are inﬂuences, like Rohan’s exit and some other life experiences, perspective changes. So I can’t say for sure about the lyrics. We’ll see after recording. I might be able to say more then. HOW DID THE FUSION/ EXPERIMENTAL PART OF YOUR SOUND COME ABOUT? LIKE USING THE DIDGERIDOO? Abhijeet: (Laughs) Pervez Rajan is a friend. We met him through George. He’d gone to Borneo on a holiday and he came back with this instrument. He hangs out with us so one day he was there and he started playing that thing and we were jamming. I’M JUST TRYING TO PICK INTO THE NEXT ALBUM AS MUCH AS I CAN. DO YOU HAVE MORE OF PERVEZ THERE?

Abhijeet: I think there will be more of him, yeah. He’s already playing other instruments. SO HAS THE SOUND COMPLETELY CHANGED, NOW THAT YOU’RE MAKING MUSIC WITHOUT ROHAN? Abhijeet: Of course it’s different. This is a little personal, actually, and a little emotional too. George: On some level the new set is like a rebellion against this. Abhijeet: Balls to bass! (Laughs) I think that’s what we should name the new album! George: Yeah! I THINK IT’S HARD TO FIND SOMEBODY YOU LIKE AGAIN AND SOMEBODY YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH… George: Yeah, fuck it. Abhijeet: The problem is just that. Everything happens in a flow with us. We don’t plan things like this. YOU ABHIJEET AND KAMAL WRITE THE SONGS FOR THE BAND? Abhijeet: Yeah, we do write the lyrics. But the rest is all done when we jam. It just happens. And it happens in different ways each time. Sometimes we write some form of a song directly but many times we just come into the jam room and jam. I think every time we meet we just jam.

George: Every time there is a song, it’s a surprise to me! Suddenly somebody pulls out a note book and starts singing out. I always wonder, “Was this planned?!” (Everybody laughs) WHAT WAS THE ONE THING THAT YOU GUYS LEARNED OR GAINED SINCE YOU STARTED JAMMING? George: Hmmm… I’m just striking oﬀ things here. Financially, not much help. Can’t really say it’s what gets you women, either. (Laughs) IT COULD BE ANYTHING… NOT NECESSARILY MONEY OR WOMEN. George: Personally, I get something knowing that this band exists and that we can play. And this is something that all of us have together. It’s not just me… Abhijeet: Well… I agree. It’s a cool thing. I think it’s like the “best thing” in the last many years. Being in a band with your friends is a great feeling. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE MUSIC SCENE AT SHILLONG? Abhijeet: I’ve heard so much about Shillong that it makes me want to go there! SO ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO PLAY IN THE NORTHEAST SOMETIME SOON? George: Yeah! We do! Call us! Abhijeet: We want to play in so many places, actually. I also have friends who have gone to the Northeast and I’ve heard so many stories. Now it feels like it’s just someplace really close to home!

VIBES MUSIC ON DEMAND

HOT ARTISTES TO WATCH OUT FOR KROASHIA

DOSSER’S URGE Genre: Punk/ Alternative/ Indie

Genre: Hardcore/Punk What’s great about a band like Kroashia is that, while they are not reinventing the wheel, they have found a way to play punk / hardcore with a sense of danger lying just beneath the surface. Fascinating, bright and sincere hardcore punk which avoids the ambush of backing itself into a spot of lame sub-classiﬁcation. In places this reminds me of Pink, in others early 4 non-blondes and yet it stands on its own. Distinctive and contemporary. They’re a lullaby that gives you a hug, holds you ﬁrm and suddenly pushes you to a peaceful dreamland. Link: http://www.soundclick.com/kroashia

Rarely does a pop / punk / alternative / Indie band turn into something as ambitious as Shillong based Dosser’s Urge. The bio written by the band (written well, I might add) says, “Rock and Roll is freedom. It is a gift from God itself. The best that has ever happened to mankind.” For a good sample of their music, try Stale Style. That pretty much says it about this group. But don’t you even think that you’ll understand them because you only get to see or hear the surface. There is some depth here that will only become apparent with time. They need a good producer and that in today’s world is really not that hard to ﬁnd. Link: http://www.reverbnation.com/dossersurge Photo Credits: Dipayan Bhattacharjee

DEVOID OF DREAMS Genre: Groove Metal “Rupanka and Nripanka started the group as an outlet to explore new facets of their musical tastes, but with the addition of guitarist Debashish and me, a much more developed sound emerged,” says Gobinda, drummer of Guwahati based groove-metal band Devoid of Dreams. Rupanka added, “This is our life to us. If you can’t aﬀord to access our songs, burn it from a friend. Music deserves to be heard. And our songs, as powerful as we’ve attempted to make it, needs to be shared with the world. We love our fans, and there’s nothing we wouldn’t try and do for them.” I like the declaration / theme idea. Speaks volumes about the band’s demeanour. Link: http://www.reverbnation.com/devoidofdreams WORDS: JAI

VIBES MUSIC ON THEARTISTES RECORD VARIOUS

TO IHAD    

ayonee might be his claim to fame but Salman Ahmad’s journey as a musician doesn’t really begin or end at commercial success. Renowned for being the first rock ‘n’ roll star to bridge the divide between the Muslim world and the west, Salman has seen and done it all in his illustrious career. He stormed the rock scene in the sub continent with his band Junoon, which became the U2 of Asia with their sufi-rock music which broke boundaries as well as musical records. Salman, incidentally, is also trained as a medical doctor and he now teaches Muslim Music and Poetry at the City University of New York’s Queen’s College. His musical journey, though, has been marred by several conflicts and ideological clashes with fundamentalist thinkers and rulers of Pakistan. Nonetheless, he has valiantly fought angry mullahs and oppressive dictators with his one true weapon — his music. And now after all these years of spreading peace through his musical strains, Salman Ahmad has penned down his life’s journey in a book titled Rock and Roll Jihad. So, here’s the low-key peace lover talking about all that has gone into his music and his eventful life. YOU ALMOST DISAPPEARED. WHERE WAS SALMAN AHMAD ALL THIS WHILE?

I’ve been a wandering soul all my life and have been listening to the whisper in my heart to see where it wants me to go next. BUT WHAT KEPT YOU BUSY? Lots. I’ve been off the radar in India because the last few years I focussed on writing Rock & Roll Jihad. I’ve been performing and recording with artistes like Melissa Etheridge, Wyclef Jean and most recently I’ve been recording Open Your Eyes with Peter Gabriel. I also presented two films for the BBC and PBS — Rockstar and the Mullahs and It’s my Country too. YOU ARE A THROUGH AND THROUGH MUSICIAN. SO WHY WRITE A BOOK AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT? All my life I’ve seen the power of music guide me through a roller coaster ride of passion, drama and adventure. Rock and Roll Jihad tells a story of following your dreams and never giving up in the face of adversity. I’m hoping that my Indian fans will be inspired by RRJ to go on their own journey of self-discovery and finding their true passion. AND WHAT ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL PURSUITS, NOW? I’m recording a brand new album

which will come out in 2011 and which will feature new Junoon songs, enveloping all my eastern and western inﬂuences and will have some surprise special guests as well. Peter Gabriel was in New York recently and he has asked me to record an album on his Real World Music label. This is a huge opportunity and I’m pretty excited. AND JUNOON — IS IT STILL PERFORMING AS A BAND? Yes indeed, we will be touring in 2011. Plus I’ve released a best of Junoon CD along with my book since I wrote 95 per cent of Junoon’s material, including Sayonee, Khudi and Yaar Bina. HOW COME YOU AND YOUR BAND NEVER SEEMED TO CRAVE FOR FAME? Music itself is a gift from the universe and I feel humbled that I’ve been able to pursue an art form which has changed my life. Fame is transient but music remains for ever. YOUR PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS HAVE TAKEN YOU AND YOUR MUSIC ALL OVER…

Yeah! Over the past 10 years I’ve been performing regularly in North America and Europe with some amazing musicians (Samir Chatterjee, Sunny Jain, John Alec and Yale Strom). The most memorable concert was the concert in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony last year at the UN General Assembly. And, as I have written in the last chapter of my book, Junoon had performed an unforgettable concert in Srinagar in 2008 which showed me a powerful glimpse of the magic of music in helping heal hearts. WHAT WAS THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE CONCERT LIKE? It was awesome and uplifting. I met Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Uma Thurman and Melissa Etheridge (who has also written the intro to his book). It was great to be in the company of so many artistes who are socially conscious of their planet and share a common vision of pluralism, tolerance and musical excellence. In Oslo I also met and became friends with Nobel Peace prize winners Dr. Pachauri and former US vice president Al Gore.

“Politics demonises what culture humanises. For a start we need to stop demonising ‘the other’ and see with the heart. When you see with the heart all the masks fall down”

WORLD PEACE SEEMS TO BE A DISTANT DREAM. HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN GET THERE? Politics demonises what culture humanises. For a start we need to stop demonising “the other” and see with the heart. When you see with the heart all the masks fall down. YOU SEEM TO BE FIGHTING FOR A NOBLE CAUSE. WHY THEN ARE

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRIS RAMIREZ

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

YOU TAGGED AS ‘POLITICALLY INCORRECT’? I try to speak from my heart but sometimes the language of my heart is too hot to handle for the world. A MUSICIAN, DOCTOR, TEACHER, PHILANTHROPIST AND NOW A WRITER. WHICH ONE OF THESE ATTRIBUTES DO YOU FEEL CLOSER TO AND WHY? All of them together, in unity. We are all multi-dimensional people. Each individual strand of my personality strengthens the whole. There is no need to divide myself. YOU HAVE STARTED AN ORGANISATION WITH YOUR WIFE,

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRIS RAMIREZ

ROCK AND ROLL JIHAD: A REVIEW

musician’s autobiography would mostly talk about music. Or so I thought, until I read Salman Ahmad’s Rock and Roll Jihad. Not that there isn’t anything about it. After all Salman Ahmad is quintessentially a passionate musician. But what really strikes one about the book is the story behind the music, the man behind the musician and the history behind Salman Ahmad’s journey of musical jihad. We are what we are because of our surroundings. That’s exactly what happened with Salman Ahmad too. As a child Salman travelled with his family to different continents, savouring the similarity that he could perceive amidst people who are culturally different. As a child, living in Lahore with his grandparents, he saw the real Pakistan, which is not a country of fundamentalists or violence mongers, as it is perceived to be. As a teenager growing up in America, he came across his calling—music. And as a young man growing up in the violence ridden streets of Lahore and Karachi during General Zia’s regime, Salman realised the potential of his music. Music that could unite, music that could be the voice of a disturbed nation, music that could reflect what his countrymen really wanted. Through this book Salman not only narrates his story but also provides an inspiration to you and me to go out and do something about the wrongs that inflict our society. To not merely crib and criticise but to go on our own personal jihad against all that’s maligning our lives and our world. The book may not be a literary masterpiece (and I don’t think the author intended it to be, either) but the story and the struggle in it is reason enough for you to pick up a copy and celebrate the life of this humanitarian.

THE SALMAN AND SAMINA GLOBAL WELLNESS INITIATIVE. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE? It’s a charity organisation which promotes cross cultural dialogue through arts and culture and helps people and nations in distress. Art and culture is mightier than the sword and is the most powerful weapon against ignorance and extremism. That’s what SSGW aims at. AN ANGRY MOB OF RELIGIOUS

“I try to speak from my heart but sometimes the language of my heart is too hot to handle for the world”

FANATICS ONCE BROKE YOUR LES PAUL GUITAR ON STAGE IN LAHORE. IS THAT INCIDENT SOMEWHAT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR POLITICALLY-INCLINED MUSICAL IDEOLOGY? Sometimes suﬀering is necessary to uncover your true self. That incident and several others guided me to my real journey of self discovery. WORDS: BIDISHA SINGHA

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

TOP OF THE TOPS Now that we have very well wrapped up the year, it’s time to figure out the best releases of 2010. So here’s a lowdown on who scored and who didn’t at the regional and national stage

REGIONAL RELEASES LUCID RECESS - Engraved Invitation Solid hooks, crunchy vocal lines, gritty grooves and the underlying warmth of superbly-written songs that once in a while seem more like poetry, Engraved Invitation was undoubtedly one of THE releases that made the region proud. As Marilyn Manson would have said it, ‘This is the new shit, dudes!’ MAGDALENE - Magdalene What I truly appreciate about this album is its honesty. No overproduction, the use of live drums and the charm of perfectly arranged instrumentation – that’s what this is all about. DIGITAL SUICIDE - Demo Demo just had everything. Probably the best songwriting I’ve come across in years. I don’t want to spoil the plot here. In case you don’t have it, get a copy of the album now.

SILVER TEARS - Dirt Beyond Beauty (E.P.) It is records like these that make you want to fall in love with music all over again. Brilliant compositions, highﬂying vocal lines and mind-warping production nestle this album as one of the best records of the year. ABIOGENESIS - Slice of Heaven Although it takes repeated listens for the songs to really sink in Slice of Heaven showcases Abiogenesis cutting loose and having fun at the same time. It is the sound of a band on a feral artistic binge; sometimes arcane, perpetually bravura. SHADES OF RETRIBUTION - Xongraam Old school metal at its best, Xongram helped re-shape the way my generation looks at the most confrontational genre on the planet. To hell with the technicality - it’s the feel that counts. They’ve risen to the top with an element - and that element is soon going to be hard to tame.

DHRITIMAN DEORI - Mon Akax Mon Akax is the attempt of an artiste bringing back the muscle of modern folk and semiclassical strains and delivering it with the mellowest of chimes. Packed with incredible lyrical content and solid delivery, this is signature Dhritiman Deori showcasing the best of his abilities. ANGARAAG PAPON MAHANTA - Sinaki Osinaki Sinaki Osinaki is the sound to the newage Northeastern heartbeat. Although a little less versatile in comparison to his last eﬀort Jonaki Raati, Sinaki Osinaki is an album sandwiched between folkexperimentation and pop-grooves. ALOBO NAGA - Road of a Thousand Dreams Production – Check! Songwriting – Check! Delivery – Check! Vocal prowess – Check! Composition – Check! Reason why you should buy this album and not waste time asking me why I wrote the review this way – Check!

LWIHWR PROJECT - Various Artists Lwihwr Project diff uses with its scathing wit and felicity on lyrics. The words flow sharp and silky as the lyrics lampoon with the subject of the songs. The band portrays its instrumentation in the song effortlessly clean and powerful. Extremely sinister and clearly mature.

VIBES MUSIC VARIOUS ARTISTES

INDIAN OCEAN - 16/330 Khajoor Road

INDIAN RELEASES ADAM AND THE FISH EYED POETS Snakeism This record’s general majesty has a lot to do with multipersonality frontman Kishore Krishna’s voice, which hits every pitch with equal clarity and objective of tone. Good thing, too, since Snakeism is an especially vocal-heavy record. He backs himself like a ghost, ﬁlls in non-verbal gaps and repeats sentiments like mantras. SCRIBE - Mark of Teja What Mark of Teja is to Scribe is essentially what The Black Album is to Metallica. A mindboggling record on its own this album changed the way the entire world looked at the Indian metal scene. CASSINI’S DIVISION - Ringside View Cassini’s Division has the ability to create soaring harmonies and song-structures that have the ability to transport you to places. And Ringside View resembles this ability of theirs in the best of its form. SLAIN - Here & Beyond There’s nothing new in this album but that was never the benchmark, was it? This is power-metal revival at its best. They’re doing what nobody else in the scene is doing today and that is what earns them this slot. Way to go guys!

16/330 Khajoor Road is Indian Ocean’s step into the new generation — a complete fusion rock kick in the nuts — it’s an exemplary piece of work showcasing how the fathers of Indian rock and fusion have time and again pushed the boundaries of Indian music and art. SHAA’IR N FUNC - Mantis At turns brooding and hyper, Mantis is a very fascinating hour of sound. Mantis is nothing short of extraordinary; it’s S & F’s moment of clarity where everyone had to stop and take notice and be blessed by its charisma because in the most honest of terms, this is a masterpiece. AMOGH SYMPHONY - The Quantum Hack Code For a change, this album despite the futuristic theme backing it doesn’t follow ‘Djent’ sensibilities. Vishal J Singh espouses the rawest of approach with regards to both guitar tone and mastering and gives us a barefaced exhibit of genius and technical dexterity.

UNDYING INC. - Aggressive World Dynasty If you want a metal album that will really warp your mind, you’ve come to the right place. This is Indian scene’s best album to date. An album that deﬁed every trend in metal and broke new ground. Yes, we’ve come a long way! Now deal with it.

BAREFACED LIAR - Waves It’s been a while since I’ve come across an album that doesn’t pose to be diverse and it’s also a welcome change that it doesn’t pretend to be a wide array of genres forced into a single serving dish. This is candid alternative rock with the sensibilities of pop and pogressive music bleeding through the mesmerising production. ZYGNEMA - Born of Unity Zygnema’s debut album is loosely themed around the 26/11 Mumbai Terror attacks. This is a relevant record because it was released when no other band in India was pushing any boundaries and here were four guys from Mumbai who were steadily re-shaping the metal canvas in the country. WORDS: KAUSHIK BARUA

VIBES MUSIC TRACK RECORD

Imagine by John Lennon

t reached number three in the U.S. Billboard charts, and number six in the United Kingdom. In 2004, Rolling Stone voted this song as the third greatest song of all time.

Crying by Roy Orbison

rying Songfacts maintains that Orbison wrote this song when he ran into an ex whom he still loved. However, he refused to say how much she meant to him. The song was released as a 45rpm single in July 1961 and went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin

eleased in late 1971, it was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band’s untitled fourth studio album. Often considered one of the greatest rock songs of all-time, it was voted No 3 in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs.

TOP 10 DANCE / CLUB PLAY SONGS One hot pleasure - Stone Sour One hot pleasure - Erika Jayne Firework - Katy Perry You haven't seen the last of me - Cher Tonight (I'm Lovin' You) - Enrique Iglesias The time (Dirty Bit) - The Black Eyed Peas Who’s that chick? - David Guetta featuring Rihanna

Hey sexy lady - iSquare Louder (Put Your Hands Up) - Chris Willis Miami 2 Ibiza - Swedish House Maﬁa v/s Tinie Tempah Loca - Shakira Featuring Dizzee Rascal

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel t is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel’s final album together. This song’s recording process exposed many of the underlying tensions that eventually led to the breakup of the duo. Rolling Stone named it number 47 on The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley he song was based on Plaisir d’Amour, and featured in Presley’s album Blue Hawaii, which was adapted for inclusion in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii. During the following four decades, it went on to be covered by numerous artistes, most notably by the British reggae group UB40, whose 1993 version topped the U.S. and UK charts.

Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton t is a ballad about the pain Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son. This song is one of Clapton’s most successful, reaching No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U S. The song was initially featured on the soundtrack to the film Rush, and it won three Grammy awards in 1993.

All I Have to Do Is Dream by Everly Brothers t is a popular song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by the legendary husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. In 2010, the song was used in the trailer and the end credits of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The use of the song is ironic, because Freddy is able to kill the protagonists by entering their dreams.

TOP 10 COUNTRY SONGS Felt good on my lips - Tim McGraw My kinda party - Jason Aldean Mama’s song - Carrie Underwood Somewhere with you - Kenny Chesney Put you in a song - Keith Urban The breath you take - George Strait The man I want to be - Chris Young Turn on the radio - Reba Why wait - Rascal Flatts Someone else calling you baby - Luke Bryan Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan t is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. The song describes the feelings and impressions of a dying deputy, who can no longer continue his role as a law enforcer. Over the years Dylan has changed the lyrics, as have others who have performed this song.

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd his is the title track on Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here. The song’s lyrics encompass writer Roger Waters’ feelings of alienation from other people. Its lyrics, written by Roger Waters, concerned the music industry, and questioned the market-oriented record companies’ lack of understanding and interest for musicians.

Let It Be by Beatles ritten by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon/ McCartney it was the final single released by The Beatles before McCartney announced his departure from the band. The song is number three in the 100 Best Beatles Songs list.

VIBES MIX

tears and how! But who doesn’t like to shed a drop of tear at the misfortunes of star crossed lovers or at the climactic reunion of the two? While we don’t want you to get all weepy and soppy on this most romantic month of the year, we do wish to tell you how you can make this Valentine month all the more mushy and lovey-dovey. Simply grab a DVD of any of these blockbusters and you won’t need any scented candles or heart shaped balloons to ignite the passion. When you think love on the Hollywood celluloid, Gone with the Wind comes to your mind instantaneously. With the American Civil War as backdrop the ﬁ lm, which ran over three and a half hours, is still regarded as one of the best that Hollywood has ever produced. In fact, every actor in the western hemisphere has claimed to adore Gone with the Wind for a multitude of reasons. There’s love, separation, betrayal, war and the intensity between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler has to be seen to be believed. You are sucked into this weird passionate love aﬀ air and you can’t help but rejoice as love rises above all and wins in the end.

GONE WITH THE WIND

lassic love stories are almost immediately labeled as “chick ﬂ icks”. And no, we’re not talking about crass tales like I Hate Luv Storys and their irks. We’re talking real love stories ﬁ lled with passion, love, deceit, betrayal and

encompassed with intensity. While our own industry believes in making love stories replete with chiﬀon saris and red balloons and with lovers atop the Swiss Alps, Hollywood classics tend to be of epic proportions. Hollywood loves to add a rather dismal background to their ‘romantic’ ﬁ lms which eventually means

In the more recent past when Patrick Swayze became Hollywood’s heartthrob, the Oscar winning ﬁ lm Ghost raised the bar when it came to tales of love. Despite being brutally murdered during a botched mugging, Swayze’s character lives on as a ghost only to be with the woman he loves. It was the sheer idea of love living on beyond death. And what will probably

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

strike you most about the ﬁ lm is that one raunchy scene where Demi Moore and her ghostly paramour make passionate love after a pottery session. Th is scene has in fact been voted as the most romantic ﬁ lm moment of all time.

GHOST

Most love stories occur in exotic locales. And what is more romantic than Rome? The very beautiful Audrey Hepburn meets love in this Italian city in Roman Holiday. A fi lm which houses a tad bit of royalty and a hunky American expat (Gregory Peck) thrown together in the city which itself becomes a milieu for the love story, that despite all the romance, ends in separation. Segments and scenes from the fi lm have been modernised and worked into many Hollywood (and Bollywood) fi lms but it is the romance that has many reaching for their hankies.

While watching The Bridges of Madison County, audiences claim they had never seen a love much like it. The best of the best ala Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep play a couple who come together in an illicit relationship courtesy of their loneliness. What they ﬁ nd is passion and love like never seen before. It is rare to ﬁ nd a novel being portrayed perfectly on celluloid but The Bridges of Madison County is surely an exception. Beautifully depicted, the climax has you wailing as the couple call it quits and return to their forlorn lives.

Tom Hanks is hardly the most romantic hero in Hollywood. But with Sleepless in Seattle, the actor took on the romantic hero title and scored. With the help of his young son in the fi lm, Hanks is set up on a date with Meg Ryan. Incidentally, the fi lm is inspired greatly from a wellknown old-school love story, An Aff air to Remember. Many scenes were clearly drawn from the Cary Grant classic and in fact, in one crucial scene, the classic is seen playing on a television screen in the background.

time. Heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet steamed up more than just the car in the ﬁ lm. They managed to create history with their love story which, though, was short-lived. In true Bollywood style, it is a story of rich meets poor only to reinstate that class and money are no bar in love. The duo became the most admired romantic couple of the decade and love was never the same again. So, people! Whatever you wish to call it — love, amore, romance, ishq — ultimately it exists in all the nooks and crannies of our being. You simply have to ﬁ nd it and maybe someday your love story could be on celluloid.

In more modern times, Titanic is regarded as one of the most love-ﬁ lled ﬁ lms of all

VIBES MIX

It’s that time of the year again. Heart shaped balloons, mushy greeting cards, scented candles reverberate the surroundings. Yes, love is in the air. But do you know what love really is? It has been defined and explored in many an emotional way by several thinkers and philosophers. But has it been ever defined scientifically? Guess, No! So let’s get the students of Girijananda Institute of Management and Technology to give us a technical insight into this universal phenomenon

HIRAKJYOTI – I’m going the Einstein way, “Everything on earth falls due to the gravitational force”. But people don’t fall in love because of gravity. It’s only by looking at someone’s eyes that you can say you’re in love. Normally we can see ourselves in the other person’s eyeballs, but when two people can’t look into each other’s eye…that’s love!

ANGSHUMAN – Our body has got a balance. Every part has got its own area of expertise. Now if that balance is distorted, you are in love! It is then that most of the pressure comes to your heart and your brain starts working like it had never worked before. It starts thinking things which it had never thought before. The whole system is distorted. Love comes in one side of the equation and the equation is never balanced. MD JAMAL – Love is nothing but the resonance of the brain waves in the human mind. Suppose two people are acquainted and both of them keep thinking about each other, then according to quantum mechanics, their brain waves will merge. And they will resonate at the highest amplitude. Scientiﬁcally, this is the deﬁnition of love.

JYOTSNA – Love cannot be explained mechanically. Love is about emotions. If I am happy when he’s happy and if his troubles make me worry, that implies I am in love. And there’s no extent to it

NEELAM – Love is all about understanding. When you start caring about a person’s happiness, sadness, his problems then it’s quite evident that you’re in love with that person. Those are the two most important factors – caring and understanding. Nothing scientiﬁc about it.

RANJITA – Love is something that comes from the heart. When you spend some time with a person and you know that you can stay with him forever, you know he’s your MR RIGHT!

SAURAV – If my brain is the CPU, inside it is the RAM which is the permanent memory. So when a girl is stored in your RAM, it’s saved and gets stored to a document or drive. Even if the computer gets an illegal shutdown, it doesn’t get deleted. This happens in case of true love. When it’s just attraction, the girl gets saved in the read-only memory. When you insert it you ﬁnd it and when it’s oﬀ, it’s gone!

ANKIT  Realising that you are in love takes time, it doesn’t happen instantly. You’ll have to wait and wait until nobody else comes to your mind. When you are steady with your thoughts about the same person for a long period of time, I believe that’s it! You get attracted to many people but you fall in love with one person at a time.

VIBES MIX

Can emotions be valued by gifts or money? RJ Hansie ponders

all it hype created by movies and serials or plain commercialisation of emotions by card companies but days do matter. Have you ever wondered what would card companies do without Valentine’s Day or for the matter any other day that’s popular among the young janata? Why would Sooraj Barjatya include a saccharine sweet 25 minute Valentine’s Day sequence in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon? It only goes to show the popularity that certain special days have among the young guns. A year consisting of 365 days falls short when it comes to celebrating celebrations. There was a time when Children’s Day and Teacher’s Day were celebrated with pomp and gaiety. But today there are

days designated to seek out the techie, the doctor, pet, spouse, dentist, the-ex and many more than my small brain can recall apart from Ma, Papa, Grandpa, Grandma, lover etc. With Valentine’s Day taking the lead among all the important days with pubs, shopping malls, multiplexes and cafes overflowing on to the streets, it becomes all the more imperative for me to find someone whom I could greet with my emotions inscribed in a card (even if I didn’t have anyone to express it to). Is it the deep rooted emotions or is it the ever inciting cards, flowers, jewellery and perfumes that tempt us to gift these to our loved ones? One may think this to be an indication of the growing commercialisation of emotions but for a generation like us obsessed with brand culture one has to observe these days without fail. And in case we forget to emote at the right time there are still the ‘SMILEYS’ left to do the job, simply ‘copypaste’ one that goes according to your mood and the opposite person immediately recognises the state you are harbouring. In a period of rapid commercialisation

there is nothing that isn’t marketed and sold well — right from shit swiping toilet paper to the clip that keeps your bun in place, everything is designed to tally your emotions. We emote emotions, we vomit emotions. The range of emotions we experience is both a beautiful gift as well as a responsibility since every emotion has the potential to help us become intimate with ourselves and others. The long running number of advertisements that irritate us in between the emotionally rich soaps and ﬁlms on television are carefully crafted to sensitise our emotions so that we emote accordingly and end up buying the product. We are complex paradoxical beings and we experience a multitude of emotions. Our diverse emotions are up for sale and the companies are buying them by selling us their products. So next time you can’t express you emotions in words, grab a greeting card and express yourself in other’s words and that I believe should be okay for the time being.

VIBES CORNER

usic café’s are a craze in the entire Northeast and every major city boasts of a fair share of these youth hangouts. Kohima is not to be left behind as it is home to the very popular Dream Café. A place which sees a number of locals and tourists on any given day, Dream Café is a dream-come-true for the Kohima crowd as well as the local musicians. The place is tastefully done up with paintings, country ﬂags and other unique artifacts. With a crowd capacity of 30 people at a time, Dream Café mostly plays host to the young revellers of this sleepy town. Open since May, 2003 this place also organises talks, art exhibitions, photo exhibition and music events. The food served is typical fast food grubs like pizzas, noodles, tea, coﬀee et al. And the pricing is pretty reasonable. So there’s nothing much you can complain about.

What really works for a place like this is its attitude — the attitude to welcome everyone interested in hanging out and sharing a cuppa coﬀee over some awesome music and some great conversations. “The main intention is to create a great hang out for local youths, promote music and the arts and inspire a generation to dream beyond the present situation,” says Theja Meru, the owner of this little oasis in Kohima. So, if you’re planning to visit Kohima, make sure to not miss out on this quaint little dream of a café.

Drop in at DREAM CAFE Ser’s Bazaar TCP Gate Kohima - 797001 Nagaland

ILLUSTRATION: KAMAL

hen you think of a feminist you think of the bra-burning myth (on an anachronistic note, was Jennifer Aniston in F.R.I.E.N.D.S a pronounced feminist because that’s what I understood from eyeing her tops through those ten seasons) or some French lesbian or someone with cropped hair. Anyways whatever the image, for me, it has been my girlfriend. So, how has been my life since I moved in with her? Pretty, pretty! For the fear of subverting her economic independence, I don’t pay for meals at restaurants. That has evolved me as a feminist sympathiser in her eyes and has mathematically been beneficial to my bank-balance without the subtractions. Another heart-touching thing I do for her cause — I never offer her a seat in the subway even if she’s standing braving elbow-blows and shoulder-pushes, lest I offend her strength. It does affect my sense of chivalry, though; I mean I’m not a caveman with retarded social graces. But I’m too clever to fall prey to my own guilt at seeing a lady standing in a crowded subway. I don’t want to be lectured on different theoretical interpretations of my mis-actions when I reach home. And at the same time do I support her hypocritical stance on parliament reservations? Yes, of course I do! Back home who does the dishwashing and cooking? Let’s see, since feminism has become more of a role-playing game for me, I do the dishes and chop the veggies and fry the dishes. Do I feel emasculated as I’m not obligated to earn and feed her? Of course not! As long as she lets me write and doesn’t throw my laptop out of the window, I really don’t care… KAI AO

he hates intervention but nobody got that. Years of badgering made her feel asphyxiated, yet she was mum. But, the day her personal space was butchered, her anger knew no limit! She is a newlywed and is happily settled in Pune. She hates being told about having a baby! Well, I mean she is planning to but not immediately! Whatever the reasons, to each couple his own, right? Now the immediate family members, especially her mom and aunt, have been on her case for months, more so after her elder brother became a proud papa. On their recent visit, they would ‘gallantly’ harangue away and she would listen quietly and gently brush the matter. But, the two were on a different track; they went on and on, setting deadlines, giving ridiculous reasons. Patience is not one of her virtues but she maintained her quiet, beyond her super saturation. Then she roared and HOW? Curses from the best in the slang dictionary flew across the room like bullets and fell on whoever was within her reach, including innocent spectators (me and my hubby). Wails followed heated words, old matters were dug out, slap signals were hurled at and the unborn was already a ‘chord’ of unfathomable tension between both parties! After hours of cursing, pails of tears being shed and a lot of matters being taken to the hearts, the three of them calmed down only to welcome a new ‘silent treatment’ that still continues! So, tell me, how is my cousin wrong in wanting to plan her family as per her wish? I quietly support her knowing that I too shall suffer sessions like this that will take over me and will bring out everything in me but the BABY! POOJA

Issues, opinions, questions, conundrums...feel free to raise them all. For whatever boggles you irks us as well. So, e-mail us at bhejafry.vibes@eclectic.co.in and start ranting.

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RNI No. ASSENG/2010/34404