ISSN 0974 – 9128
Vol 05 Issue 05 - August 2012
thescoremag
@highonscore www.highonscore.com
` 50/-
India's Pan-Genre Music MagazinE
Modi Digital’s
BAND OF THE MONTH
LOST STORIES
Contrabass Records signing them AND a new album, EDM duo Lost Stories on why they are really hot property right now
Splash Fashion 365
AMARRASS RECORDS
The label that fights for folk music’s survival
League Of Their Own
Lamb of God The musical journey & why Randy Blythe thinks he should run for President
ARTISTE OF THE MONTH
REVOLVER RITA Diplomatic, Silent and Crazy.
Satyamev Jayate The Music
Ram Sampath and Sona Mohapatra get candid Allegro Fudge, Sridhar & Thayil, Kaav, Indus Creed & more on Indie Reviews
/Spl as h I n d i a
www. spl a s h f a s h i on s. c om
BANGALORE: Emporium Davanam, Next to Cauvery Emporium, M.G. Road., Ph. No: 25597335-37; CHENNAI: Lifestyle, Express Avenue, Whites Road, Royapettah Ph. No: 28464748; HYDERABAD: Oasis Centre, opp. Pulla Reddy Sweets, Greenlands, Begumpet. Ph. No: 40044293-94, Lifestyle, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City, Cyberabad. Ph. No: 44567686; NEW DELHI: PaciďŹ c Mall, Tagore Garden, Pillar No. 464, Najafgarh Road, Ph. No: 45733050; PUNE: Lifestyle, 1st Floor, Inorbit Mall, Survey no 35, Pune Nagar Road, Vadgaonsheri, Ph. No: 67278500
the edit PAD Editor-in-Chief
W
elcome to the monsoon edition of The Score Magazine, its raining music.
Strategy and Planning
After our brief tryst with The Palm Expo, we are back with a bang. We committed a long time ago to become a national music magazine, and we proudly embossed those words on our cover. Mere talk and no action seems to be in vogue with media these days, but we have followed through with action. We are scaling new heights with each passing issue. From the north to the south, this edition covers it all.
Director, Business Development
We are very grateful for all the encouragement, support and cooperation artists extend to us, a start-up magazine. After-all, we are in this together!
Marketing Manager
We are looking forward to taking things several notches up in the coming months. So, if there is something you want to see in our pages, don’t hesitate to give us a shout out at feedback@highonscore.com
Nikila Srinivasan
Editor
Sandhya Ramachandran Ajay Prabhakar Pragash VM
Sneha Ramesh
Regional Marketing Manager, BLR Subikka GS
Creative Director
George Vedamanickam
In other news, we have expanded our team, increased our pages, and improved our designs. Our writers, as always, were terrific. And all this shows magnificently inside! Just flip through our pages and see for yourself. Stay Sharp!
Event Support
Madhav Ravindranath Siddharth Raghunandan
AJAY PRABHAKAR Managing Director
Content Support Nilankur Dutta Mahima Mathur Shresht Poddar
Design Support Vaishali Menon
partners
Photography
Parizad D Praveen S R S. Sriirama Santhosh HIGH LIGHTS www.highlightspro.com
http://www.motherteresafoundation.org.in The Score Magazine is proud to support the Mother Teresa Foundation and urge our readers to join us in giving back a fraction of what we have been given. Don’t use logo with box
http://www.highonscore.com For Advertisements and Feedback
Use logo like this
DISCLAIMER: Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and illustrations. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publication and accordingly no liability is assumed by the publisher thereof. Advertising copy and artworks are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.
“The Score Magazine” is wholly owned and published by
contactus@highonscore.com
+91 9500012975
Registered Office: 38/23, Venkatesa Agraharam, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004.
i nside
Satyamev Jayate THE MUSIC
8
The sound of consciousness wasn’t made in a day and 90 minutes of memory isn’t easy to create. How did they do it? A exclusive with Sona Mahopatra and Ram Sampath.
YTube to BTown
14
24 MODI DIGITAL’s Band of the Month
A fancy recording contract, a nod from Armin Van Büuren and spots at some of the best nightclubs in the world – are just a few reasons why Lost Stories is our Band Of The Month!
Sometime ago, our Thomsun Music House Star of the month was rendering wonderful covers of Bollywood ballads online. Today she shares the stage with Rahman! The journey of Natalie Di Luccio
LIFELINE FOR FOLK TUNES
16
Amarrass Records, one of the few record labels fighting the good fight to keep traditional Folk Tunes alive. Read all about their efforts.
Quirks & Queries
All A-BOA-rd!
32
24
We’re profiling Shalmali Kholgade this time, who is big on Amy Winehouse, mushrooms & more!
Singer/Songwriter Focus
34
They bring identity to emotions that we all feel – with just words and voices. Breaking down the psyche and profiling those up and coming
Era Drippin’
38
Every decade has its fair share of monsoon tunes! Picking out the best of the lot in Bollywood
Copycats, Caught In Tracks!
The debut leg of metal fest, Bangalore Open Air had its ups and downs.
SPLASH FASHION 360 ARTISTE OF THE MONTH
36
50
‘Coincidence in tunes’ is not a recent phenomenon but has been happening for quite a while! Diplomatic, Silent and Crazy. We are talking about Revolver Rita
Sandhya Ramachandran & Shresht Poddar
Th
sATYAMEV
e M usi c
Jayate
“ “ 8
The
Aamir wanted a song after every episode because he wanted his viewers to remember the episode through the song - just like a movie. - Sona
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
I composed O Re Chiraiya and Rupaiya from the hospital bed - they are completely hospital babies. If it wasn’t for Sona, you wouldn’t have heard the music of SMJ. - Ram
Just like the TV show, the soundtrack to SMJ has raked in sensational reviews. A behind-the-scenes exclusive with the talent behind it - OmGrown Music i.e. Sona Mohapatra & Ram Sampath!
S
undays haven’t been the same ever since Aamir Khan’s magnum opus, Satyamev Jayate, took on televisions nationwide. These 90 minutes every week has forced India to introspect on a variety of issues plaguing the common man. It works for a variety of reasons – a charismatic host, the fresh concept, the format of the show. But by far the most interesting creative tool employed in this program, is the music. The last 5 minutes of every episode is dedicated to a song that acts as a summation of the topics discussed and is like a soundtrack for the contemplating viewer. One of the primary reasons why the music in an SMJ episode lingers is because it is so different from the music that we normally consume. It is straightforward, simple and overwhelmingly heartfelt; aspects that are missing in even the staple ‘emo song’ of movies or serials. Agreed - not every track strikes you as a masterpiece from the very first listen, but it is old school - in the sense the music retains that quality of our classics which makes one listen to it over and over again; each time lost in thought. And this also typifies the sound as very, very Indian. This is surprising to say the least, because the music director in question is most famously known for a soundtrack that made even the cringing non-conformist concede that Bollywood can be uber cool. Delhi Belly was Ram Sampath on the dot, striking commercial gold with young, hipster sensibilities. On SMJ though, the music feels more free spirited, traditional and exotic – more like his partner and collaborator, the fiery Sona Mohapatra.
“
an option. The challenge is to get an honest song that stands on its own”. For Ram, Satyamev Jayate presented an opportunity to glorify some key aspects of Indian music, “I wanted to reinvent the use of songs in popular culture. The way we use songs is getting boring. Songs are not production. I’m a very, very good producer but that’s not my motivation – not to make you remember every synth line. That is, in a sense, a forte of the west. But what we are excellent at lies at the core of the song – lyrics and the melody. That’s where we are sitting on a treasure trove.” If films have taught us anything, song is an effective way of reaffirming a point. And who better than someone from Bollywood to understand the potential of song in storytelling? When it comes to Aamir Khan, Ram and Sona have only good things to say. “Recently Sona & I were arguing about a song for an episode at Aamir’s place and he came and said ‘Listen guys, if we say we like a song, it means we like it! If we didn’t like it, we’d tell it to your faces! We aren’t being polite’, recollects Ram.“When someone is constantly sitting with you and giving you feedback, it pushes you to work harder.” Sona adds, “Everyone says Aamir is nitpicky but for Ram & me, that’s the most wonderful thing – he doesn’t let go of things lightly. Everything means a lot to him.”
T here is this general perception of me being the bossy, domineering one, but Ram, who hides behind pillars, is actually a red hot little chilli pepper. - Sona
OmGrown Music is a combination of Ram and Sona, the best of which we hear and see on Satyamev Jayate. “Ram had just finished Delhi Belly when Aamir stopped by at the studio and said he has a project most ambitious to date and closest to heart”, recalls Sona.“When Ram came back and discussed it with me, I said ‘Television? I thought you were going to get us a (movie) break from Aamir!’ But jokes aside, though it started like that, I don’t think anybody anticipated that there would be this much music – to the extent where there is a separate project.”
But this project came with its share of challenges and demands. “We’ve been eating, breathing sleeping SMJ for the last year”, reveals Sona, “It is an unusual context to make music for; child abuse, female feticide… How do you make a tune that connects? And it’s all original music. There’s no folk song that has been reinterpreted or fancily produced. It is stripped-down music using hardly one or two instruments with fantastic lyrics & vocals.” Ram adds, “We knew the sonic palette would be, by and large, acoustic. We had decided to keep it this way since a live sound check was not
The average Satyamev Jayate episode is executed deftly by sharing responsibilities between the two. About general demeanour, Sona admits to being “the more verbose one while Ram is the articulate one”. These innate traits seem to trickle into their roles on the show too. Sona is more on her feet, brainstorming with lyricists and getting things coordinated while Ram cumulates the creative energies into a sleek output. But like most creative efforts, there are no watertight compartments. Ram goes on to explain, “Music production means two things – one who produces the music (me) and one who produces the project (Sona). Having said that, the SMJ project is so complex and since the entire project is happening for the first time, we’ve had to wing a lot of things. The fact that songs have to be customized for every issue has been stressful. Lots of elements are changing all the time and that’s where Sona’s coordination has been indispensable. “ Coordination presents its biggest challenge when trying to get together lyricists and other members of the team. “Initially we were hoping to have a single lyricist on board for the whole project,” admits Ram. “But coordinating schedules was a task. Swanand (Kirkire) for instance, is involved in theatre, reality shows and movies. Prasoon Joshi is also constantly travelling; The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
9
Munna (Dhiman) lives in Chandigarh. Then we decided to break it up – whoever has the time, come in and contribute to whatever extent. “ The unifying factor for SMJ’s team, besides hard work, is also a common belief towards the cause of the show. “For me one of the most beautiful aspects of SMJ was the workshop that Aamir did with the kids in the second episode (Child Sexual Abuse),” reveals Ram, “I think we need a workshop with the country with regard to the constitution of India. We allow our politicians to get away with a lot of things, because we don’t know our constitution well enough. It would be nice to reacquaint ourselves with the idea of living in a democracy because we don’t know what it means.” Ram and Sona can vouch for this from personal experience as musicians working outside the film industry. “In India, the record company system wants to take everything away,” says Ram “But we came to understand that Indian laws are in fact incredible and very emancipated. The reason people get taken advantage of is because they don’t know their own rights.”
SONA-SPECTIVE: A very rare breed of Indian performer, Sona Mohapatra is a self-confessed meanderer. As a child she was never in a place for more than 2 years. That along with a love for the spotlight, led to a career in music. With regard to influences, Sona cites Hindustani and more recently world music. Any form of music that is dramatic, appeals to her; which is especially why she loved singing Bedardi Raja in Delhi Belly (“I found the drama of a woman aware of her sexuality to be very appealing”). She is happiest when performing live onstage rather than studio recordings but admits to wondering earlier, why she hasn’t got as much commercial visibility. But then she reflects, “Playback doesn’t represent you as a person. There are too many people expressing – lyricists, music producers, etc. A lot of boundary conditions exist and you can’t be yourself.I’m free travelling with my band, living the life! Even if I sing one song a year and it has a cultural impact, that means much more than a big repertoire.” One who steers clear of clichés, Sona Mohapatra is on her way to achieving big while creating her own path!
Sona goes on to add, “We won the first copyright case in the history of our courts for music when we took the Roshans to court for violating our rights. At that point of time, there wasn’t a hope in hell to go against such biggies and you are talking about intellectual property which is such an ephemeral concept.” This took place in 2008, when Sampath’s jingle for Sony Ericsson (a product endorsed by Hrithik Roshan) was used without credit in the film, Krazzy 4. Will OmGrown be associated with season 2 of SMJ? “Depends on Aamir,” says Sona. But as Ram says “Change is a wheel, so even if you’re one of the cogs in it, it is good enough - it is a starting point.” With or without SMJ, we sure hope Ram & Sona continue making thought provoking melodies for a long, long time!
SMOULDER LIKE SONA! With her striking fashion sense, Sona defies mundane stereotypes and the modern-age fad of skin show. She swears by designer Kallol Datta for his vintage ensembles and loves to accentuate her striking eyes with Shahnaz Hussain’s Kohl. She is most comfortable wearing a hue of colors and will never step out of her house without her favorite accessory - an armband. Body-con dresses is the one thing she says she will never be caught wearing!
RAM SAMPATH: RISE & RISE OF! Started composing his own songs at the age of 10
10
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Trained for 8 years in Carnatic as a vocalist , 2 years in Hindustani and has done 1 year of piano classical theory
Was in a band between the ages of 13 and 16.
At 17, he was a professional composer working in the industry.
He started doing commercials since “it was the most organized sector for a person to work in.”
BEHIND THE SCENES OF SMJ - THE MUSIC • Recently on Anupama Chopra’s The Front Row, Aamir Khan admitted to having a photographic memory when it comes to dubbing. For Ram Sampath, this, along with ‘his incredible respect for words’, makes Aamir Khan a very interesting person to work with. “If you change the order of the words in a line for grammatical reasons, he’ll notice it. It’s freaky! Like the title track is literally a poem in motion - words and words and words. When Prasoon got on the song, he gave us nearly 8 to 10 foolscap sheets - front and back! A lot of organizing needed to be done till we came to the final song & (hushed exclaim) Aamir remembers all the words!” • “In the song Hauley Hauley (from Child Abuse episode), my favourite part of the song was the guitar solo by Sanjoy Das. It was snipped off but you’ll find it in the album”, says Sona • Rupaiya and Ghar Yaad Aata Hain were debuted live on shoot.
• Sona exclaims, “Ghar Yaad Aate Hain was a song I originally didn’t want to sing because it (the theme) just wasn’t me! But at 4 am I got to know that nobody else was there and that there was a noon shoot. I gave it a shot nevertheless in my ‘soft voice’ and the others in the studio were taken aback and even asked if I wanted to give it another shot since it sounded nothing like my usual, bold style.” • “The song Rupaiya was actually composed in the hospital. You guys see 90 minutes of heart wrenching stuff; Swanand and I saw hours and hours of stuff after which we sat and had a hearty weep. We were all very worried if at all Ram would be able to compose and since we had just 2 days, Swanand & I came up with some stuff and thought we could push our tune forward. But even from the bed, Ram put forth a gem. We could never have thought of that in a million years so we didn’t make any mention of our versions! The effect of Rupaiya on TV was very spontaneous; the audience started clapping and there was even impromptu dancing in the end. Aamir was shocked!”
THE STORY OF RAM & SO
Ram & Sona first met due to a recording for director Ram Madhvani. Never having met him before, Sona had expected an ol’ geezer with a potbelly. Finally on D-day, her pre-conceived notion turned out to be exactly the opposite when this tiny-stature-of-a-man, wearing orange coloured shorts, came up to her and she mistook him for an assistant. Immediately, they clicked and the rest is history.
NA
Not many know that Ram & Sona are married. Why so? “I do not feel the need to assert my marriage in the public domain,” says Ram. Defying the stereotypical notion of honeymoons, she took off on hers alone! He was extremely tied up with work and cajoled her to have a blast in Spain - and she did! They respect each other’s personal space way too much. They do not believe in doing everything together. She takes off with her friends to Kolkata or for music festivals to Greece and he joins in when he can.
He moved on to advertising since many of his heroes like Louiz Banks, Ranjit Barot, Lesle Lewis were in that industry
At some point, he had a rock band called Colour Blind and they put out a record in ’97 - ’98.
He composed Tanha Dil & Loveology with Shaan&Jaane Kisne with Shiamak Davar.
In 2001, he met Sona while working on another album called Let’s Talk, which reinvented thumris with a modern sound.
His Bollywood breakthrough took place in 2004 with Rajkumar Santoshi’s Khakee
The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
11
THE SOUNDS OF SMJ: The Performers An admirable quality about Satyamev Jayate’s music is the fact that Ram & Sona have meticulously filtered an array of talent - singers and lyricists - and have chosen a newer (and rarer) league of musicians who have been masked by the mainstream; a variety of voices you might have heard, but names that you do not recollect. Each of them has a significant body of work backing them, yet haven’t received the recognition they would have hoped for
Keerthi Sagathia Keerthi started his musical journey by participating in the Sony T V reality show Fame Gurukul. He was also a contestant on X Factor India. He has worked with the likes of Ranjit Barot, Aadesh Shrivastava & A.R. Rahman among others
Munna Dhiman Hailing from Chandigarh, he met Sona way back in 2005 and they’ve collaborated since then. With a portfolio of movies such as Ramji Londonwale, U Me Aur Hum, Haal-e-Dil, Nishabd & Delhi Belly, he is slowly becoming a much sought-after lyricist. He has written more than half the songs on Satyamev Jayate and is Sona & Ram’s go-to lyricist.
Krishna Beura “T here are way too many issues in India which cannot be covered in the span of a few weeks. Every issue has a heart-wrenching story associated with it which we want to share with the world. I hope Satyamev Jayate lasts forever.” Having gained accolades for his Sufi voice, his style is reminiscent of the legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has lent his voice to movies like Chak De India, Namastey London, Agneepath etc.
Meenal Jain “Singing for a composer like Ram Sampath & Sona Mohapatra was a musically enriching experience while being a part of Aamir Khan’s show has made me an aware citizen of India.” A participant of Indian Idol season 2, she progressed to singing in mainstream Bollywood on the urge of her father. Her saccharine-sweet voice can be heard in No One Killed Jessica, Seher etc.
MAHIMA MATHUR
S
Star of the month An Italian Canadian singing Hindi songs? Such is the musical fairytale of Natalie Di Luccio who, from being a pretty YouTube sensation, went on to share the stage with A R Rahman & Sonu Nigam! RISE TO POWER I remember dancing and singing in my living room to Barney The Dinosaur! That is when my mom heard me and thought I had a nice voice; so she put me in singing lessons. As I got older, I started training more seriously and began to study voice under the widely respected teacher, Inna Golsband. I later went on to McGill University where I was doing a degree in Vocal Performance. I was exposed to opera and western classical. I like to fuse classical with pop which I know happens because of my influences growing up. One day I was in my school library and got a message from an Indian composer on My Space. He messaged me about coming to India. A few months later he got in touch again and said he was doing music for an album and wanted me to sing from Canada. So I recorded and sent him what he wanted. After a few months I got a CD. My voice was on Sonu Nigam’s Maha Ganesha album!
The YouTube videos were a very spontaneous idea which happened while I was going through a heartbreak. I heard the song ‘Tu Jaane Na’ and fell in love with it. I thought if I put this song up to let him know what I was feeling, maybe he would miss me and things would be better. Fortunately, he saw the light. And so did my singing career. Playback singing was something that was not planned. My very first film recording was for ‘Aadha Ishq’ from Band Baaja Baarat. I happened to be at Salim-Sulaiman’s studio to meet someone else. Salim saw me outside and called me in for a minute and asked me to try singing a certain part of this song. It was later used in the final recording. The rest is history.
REIGN OF POWER I had a lot of fun working with A.R.Rahman. I found that as soon as he entered the studio, I sang better then ever before! What I love about Rahman is that he is open to new things. My favourite experience to date was while shooting my “Pehla Nasha” video. I got to meet so many people from all walks of life and that was the first time I really felt connected to Mumbai. My new music video just released this month which is an Engllsh/Hindi fusion track. You can also catch me on the upcoming Coke Studio @ MTV (Season 2). I’ve sung for some new
14
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
films including Sridevi’s comeback film English Vinglish and an Italian song for a new Bollywood film. I consider myself a World Traveller and India is the first stepping stone. Ultimately, my goal is to be the medium for exchange of musical heritage in the world; to help bridge the gap between the east and the west through music. I would love to work with Pritam & Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Also, I would love to start collaborating with all the folk musicians across India.
“
I never had a back-up option. I believe that if you have a back-up you will never give 100% towards your primary goal.
What’s On, India’s International Music Portal
? Content Head 9XO
LIVE FROM THE CONSOLE
SONG-O-LYMPICS
A Day 1 (Sony Music Independent) & Oranjuice Entertainment initiative now gets a national platform on the international Music channel 9XO. This concept was originated in July 2011 at Mehboob Studios and provides the emerging music bands an alternative platform to showcase their talent. These Emerging bands will now get an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national television channel through the association with 9XO. Live From the Console initiative is all set to kick start in other cities as well; Kolkata being next on the list!
9XO’s special property - Song-OLympics will celebrate the glitz and glory of the Olympics 2012 on air on the Channel and online on our website www.9xo.in. It will give a chance to our viewers to vote for their favourite artists across various genres. Based on the votes received by the artists, 9XO will award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to them. 9XO will also sport the Olympics styled packaging during the London Olympics 2012
July 25, 2012
9XO is an initiative by 9X Media, India’s Largest Music Television Network, to bring music the way it was originally intended – Uninterrupted! Without YouTube ads & infomercials, thank you. We see that jaw drop - :O indeed! Interestingly, the O in ‘9XO’ is to signify the karmic nature of pop culture. We have definitely come full circle from when TV was the only means to watching and listening to music to now – when we are totally ready for a rehash of those less complicated, more musicfocused times.
WORLD MUSIC DAY June 21st 2012
In true global spirit, World Music Day was celebrated with some eclectic musical fare all day. Chartbusters from China, France, Spain, Italy and the Middle East among others proved to be a truly diverse musical ride!
C HEART MJ
June 25th 2012 Michael Jackson videos were aired all day in memory of the King Of Pop, with a video collage of his album covers bordering the frame for added effect. These classics were up for grabs via a contest, run on the 9XO Facebook page. Lucky winners walked away with DVD collectibles featuring 35 of his epic videos. MJ mania hit telecom too with MJ ringtones & caller tunes available for downloads all day via 9XO.
PEEK INTO
PROGRAMMING: O-Vid, Who Dat, Wotta Song, Hot Sh*t and Out There are some of the innovative segments that will be aired. Do the names give you an inkling of what’s in store? Does it sound too Hip Hop? Worry not because also part of the plan is:
BYOB (Bring You Our Beats) - An uninterrupted flow of the hottest dance hits from the biggest DJs worldwide. The global EDM explosion will now have its own dedicated space in the Indian sphere. All you need to do to catapult your weekend house party to awesome heights is turn on the T V to 9XO!
Get your local operator to fix up 9XO on your telly & turn it on for the hottest international music!
The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
15
folk tunes from traditional dunes
Brindaa Lakshmi
The little folk music that comes out today can be credited to initiatives like Amarrass Records - a Delhi based label that is dedicated to keeping traditional music alive
I would have preferred a comfortable perhaps seated tête-à-tête, but geographical reasons and botched signal were solely responsible for this rather noisy phone conversation with Rais Khan, Bhungra Khan and Ankur Malhotra. En route to a field recording in Ramsar a Rajasthani town 40 kms from the Pakistan border, Malhotra went on to reflect “With urbanization, a lot of people moved to the cities. Now there aren’t enough folk musicians in the villages. Moreover, Bollywood has become the mass music. It is only people from the community who are audience. This music is about love, happiness, sadness and emotions so there is a human connect, yet there is a shift.” Bordering the corners though, there still exists a tiny community of experienced folk musicians fighting to make ends meet. “Many people from the film industry have approached us to work with them. The song Nimbuda (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) is a song that my uncle, others from my family and I worked on. They asked us to play something - we played. They asked us to sing something - we sang. We didn’t really get anything out of it. We want to play our traditional music. That has been possible only now with Amarrass Records”, says Rais Khan who has been playing the morchang (a traditional instrument of the Manganiyar community) since he was 8.
AMARRASS RECORDS: The Beginnings Being in the business of travel, it was the accidental meeting with a group of forty Manganiyar folk musicians in 2009 that led Ashutosh Sharma and Ankur Malhotra to venture into the realm of folk music. “We grew up listening to a lot of music and we always wanted to do something in this space. There was also the frustration due to the lack of good music to listen to. When we had the opportunity to interact with the Manganiyars with their 400 years of musical history and watch them in rehearsal, we wanted to explore the music at home in India and find out more,” says Ankur Malhotra, founder of Amarrass Records. Their rich musical legacy is carried on by tradition and contains everything from the words of Kabir to those of Sufi saints. Independent India brought home democracy, taking away the kings and kingdoms and along with it, the livelihood of their court musicians. Left with nothing but
16
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
their art, much of the musical patronage moved away. The children of many musicians are not picking up an instrument but opt to become tour operators or drivers as it ensures a more consistent means of income. Similarly, the makers of instruments also move to Pune for 10 months in a year earning their livelihood by making furniture. Only two or three specialist instrument makers remain today with complete focus on musical instruments. Amarrass Records emerged to fill this gap and introduce a system of sustenance - to learn, earn and be visible through concerts, recording, digitization and distribution of their music and also engage with musicians from other parts of the world. With a shared passion for music, the team has been attempting to address old issues and create new solutions to preserve, promote and enhance traditional talent for nearly three years now.
Photography: Ankur Malhotra
Barmer Boys Barmer Boys is a band put together by Amarass Records with four Manganiyar musicians from the district of Barmer in Rajasthan. Mangey Khan (vocals, harmonium), Mangu Khan (dholak), Bhungra Khan (khartal) and Rais Khan (morchang, bhapang and the first beat boxer in the Manganiyar community) belt everything from traditional Rajasthani and Sufi folk to contemporary music with elements of folk, fusion, percussion and electronica. In March 2012, the Barmer Boys performed Manganiyar and Electronica tunes at the Escape Festival Delhi.
MANGANIYAR SEDUCTION: An Amarass Records Production From remote villages around Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Barmer in Western Rajasthan, comes the musical community of Manganiyars who have been practicing their tradition for hundreds of years now. Performances in the courts of kings are a thing of the past for them. Today, they perform at marriages, deaths and births asking for alms in lieu of entertainment - as the root of their name suggests (Mangani). Their music is trenched in the rich diversity of Hindustani classical notes and Kamancha instruments, from as far as Azerbaijan.
However, reality for these artists is dark quite literally, as they have no electricity, or even connectivity to decent roads. Their scintillating sound led to the release of the first album of Amarrass Records - Manganiyar Seduction. This was followed by a performance at Purana Killa, Delhi in Nov, 2010 (with a fair ticket price of Rs.500 to include all segments of audience, not just the elite). The album however was released under the banner of Amarrass Society - a non-profit initiative of Amarass Records - so that a fair share of proceeds from album sales could go back into the community.
AMARRASS SOCIETY Though Amarass Records began with featuring just folk musicians, their involvement has expanded over time to form a system that keeps the music community alive and engaged. Mittal Bol and Banko Ghodo were albums brought out by Amarass Society that featured several unique talents, one of whom was Rukma Bai - fondly referred to as the nightingale of the Manganiyars. Despite being afflicted with polio at an early age, Rukma Bai challenged odds and emerged as one of the few female Manganiyar singers to perform in public despite societal opposition. An awardee of the Devi Ahilya Samman 2004, she died early at the age of 50 due to sheer poverty-induced illness and lack of access to basic healthcare. Sakar Khan, age 75, the first Padma Shree awardee from Jaisalmer, is a kamancha player and a grand master of the
Manganiyars. He runs an informal school from his home in the village of Hamira to train students in the Manganiyar tradition of music. It is Amarrass Society that has been doing its part to support this school by taking it online with a website and videos. They will also be bringing out an album featuring Sakar Khan and his talented family. “We are actively working on getting venues across the country to give more visibility for the folk artists. We have started exploring Bengali folk music in Shantiniketan and other parts of Bengal as well,� shares Malhotra, on the future plans of Amarrass. But the best news yet for them has been the possibility of these folk musicians receiving royalty for the first time in their life. But at the end of the day, Amarrass Records is just one such initiative. The music ecosystem needs to really take notice of this cause and only then will native music revival take off more vigorously. The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
17
presents
indie Each of our writers check out the latest ue on! albums to hit shelves & get their critiq
TOP picks
Maximum City, Hear Them Say, Enchantress and the hillbillies
IndieReviews «««««
ALLEGRO FUDGE Maximum City
Allegro Fudge cites Maximum City as an amalgamation of experiences through the last year and a half, with Bangalore as a backdrop. It’s the places they went to, the time they fell in love, the time they fell out of it and the time it all came together, creating the perfect harmony that we’ve come to associate Allegro Fudge with. The title track, Maximum City, is a perfect tribute to the lovable roller coaster ride that Bangalore is. It gently prods you on to the rest of the album. Adrift, inspired by The Soloist, is so much more than just about a schizophrenic musical prodigy. The thing about these guys is that no song is a shallow and uncomplicated. They lair each beautiful track with their own hearts and emotions, until each song has been woven into a sincere snippet from their lives. Colors Fly, with its lovely piano riffs, leaves you dancing and inspired. The album moves on to Day Dreamer, another pop number and also first beautiful acapella attempt. The instrumental folk/celtic extravaganza that is Enchantress and The Hillbillies only affirms their solid musical background and penchant for perfection. Eye to Eye and City of Sin, keeping up with the spirit of funk, tackle cynicism and lust with rock and some good ol’ blues respectively. Hear Them Say, my personal favourite, is a song you’d dance to at a dingy cowboy bar - women with heaving bosoms and men with guns in their holsters as part of the backdrop, if I may. - Mahima Mathur
«««««
Swarathma Topiwalleh
Kooraane, Ghum, Aaj Ki Taaza Fikar, Topiwalleh
TOP picks
The album opens with title track, Topiwalleh - a satirical take on Indian politicians tuned to some peppy Indian rock beats. Breaking sensibilities, Kooraane is an interesting blend of hard rock and tribal music taking you back to the wild and reaching out to the rebel in you. Rishton Ka Raasta is a reminder of special relationships in life with the violin reminiscing those moments with you. The band then asks you to sing along on Khul Ja Re followed by Ghum, that treads dark corners with untold secrets of child abuse. The mood then lightens with a Kannada number that takes you to the 70’s with a touch of techno-disco beats. Naane Daari is all about doing a happy jig, the retro way. Aaj Ki Taaza Fikar, the first single, mocks the ‘breaking news’ culture of the media industry today and has the band back on satire mode. Mukhote is yet another happy-go-lucky song that you might hope would turn into something else with the second or third play. Old but delightfully old, the album ends with Duur Kinara featuring Shuba Mudgal and a radio edit of Yeshu, Allah aur Krishna. In eventuality, the album leaves you feeling like any other human being with a wide array of emotions that change within minutes giving you highs and lows as you go through your everyday. - Brindaa Lakshmi
18
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
TOP picks
Alchemy, Halo, Philia
«««««
Baiju Dharmajan The crossover
There is an air of expectancy as Baiju Dharmajan finally does what we’ve wanted for so long - release his solo debut album. The Crossover plonks itself right in the middle of the great divide, with Baiju’s Santana-esque guitar and traditional western orchestral accompaniments harping distinctly Indian melodies through an eclectic half hour of music. And while we’re there, suspended in superfluity, we’re taken on a little walkabout through Baiju’s own catalogue of string-picking skills, in varying tones no less. Alchemy is bathed in exotica and sets the mood, but Demented and Cyber have their own something to say; the former even incorporates innovative electronica in tandem with Baiju’s enduring mastery. In a sense, the first three songs are different stages of the same stupor that breaks with Halo, a clear favourite here. Built on careful layers of overlapping sounds and intertwined guitar tracks, it’s a song that feels evermore grand and profound. On his way out, Baiju Dharmajan makes sure you remember the right things, as on The Crossover where he picks on the same scales - slowing down the Carnatic inspired roiling, to make some good alt(ruistic) rock. He really does make his guitar wail on Philia, wringing every last note and nerve. In comparison, the final track on the album, Landscapes is a more subdued affair. It’s a fitting draw down, meant to keep the aftertaste alive. Mr. Dharmajan probably knew we were already sold.
- Mihir Sinha
«««««
BLAKC
Motheredland
Storm, The Dreamcast, My Angry Song
TOP picks
Socially conscious would not be inaccurate when defining the music of Mumbai-based grunge outfit BLAKC. In fact, BLAKC released their second album, Motheredland (no prize for guessing which land they’re talking about) as an expression of their disappointment and anger with the current state of affairs. The cover art gives us an idea of what the band wants to say, by showing how the masses are manipulated by the ones in power. Interestingly, the wolves bullying the sheep are pretending to be one among the sheep. Not inaccurate at all. In terms of how they sound, BLAKC are a concoction of some grunge, some hard rock and some ambient goodness to top it off. Hard hitting riffs reminiscent of Nirvana are woven into sublime, spaced out moments in the album. These sonic explorations with atmospheric guitar riffs, often form the canvas for some of Reinhardt Dias’ and Anish Menon’s epic guitar lines, such as in Porcelain. The twin guitars over the reliable rhythm section really set BLAKC apart. Bitten, the album opener, goes straight to the point with angst-ridden vocals, heavy riffage and eventually breaks into an interesting ambient section. The band’s dynamic approach to their music is demonstrated in a few other songs like Storm and My Angry Song. The album also contains a few songs that are not targeted at the government. The Sister Hazel-esque The Dreamcast is comparatively more upbeat and heartfelt and Untitled has Shawn singing in a regretful mood. Overall, the epic solos on this album really work but they tend to get excessive at times. I personally would like to see the band work more on their interesting ambient sections. Don’t let this detract you though. Motheredland is totally worth checking out for some honest music and a tight sound. - Shashank Khandachar
The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
19
TOP picks
«««««
kaav
Aadi, Kaalichan, Tripping Shanthi
Rhapsody Of Rains
When Kaav released ‘Thee’ as a tasty teaser from Rhapsody Of The Rains back in April, it was caught in a whirlpool of excitement coming on the back of their last release, an eponymous EP that was widely acknowledged as the best of 2009. Pieced together under the watchful eyes of Baiju Dharmajan - de facto mentor and now label mate of the band - at the Liquid Music Studio in Kochi, this album has come to fruition as an ode to nativity, the pull of ancestry that beats time. The heritage flowers in tenderly picked strains by Syam Pai, as the soulful Aadi gets us underway. The song feels like an extension of the moment captured by Thulasi Kakkat’s cover art, with the studio-enhanced ambience accentuating the moodiness of the rains. Fears Mysteries regains the edge though. The catchy guitar work showcases cynicism, treading the fine line where you think they might relapse into natural blues. But this is about home and the rains, the folklore and the sense of belonging; like on Kaalichan. It sounds like a countryside dream, suitably borne by Carnatic finger picking that tracks back to a simpler time. If Sulthan was meant to be some medieval fantasia, it doesn’t quite cut it. Skirmishing guitars, with interlinked Arabic scales, make it an odd juxtapose. Once the title track begins, what went before seems a prelude. Syam Pai pretty much rolls up two-three ideas into one song. It’s a rhapsody alright; a deep meditation on Malayalee existence. Vida doesn’t feel as telling or enthusiastic, so we’ll let it pass. But hold out for Tripping Shanthi, a long, seductive probe into the depths of your being. Very folk-a-dellic!
- Mihir Sinha
«««««
Indus creed EVOLVE
Dissolve, Take it Harder, No Disgrace
TOP picks
The evolved sound of Indus Creed is immediately evident on the first track Fireflies. Building upon their hard rock roots and melody-oriented compositions, they have emerged with a matured progressive rock sound. This is complemented by the pristine production quality thanks to the mixing skills of Tim Palmer. Dissolve follows where Fireflies left off with its addictive chorus, brilliant progressions and a dash of Porcupine Tree. Mahesh Tinaiker shows everybody who’s boss with his face-melting guitar solo. In fact, the guitar playing throughout the album is sublime. Mahesh’s awesome riffs and superbly crafted solos are well complemented by Zubin Balaporia’s keyboards, who also dishes out his fair share of crazy solos (à la No Disgrace). One of my favourite songs on the album is Take It Harder, with its strong lyrics and dynamic instrumentation. Jai Row Kavi’s precise drumming, along with Rushad Mistry’s basslines, lay a fine foundation for Uday’s incrediblly soaring voice. The only weak point for me was The Money. Not that it’s a bad song, but it seemed like a misfit in the album. Evolve is an album filled with massive choruses, trenchant lyricism and impressive melodies. The credibility of each musician on the album should be reason enough to believe that the music from this album will be topnotch. And trust me, top notch it is.
- Shashank Khandachar
20
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
«««««
SRIDHAR & THAYIL STD (Self Titled Debut)
On the outset, Sridhar & Thayil seem like an extremely unconventional duo. Guitarist Jeet Thayil is an established writer known for his idiosyncratic poetry while singer Suman Sridhar (who recently found mainstream fame as the singer for two songs for Shaitan) has a theatre background. In fact, both the musicians have an inclination towards theatre, even having composed an opera together titled The Flying Wallas: Opera Noir. At times the music you hear on the album sounds entirely eerie, if not outright absurd. However S/T conjures up absolute brilliance by interweaving these moments of eccentricity with moments of ingenuity. Sridhar’s raspy, jazzy vocals are brilliantly executed, with a sort of raunchiness to it. The album opener Here In The Morning, has Sridhar singing in her soulful jazz vibrato and then, the soundscape changes to a psychedelic setting with atmospheric sounds, Thayil’s spaced out guitar playing and blues-infused chops. On Punk Bhajan, Sridhar lays down intense Hindustani improvisation over a beat with some serious swag. The song also features Kishore Sunda (legendary trumpeter of R.D.Burman). Thayil contributes to vocals with some creepy spoken-word lines, often filled with lewd references and miscellaneous facetious content; best seen in songs like The Drowning Song, Time Is a Bomb and especially This Be The Beat. His guitar playing on the album is never boastful and the focus seems to be on creating intelligent music with a dollop of insanity. The innumerable layers in the music never seem cluttered or unnecessary. With this album, S/T has upped the ante for all experimental musicians in the scene. With their incredible music, clever wordplay, on-stage theatricals and outright obdurate attitude, S/T is a fresh change. In this context, STD is definitely worth spreading. - Shashank Khandachar
Sponsor spotlight
Low Rhyderz G e n re : Hi p Ho p C i t y: B a n galore These guys are bringing the urban vibes quite literally! A hip hop ensemble that has its beginnings way back in 2006, they are all set to launch their debut EP album ‘Ride With Us’. The first single ‘Ride With Us’ is already out! Check it out to get a bit of real, street flava!
The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
21
The Juice from June & July For more gig reviews & pictures, hawk www.highonscore.com!
GETTING GIGGY WITH IT
SCORE NIGHTS
Bombay’s Best
Star Rock. 8pm. All Fridays. Score’s throwback to the indie scene! This time’s acts:
Vidyut, Witchgoat, Crypted & Bevar Sea
High Heels & A Shotgun and Grey Shack
White Lady & Duality
Distortion & Live Banned
Open Mic Night
System 04 + Jack Johnnie and the old monk
EVENT UPDATE: Svanubhava 2012 is happening Aug 1st – 3rd 2012 in and around Chennai! Stay tuned to our website for updates & reviews!
22
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Photography: George Vedamanickam, Parizad D
1
6
The name Shal mali means ‘Silk Cotto n Tree’ in Sanskrit. The co mmonest mispronunciatio n is Shamali (excludi ng the ‘L’) to the weirde st being Shalalala!
2
3
rado ng Despe t year, I sa ar, hosted by rs fi y m In alh gles at M eld by The Ea ollege. When I h .. C s o.. r’ to ie ’s v it a X St. – ‘...before ng. It te o n st that la so elevati ustics sounded LATE..’ - it ct harmony, the aco last rfe ose was in pe . I felt so lost in th the ct e old h rf e to p d re we tinue that I con alked 4 seconds out of breath. I w do n ra t to I n ll a ti w , I note what ing this is out know f my life. st o for the re
The first song I sang ‘Neer Bharana Ka on stage was ise Jaau Sajani Aba’ a chhota khayal in raag Tilak Kamod when I was 7’. Marathi songs ‘Shukra Ta ra Manda Vara’ an d ‘Phulale Re Ks hana Maaze’, were on es I had to sing at every family gatherin g. In college, I w ould sing If I Ain’t Got You by Al With You by John icia Keys, Stay Legend, Valerie by Amy Winehou se for competit ions & auditions
4
5
d with graduate I actually e in Ancient gre a B.A. de re. We had ultu C n ia d In ion lled Relig r e a pap ca phy. It was so and Philo paper. te ri o v my fa
8
I don’t clearly remember a celebrity crush, but I was convinced one day that Shah Rukh Khan was my friend, because I saw him extensivel y in my dreams for an entire week. Ever sin ce I defend him when anyone says anything about him.
call! “Do a phone Amit h it w d e NOW?! it start nd RIGHT ig break; d My first b demos you could se exploded my frien g in e”, any you have king for a fresh voic . He is a programm g loo in o is n i e tw d v e d e v e e ri T on cord e phone ad just re A Music Anjo on th r Amit Trivedi. I h eL th to n o fo assistant rt of my applicati puter with an s pa njo, st com demos a ll from A the close . I found At 7p.m. I got a ca into the y m e d ca A on. alked connecti uction, p.m.?” I w internet day at 10 after a brief introd to in e m co d n u of a o s y io e n d n a u li “C i’s st two mit Trived and sang iled. “Where famous A the dubbing room sm is to rics. Amit stepped in ith some dummy ly ?” Speechless at th ri w o h n to a ch d a Paresh e, excite this time, hiding all anced my way hom e RED FM d were you th I rd n io co ct re g to aan d rea unexpecte ain the next evenin recording Paresh n g a a g e ck a b b e e w m co that, le. After 93.5 jing haqzaade. Is for the film
You’ve heard Bollywood’s newest entrant, Shalmali Kholgade in Ishaqzaade’s Main Pareshaan and Cocktail’s Daaru Desi! The future looks sparkly for this ‘anxious, friendly, careful’ 22-year-old singer who can next be heard on the OST of Peddlers and Aiyya. A quick round of Quirks & Queries before she reaches for the stars!. 24
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
I sing with Mike McCleary’s act The Bartender. I am a solo ist in the Latvian cabaret nam ed Bombaloo. We’ve perform ed in Armenia and Russia apa rt from our shows in Pune and Mumbai.
7
now, ge right In my frid itale’s d Ch you’d fin a, mushrooms, nd h k ra Am a basil. For sure. nd chicken a ise any food. I sp e d ’t n I do eirdest die. The w am a foo ten is octopus ea thing I’ve ouldn’t chew it! C tentacles!
9
up is my Throwing r. It has a fe greatest But I’ve . e u tr e com r the fo been safe ! rs a e y 3 1 past
Shresht Poddar
WITH
Shalmali Kholgade
Premier Digital Mastering Studios, Mumbai’s premier music Mix & Mastering facility. Inaugurated & blessed by AR Rahman.
Band of the Month
MODI DIGITAL, Distributors of RME, SPL, Neumann, Reference Laboratories, Tube-Tech, Rosendahl, HHB, Da-Cappo, Merging-Pyramix, Violet Design and dealers of Genelec, Sonodyne & Gefen.
Tara Thomas
A fancy recording contract, a nod from Armin Van Büuren and spots at some of the best nightclubs in the world – are just a few reasons why Lost Stories is our Band Of The Month! WHAT’S THE STORY?
ONE OF A KIND
THE AVB EXPERIENCE
The tale behind ‘Lost Stories’ is quite simple. According to founder-member Rishab, “We met over a trance forum on a social networking website and it was pretty exciting to come across someone of the same mental wavelength and equal twist in the head with the undying itch to make it big. The biggest binding factor was being sick and tired of the mediocrity of the music scene in India, and having great plans for dance music world dominance!” The two didn’t arrive at dance music right away. Rishab admits to having attempted forming a band (largely to receive some female attention!) and failing, before he discovered the addictive energy of EDM. “At this point Prayag was already making tunes and had really good taste in dance music.”
One can’t help but be curious as to what sets these guys apart from other Indian electro acts such as Jalebee Cartel, Shaa’ir and Func, DJ Vachan and so on. “A lot of genre Nazis wouldn’t call the above acts ‘electro’… What separates us is our roots!” explains Rishab. The boys also see their love for blending different styles and genres as what sets them apart. “We take a lot of influence from ethnic music as well. Our tunes are dark and melodic but at the same time, they are very energetic and driving. This combination works great in clubs as well as on the radio!”
After being picked up by Black Hole Recordings - which is owned by DJ Tiesto - the duo recently got the biggest mark of support from the EDM legend Armin Van Büuren who played their track False Promises on his show as ‘Tune of the Week’. “It means India has finally made it to the global dance music scene,” they modestly reflect. “In a way, it also acted as a validation for people in India. Indians never seem to take to things on their own unless they get really popular and validated in Europe or America” Sad but true. “For example, before this big bang people were like ‘Oh, two brown boys making dance music? Funny!’ and after the big bang the same people were like ‘Oh two brown boys making dance music? Must be awesome!.’ The fact that they are probably the only Indian act supported by Armin Van Büuren is a rare distinction. “Our first thought was to throw a crazy party! :) On a serious note, we started thinking about our forthcoming singles and remixes! We knew if we worked harder there on, there were bigger things in store for us. Looks like we were right!”
FUTURE TRAILS “Lost Stories recently played at the International Music Summit After Party which takes place in Ibiza. We plan to do a lot more gigs of this kind. We also love cross genre collaborations so you can expect a lot of that from us. We’re planning to have our own weekly or bi-monthly podcast very soon! And definitely a functioning website. Watch this space!”
28
MODI DIGITAL is India’s foremost video & film consultancy and equipment marketing Company. Turnkey solutions for film and video studios, Marketing of video equipment, Technical consultancy service for studios, Service and maintenance of equipment, The Score Magazine Supplying equipment to FM Studios www.highonscore.com
Contrabass Records: A home for all India’s ‘Lost Stories’?
FUTURE TUNES Their debut album will be called W.I.P and is expected to release sometime August first week.
Lost Stories is the latest artist to be taken under Contrabass Records, Universal’s indie Indian label. What does this mean for our boys? “Contrabass Records means that after all these years, Lost Stories has finally found a home for their music!” says Rishab. “Not just that, it was about time record companies in India took EDM seriously,” adds Prayag. “With Contrabass in place, it’s going to be much easier for budding artists to release their music and reach out to a wider audience through the support of a major label. We are glad to be onboard with Contrabass!”
In the new album, there are lots of collaborations coming. We have the gorgeous Shruti Haasan on one of the tracks. It is actually an old track of hers, which we are giving a Lost Stories treatment to. Also, a crunchy bass heavy monster of a track with our bass hero from Austria, Daniel Heathcliff! We will be trying to put out our 3 year old collaboration with Mat Zo, which never made it to public ears! We have worked with some of the best singers in dance music (BT, Nadia Ali). On our alias, ‘Prayag & Rishab’, which mainly does Indian vocals/Instrument fueled progressive trance.
“
Indians never seem to take to things on their own unless they get validated in Europe or America
Dance hall or commercial fare? The whole point of this album is to explore this thin line between easily digestible v/s intellectual dance music. There is something for everyone!
FAST FOUR India to Ibiza:
It was our first time in Ibiza and just as I expected it to be. People go to clubs, festivals and raves for music and music only! Happy faces everywhere. There is no dissing the DJ because he’s not wearing your favorite coloured t-shirt or dissing the organizers because there are no toilets near the bar or my personal favourite: I don’t like this kind of music! Pre gig rituals & post gig musts:
Pre gig ritual: 40 pushups. Post gig musts: Refrain from javelin-throwing the skinniest girl in the crowd INTO the crowd! The first thing you want to do when playing in a new city/ countrY:
Find out what sort of music works in their clubs and play exactly the opposite! Part time jobs you wouldn’t mind doing:
Meat packing.
Premier Digital Mastering Studios, located in the heart of Bollywood at Andheri, Mumbai is dedicated to delivering very high quality services to the Music fraternity. Mixing, Mastering & Overdubs being its mainstay, PDMS is also into music production from scratch, Scoring & Sound designing for films with it’s talented team of The Score Magazine Musicians & Engineers. Equipment, Acoustics & Ambience are a state apart from the rest! www.highonscore.com
Photography: Bharath Chandrasekar
Collaborations?
29
KORG PA50 SD
Professional Keyboard–Arranger Price: Rs. 53,600/(currently priced/ price may change)
SPEC
udes the following The KORG PA50 Synth incl standard specifications: city • 61-note Keyboard with velo sis tone generator • Hyper integrated synthe oscillators, filters 62 system with 62 voices, with resonance veform memory • 32 Mbyte PCM ROM Wa ffect systems with 89 • 4 stereo digital Multi-E effects each and 32 drum kits,128 • More than 660 programs kits user programs 64 user drum • 304 Styles • Assignable multi-pads es • 80 real-time performanc • Backing Sequencer Data Backup. • SD Card Slot for Musical ONO/R jacks • Audio Input/Output L/M damper pedal, • Control Inputs include h assignable pedal/switc • MIDI: IN/OUT/T HRU • Backlit Custom LCD Display • • • • •
30
2 x 15-watt amplifiers s Reflex Box with 2 dual-cone speakers in Bas Auto Loudness control 7 in. D x 5.9 in. H Dimensions: 41.5 in. W x 15.4 Weight: 24.8 lbs Warranty: 1 year
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Product available at all Furtados Stores Cedric D’sa walks us through the features of the latest from Korg. First released in 2005, this little monster is now in it’s second coming, with the SD card Backup slot! Whether you are using the PA50 SD as a student or in order to back up your professional performances at a favourite night-club, you can be assured of outstanding quality. The PA50 SD keyboard arranger combines superior sequencing functions and powerful performance features. The Triton-based synth engine includes 660 editable sound-programs, 4 studio-quality effect processors and 89 effect types for excellent synthesizing and sound mixing.
ADDITIONAL EXTERNAL OPTIONS EXP-2
Expression/Volume Pedal - Connected to the Assignable Pedal socket, will provide various control functions, like Master Volume, Keyboard Expression, Vdf CutOff, etc. (depends on the Global settings).
XVP-10 Professional
Expression/Volume Pedal - Connected to the Assignable Pedal socket, will provide various control functions, like Master Volume, Keyboard Expression, Vdf CutOff, etc. (depends on the Global settings). Rugged construction for professional use.
DS-1H PS-1
Damper Pedal - Professional, piano-style Damper pedal, support half- pedaling. Switch Pedal - Can be used for sustain when connected to the Damper socket. Can also be used for connection to the Assignable Pedal socket, providing various functions (depends on the Global settings).
Easy touch controls come in the form of 4 assignable pads, an assignable footswitch, the joystick, sync start, fade in/out. You can create a wide array of natural sounding performances with 8 parts, 4 variations, 2 fills, intros and endings to choose from. The PA50 SD also stores up to 160 user defined performance settings. Dual cone speakers powered by 15-watt amplifiers on each side, provide rich stereo sound.
PRODUCT PROS •• Relies on the same HI synth engine
found in Korg’s T RITON and Karma professional workstations
All the classical sounds, and particularly the solo instruments such as Stereo Piano, Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet, Flute, Guitar and Harmonica have been improved. 160 Performance locations are available to store configurations, including Upper 1-2-3 and Lower Tracks sounds, Pads, Transposition, Effects, etc.
•• 660 sound programs with a new set
In Style, Play and Song Modes, you can quickly edit all Programs using the Easy Program Edit functions (Attack, Decay, Release, LFO, Filter CutOff, Resonance) and use any of the four powerful Master Effect processors including Reverbs, Delays, Equalizers, Exciters, Overdrives, Sound Decimators, Analog Record, Rotary Speaker and Ring-Modulators. Up to 89 effects are available.
•• 56 editable Styles on-board plus 48
A complete Program Edit section allows you to edit or create new Programs and new Drum Kits. Plus, you can send a (line matched) stereo external audio source to the internal amplification.
MUSICAL STYLES Each of the 304 editable Styles available with this Korg keyboard arranger provides up to 8 accompaniment parts—drums, bass, percussion and more—that respond interactively with your playing. 8 parts, 4 Variations, 2 Fills, 2 Intros and 2 Endings per Style provide all you need to create a natural-sounding performance. In addition to the 8 parts that comprise a Style, up to 4 sounds are available on the keyboard as real-time parts (3 RH & 1 LH). The Korg PA50 SD can also store 160 user defined Performance settings, each instantly recalling the style, sounds, effects, panning, transposition and other settings assigned to each part.
EXTENSIVE SEQUENCING In addition to traditional real-time and step-time sequencing, the Korg Pa50-SD also features a unique Backing Sequencer, which can capture up to 8 tracks of Style accompaniment and 8 tracks of real-time playing in a single pass. The PA50 Arranger is GM and SMF compatible and in performance, nothing beats the revolutionary Dual Sequencer. Lyrics embedded in SMF sequences are shown in the Display.
of very expressive solo instruments sampled with natural vibrato user Styles
•• 4 assignable function pads
and assignable footswitch plus added control features - joystick, synchronized start/stop, fade in and out, tap tempo, accompaniment reset and more
•• Extensive sequencing feature in the unique Backing Sequencer which captures up to 8 tracks of style accompaniment in a single pass
•• Provides a huge collection of music
Styles created by top musicians from around the world
•• Rich stereo sound from dual cone speakers with 15-watt amplifiers
Indian Bollywood and Traditional Styles provided FREE with this Keyboard. Regular updates to these Styles too, will be available.
Check out this product and more at http://www.furtadosonline.com/ Aug 2012
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
31
Madhav Ravindranath
Fest Focus:
Bangalore Open Air 2012
“India’s first pure heavy metal concert! Old school metal comes alive in Bangalore! Where insanity is religion!” - such were the phrases thrown around in the weeks leading up to the inaugural Bangalore Open Air 2012. With American power/thrash legends Iced Earth sharing the stage with the Godfathers of Teutonic thrash, Kreator, and a host of equally respectable Indian bands, the air was rife with talk about the leather, beer and heavy metal that would be thriving at the daylong fest, powered by Wacken Open Air, Germany.
plagued with sound issues, they would have been serious title contenders to Zygnema who were judged winners of the WOA Metal Battle India. They will be representing India at Wacken Open Air 2013!
BANGALORE OPEN AIR 2012: DESI DOOM TO TEUTONIC MAYHEM 1.
Post the Metal Battle, the first of the Indian bands – Bangalore’s thrash act Theorized - hit the stage. The crowds were trickling in but it honestly seemed like a local gig that should’ve happened at The Kyra Theatre. Theorized played material off their debut EP as well as their single, Genetic Variants, which was well received by the few hundred fans at the picturesque venue.
2.
Albatross from Mumbai took the stage next. The horror inspired heavy metal act has played the Bangalore circuit in the recent past to an impressive response and this show was no different. Notably, the band performed a fine rendition of Ronnie James Dio’s Holy Diver, paying tribute to the heavy metal legend at the aptly named Ronnie James Dio Stage.
3.
Bangalore’s very own doomsters Bevar Sea played a quick set and did a fine job in getting the crowds involved. This band has been pushing the limits of perfection and has consistently remained an impressive live act. I haven’t been disappointed after a Bevar Sea show yet and I don’t think I ever will be!
LINE UP & LOCATION LEAVE US LOW The reality, however, was far from it. The change of venue from the familiar Palace Grounds to the little known Acharya Institute Of Technology 12 kms away, may have been only a minor aspect. But it did mean that fans would have to travel almost an hour extra on bumpy roads and also that alcohol would not be served at the venue. Those issues, however, were overshadowed by the fact that Iced Earth were forced to drop out 3 weeks prior to the gig due to visa related issues, allowing German melodic metallers Suidakra to take their place. As you’d recall, the band played on Indian soil only 3 months earlier at Summer Storm 2012 with Opeth and Nothnegal.
WOA VICTORY: THE Z OF IT The big day began with the WOA Metal Battle: India Leg. The zonal winners Zygnema, Crypted and Damage Era battled it out at 10.30am to a sparse crowd of barely two hundred people. Zygnema clearly sounded superior but Crypted’s brand of technical death metal was a hit with the crowds. Had they not been
32
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Photography:Praveen S R
BOA, The Indian offshoot of Germany’s mammoth metal fest - Wacken Open Air – was just about saved by old school titans Kreator. So what prevented a cleansweep? Read on!
4.
There was a lot of hype around the black metal act 1833AD from Delhi. However, repeated technical faults led to a very intermittent performance and one can’t really gauge the band’s performance from such a set.
5.
India’s metal grandfathers Dying Embrace played their first arena gig in 21 years of the band’s existence, successfully giving the crowds a lesson in old school brutality. The air was stifling with the effects of the crushingly slow riffs and the dull pounding of drums. Vikram Bhat’s positively evil vocals echoed around the galleries of the still empty Acharya Institute. By this point, everyone who wanted to be there had already gotten there.
6.
Eccentric Pendulum with their technical riffs and staccato drumming patterns was a welcome change from the straight up heavy metal variants seen over the last few hours. They automatically qualified for the bill of the inaugural BOA concert being winners of last year’s WOA Metal Battle. My gripe with this band, though, has never been about the music but more about the presentation. Four highly skilled musicians playing their skills on a big stage made me feel like I was looking at a picture with audio blaring out of the PA system. This band would do much better with improved crowd interaction and stage presence.
7.
Kryptos have for long, been the torchbearers of Indian metal and on Saturday, they proved why they’re one of the best Indian bands around. The thrash metal quintet played primarily material from their latest album, Coils Of Apollyon and had the crowds in quite a tizzy, and just like all Kryptos shows, the gig ended with their anthem Decenscion.
8.
Suidakra hit the stage as the first bouts of rain started lashing the venue. Equal numbers ran for cover but a good percentage braved the rains and the cold breeze to cheer Suidakra on. As a musical force, Suidakra were disappointingly pedestrian, saved only by the novelty of the bagpiper. An entertaining, formidable live act but I don’t think I’m going to take the effort of following their music. I counted the minutes until the band ended their set, with promises to be back to India again.
9.
Kreator took an hour to hit the stage, during which time I tucked into sandwiches and coffee. Yes, coffee at a metal gig (Here’s a big finger to clichés!). When the stage finally lit up, there were massive backdrops of skulls with the Phantom Antichrist artwork right at the back. A haunting picture for a Violent Revolution, I thought, as the band burst into that very track. Within seconds, it was easy to see why Kreator are such a critically acclaimed metal act. They seemed at ease onstage, making full use of the space, getting the crowds on their feet and drawing out circle pits for almost every track. The band slashed through their entire set in the bouts of rain, playing classics such as Phobia, Enemy Of God and Flag Of Hate as well as two tracks from the newly released Phantom Antichrist album and in the end, I don’t think there was anyone at the venue who wasn’t awestruck by the crushing force that is Kreator.
All in all - a fine gig, a good day. Yes, the crowds could have been better; there was no excitement in the air, no wanton chants and some trying delays between performances. However, the metal fan in me - the Kreator fan in me - had a blast. Until the next edition of BOA \m/! The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
33
The solitary
Singer/Songwriter
Songs written, music unfolding and the stars come out. All of us have music that feels like its making love to our entire being. And for some of us, there is a violent call to unload our expressions aurally - in words and melodies yet to be heard. Long winding nights of scratching pens, waiting, wondering, watching for the emotions to take a form from underneath the skin and then hopefully, the prodigal light. The general opinion is that singers who write their own music are creative, more folksy and on their path to true their own genius. A singer who fabricates his/her own melody and lyrics would logically seem more natural. The same reason Kelly Clarkson parted ways with her rather successful image breaded by American Idol and 19 Entertainment - to hold the reins of them creative twines.
DO IT ALL OR DO ONE BEST The pseudo quality of our current conditions gives us all this impression that we can live this day like it’s the last: flush that entire libido into one good object. For this fast, restless and adrenaline junkie generation of ours, the flash of genius is most plausible and adored. There’s something about one being a jack-of-all-trades. But anyone in the entertainment industry knows that creativity is not contagious, it’s not found between the pages in a book. In fact, it can be cultivated as a separate culture. Why have a singer who writes his/her own songs, when someone else can do it better? Maybe that’s the reasoning. No one makes statues of songwriters. They perhaps should. There was this interview that Howie Dorough from Backstreet Boys gave in which he said that he was a huge fan of Coldplay while A.J. sniggered at the back. Maybe Howie wanted to explore and venture into other forms of music, but didn’t because he couldn’t get his band members to get off the pop pill. That’s just a speculation but think about it. Is it easier to be a solo artist and break in as a songwriter too or is it more overpowering when you have band members to brainstorm with you?
RHYMING THOUGHTS RING CLOSER Singer-songwriters have the ability to wield their musical strings and develop a closer bond with their fans. Why is that? Well for one thing, it’s nice to know that someone you look up to has had to deal with problems similar to yours; be it in love, existential questioning or political onslaught. Take the cryptic and beloved American Pie, Don McLean’s magnum opus. That song is said to be the recapitulation of to the day ‘music died’ – when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper’s plane crashed in 1959. The song is filled to the brim with these
34
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Jessie J used to write hit songs for other artists before launching out on her own with ‘Price Tag’ references. In a letter to Cecil Adams of The Straight Dope (Q&A column in Chicago Reader), McLean who had been asked n number of times to explain the song stated “Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence”. Now, a lot of people may find the song mediocre but the song has never ceased to amaze. It leaves the platform open to interpretation to anyone who cares to take a pinch. Moving on, almost all of us have seen them memes that decapitate the heck out of present day songs and lyrics. Let’s take Adele who co-wrote her Rolling in the Deep. So many people relate instantly with her music because we’ve all had drunken nights, bad breakups, bad trips. To have a song to connect the experience immediately makes one want to connect with the singer of the same. People tripping on your song, go to the same place and remember similar things. It’s that feeling that makes a singer songwriter so admired.
STIR ‘EM, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER! We can go on looking for examples but take a moment for those who haven’t been made yet. How many opportunities do people who are singers songwriters get? Most of our small combo rock n roll bands write their own songs. But their favorability doesn’t always come out because of their sick sounds or magical words for the songs. There’s a
Supriya Talapuru, Artist Profiles: Aina Mathew
The path of a solo artist is taken for a variety of sensible reasons and a few creative ones. But what works as their biggest asset, is the power of connect!
Pragnya Wakhlu (Gurgaon) formula and it works like it did with Neil Diamond, who sat around with his acoustic guitar; writing & singing his songs, cutting demos. Then he sold the tracks to a label so that they could be recorded by The Monkees - who travel, pout & sell a million records while he sits to write another batch of material. However, in his senior year at NYU, a music publishing company made him an offer he could not refuse: to write songs for $50 a week. And thus begun his journey on the path to fame and awe. Does that give us a clearer picture? As clear as unmuddled water. Tap it (blames, flames, little biscuits of everything), tune it, trade it or not, but sing a song that pulls at my heart.
So how does this trend fare in India? Music and lyrics are withheld only by a few local singer/songwriters and here we talk to a few. We specifically asked each of them the importance of rhyme and this is what they had to say! Prateek Kuhad (New York/Delhi)
I don’t think they’re an absolute necessity. Though I do rhyme at times, I think alliterations and metaphors can make a song beautiful.
Not many can croon about being the scary monster in your dreams with the soulful intensity of this upcoming performer. A trained classical singer, he also plays the ukulele, drums, bass and harmonica. His debut EP released in July 2011 and he plans to come out with another one soon - in Hindi or a mix of both Hindi and English. The worst lyrics according to him come out of Justin Bieber’s songs.
Nrithya Andrews (Chennai)
What would you do if your crush gets up and strides off just as you’re pouring out your soul in song? I think rhymes work Ok, save it. We’ll tell you what Nrithya especially well for Andrews would do – write a song about fun songs. But it can it that goes on to receive over a thousand get too predictable hits online! She is an 8th grade pianist from sometimes; like you Trinity College, London and has done can already tell what the next line is going background vocals for movies like Rockstar, to be after hearing the Endhiran and Jhootha Hi Sahi. Currently first one! teaching at one of the best colleges in Chennai, she ensures she has enough time for her musical pursuits. Rum Whiskey from Vicky Donor is her idea of really bad lyrics!
She teaches aqua-acrobats, is a professional hockey player, loves cooking and yeah, in her spare time makes some music here and there that goes on to win I’m fine with rhyming some darn good recognition! lyrics. They can make a This rising star cites her song more lyrical but when favorite musical experience it’s not contextual, it may as performing at the MTV end up feeling forced. Stuntmania Rockathon after her band Soul Strings won the title of Pune’s best band. Her first solo album (Journey to the Sun) recorded independently with various artists, was released in May this year and we’re hoping there’s more to come soon! Say worst lyrics, she says Strawberry Aankhein and Kolaveri Di!
Dhruv Visvanath (Hong Kong/Delhi) He identifies himself more as My father had this a guitarist but he can croon funtoosh theory – if a smooth too! He’s opened for poem doesn’t rhyme then it isn’t a poem. It’s Swarathma, has formidable almost a compulsive FB presence, is a self-taught thing. I love to rhyme! drummer, a trained pianist, bassist and plays the djembe as well. And he has managed all this in just 20 years of existence. Having gained recognition in Hong Kong, he is slowly taking over the Indian music with his relatively unique percussive guitar playing. Nicki Minaj’s songs are his example of bad, bad lyrics.
Tejas Menon (Pune) A music jockey/producer at Radio One, Tejas is into acoustic/alternative/blues. Though he looks up to quite a few Indian artists, it’s only the late King of Pop Michael Jackson who inspires religious fervor I insist on it in him. He sometimes wakes up (rhyming lyrics)! in the middle of the night and starts typing lyrics into his phone. Though he admits bands are ‘on the top of the food chain’, he likes the stability that comes with flying solo. Would he like to work with a band? Yes, he humbly admits, if a band likes his music enough, he’d definitely like to try it out but for now, he’s happy making good music by himself. He grudgingly tells us that Shake It by Metro Station is his idea of meh lyrics. The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
35
Her real name is Rita Thiagarajan and Revolver Rita is a moniker her friends gave her! (referring to the old Tamil movie). Some of her most recognizable hits are Vada Mapillay from Villu, Allegra from Kandasamy and Ellora Shilpanni from Bila (Telugu). Her first big break was with Director Imman for the movie Aanai. Diplomatic, Silent and Crazy are words oft used to describe her. Besides singing, she’s also addicted to cooking and is a wonderful painter. In future, she sees herself doing a lot more of non film music! Catch the whole interview with Revolver Rita on www. highonscore.com!
Photography: Srii Rama Santhosh (Hi Lights) Location: Amethyst Clothes and accessories sponsor: Splash section- Life Style, Express Avenue Make-up and hair styling: Page 3 Luxury salon and make over studio Stylist: Nikita Ravindranath
36
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
presents
Revolver Rita The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
37
Shresht Poddar
Rain-tunes
The 1950’s Musicians such as S.D. Burman & ShankarJaikishan dominated the 50s - popularly considered the teenage years of Bollywood. This era also gave birth to two of the most famous songs in the history of Indian cinema
1962
1955 Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua Shree 420
Composer Shankar-Jaikishan
Singers Manna Dey Lata Mangeshkar
Sometimes, the best things in life are the simplest and this thought is beautifully captured under an umbrella in this evergreen song.
1958 Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi
Singers Kishore Kumar
Be it the age of 15 or 50, the amazing Kishore Kumar proves his versatility; enthralling listeners with his fun, nonchalant singing.
38
The
Score Magazine
Dil Tera Deewana
www.highonscore.com
Ab Ki Sawan Mein
Dil Tera Deewana Composer Shankar-Jaikishan
Singers Mohd. Rafi Lata Mangeshkar
The sheer chemistry between the lead singers in this mischievous tease of a tune, along with the addictive sounds of the sax gives one goose bumps.
Jaise Ko Taisa
Composer R.D.Burman
Singers Kishore Kumar Lata Mangeshkar
This song signifies passionate, crazy love; a no-nonsense song with simple percussions and intoxicating vocals.
1974
1960
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi Composer S.D. Burman
1973
Dum Dum Diga Diga Chhaliya
Composer Kalyanji Anandji
Singers Mukesh
Thanks to the terrific lyrics by Qamar Jalalabadi, this song makes one go ‘Wah, Wah!’ Fun, pristine and pure - Mukesh sings this charmer straight from the heart.
Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein Ajnabee
Composer R.D. Burman
Singers Kishore Kumar Lata Mangeshkar
Full of subtle nuances, this song is perfect for some chhed-chaad.
Keep Fallin’ On My Head! With the rains pouring down on most of the country, we talk about music that has gotten Bollywood running around trees in a dripping white saree! Between June & July, we’d like to believe that musicians churn out songs whilst staring intensely into the rain through their windows. Monsoon arrives with a cacophony of raindrops, resonant of conflicting emotions and melodies so inspired, drip with soul and smolder. Rains in Bollywood film, especially where song & dance is concerned, have been used to convey a range of emotions - right from sizzling passion and intense longing, to unbridled joy and a carefree spirit. For love is one emotion that cannot be underplayed in a filmi script! Over the decades, numerous rain songs have been composed but only some have managed to stay in our memories. We hold a nostalgic umbrella over some classics over the ages. For a more detailed, audio-visual rain-down from each era, log on to www.highonscore.com!
1989
1994 Lagi Aaj Saawan Chandni
Composer Shiv-Hari
Singers Suresh Wadkar, Anupama Deshpande
All rain-based songs need not be happy as with this one. The pain reflected in this masterpiece by Suresh Wadkar is numbing. Anupama’s echoes result in a haunting effect and amplify the melancholy in the song.
1982
2004
Composer R.D. Burman
Singers Kumar Sanu Kavita Krishnamurthy
Imagine this - it’s a lazy rainy day. You sit by the windowsill wrapped in your arms under a blanket sipping on a mug of hot coffee while this song plays in the background. Picture perfect, isn’t it? The combined warm gooey voices take this song to an entirely new level.
Namak Halal
Composer Bappi Lahiri
Singers Kishore Kumar Asha Bhonsle
The passion and excitement in this track is infectious. Asha Bhonsle perfectly complements Kishore’s smooth sound in this classic.
Hum Tum
Taal Se Taal / Nahi Saamne Taal
Composer A.R.Rahman
Composer Jatin-Lalit
Singers Babul Supriyo Alka Yagnik
Every aspect of this song - the vocals, the lyrics, the arrangement and even the video - speaks about love beautifully. But melody would qualify as the prime USP of this one.
2004
1999 Aaj Rapat Jaayen
Hum Tum
Rimjhim Rimjhim
1942 A Love Story
Singers Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayanan/Hariharan, Sukhwinder Singh
The Mozart of India (A R Rahman) delivered these stunning works of art in his magnum opus offering, Taal. Both songs are so peaceful at the core, that they effortlessly invoke a sense of tranquility.
Behta Hai Mann Kahin Chameli
Composer Sandesh Shandaliya
Singers Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi surprises in this rendition since it is nothing like the boisterous, peppy numbers one normally associates her with. High pitched yet soft and soothing, this one is one for the carefree optimist. The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
39
MIHIR SINHA
The life and times
of
Indian
aMIT SAIGAl
INDIE
jONES
Independent music faces a future that’s far from certain but at least our love and admiration for it isn’t. We try drawing from history, the key to sustenance for an indie act. Independent art is the manure that fertilizes our cultural landscape. Very few entities on earth can express freedom as wholly as an artist beholden to no common wisdom. It’s even more obvious in music. Pounded by small profit margins in the cut and the thrust of pop choice, ambitious musicians are forced to toe the line dictated by their benefactors. But the underground is where new ideas are bred; patronized in discreet nooks, by those who share the emotion. The lack of commercial expectations lends to creativity an endless scope to innovate. Here, everybody jams.
pAGE2
GROWING PAINS AND THE DEALS WE MADE But suddenly, the needs of this quaint scene have escalated. The pittance Johnny B Goode raided from his savings won’t suffice even for the basic equipment anymore. Money becomes important. And why not, people must pay for their entertainment. A few get marginalized, while the rest like the band less. The high financial stakes then start a vicious cycle of formulaic music and formulaic reactions, performed for pretenders instead of believers. But let’s be honest; that is the better alternative for a long running independent act. Most never even make it that far into the mainstream, though they try. Elsewhere, unlike India, it has more to do with genuine entertainment trends than outdated socio-cultural norms.
INDIRA DIDN’T LET US ROCK We should be forgiven, really, for we’ve spent a majority of our nationhood under imposed socialism. In fact, all pre-liberalization independent music breakthroughs should thus assume a greater significance, if only for the guts and vision shown. With most imports under lock down or heavily taxed then, the only way to tune into the grooves of the day was on the wavering BBC Radio or by making concerted pilgrimages to Calcutta’s flea markets, notorious for stocking rare original copies of LP records. Here is where my father grabbed his copy of Frampton Comes Alive in March ’76, a month before it began a 10-week reign atop the Billboard charts - the longest for a live album at the time.
40
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Illustrations: Nilankur Dutta
LED-HEADS AND LONGHAIR IN BOMBAY bONHAM
It, however, provided no popular insight into India’s own independent music scene. There were acts performing nightly at hole-in-the-wall venues like Slip Disc in erstwhile Bombay, where Led Zeppelin even did a 20-minute guest spot while they were in town, in the winter of ’72. The same niche crowd that descended on the tiny establishment in Colaba that day were the ultimate salvation for acts looking for recognition. It couldn’t get bigger.
I HAD A DREAM Nothing changed till the arrival of Amit Saigal and his new-world fantasies. That was when the hype began to appear – unabashed and cool – which suddenly made it possible for everyone to get a piece of the action. We looked forward to the Pub Rock Fest and Great Indian Rock as seminal moments for the country. The rebooted independent music scene could’ve become bigger in the interim since the Saigal-inspired head start in the early ‘90s but for the fact that, try as they might, the commercial clout of film industries made it impossible to knock them off the perch. This clout was born of the generic Indian perception of entertainment, hybridized to suit families, not individuals. After all, our children would never be encouraged to go to a rock concert. Maybe elsewhere too – but here, family diktats matter much more. Even back then as the concept of live performances was just taking root, pubs and other venues mostly catered to fatter, older people, who liked the new idea but only had that one Metallica song to request. We were too young to beat the rules, the red tape or the sheer expenses.
… WHICH IS COMING TRUE In comparison, now seems a good time. MTV and moneyed corporates kept music hostage while they could but with free media changing the way we desire and acquire, footfalls are being replaced by mouse clicks and with it begins the democratization of art.
pLANT
Suddenly the gaps are closing. Bigger and better Indian bands are no longer swept under the carpet of mass hysteria that big budget film soundtracks create, because they can launch their own blitz into popular conscience - over YouTube, Facebook and wherever else trolls hang out.
HOPE AGAINST HOPE A faint hope is that some day, we may embrace our independent music as part of the mainstream and another dimension to our rich cultural identity. Then people like Vasanth Dhoble come along, and you wonder - are we kidding ourselves? We now find ourselves with another facet to the problem, which is the image of venues/ pubs. The derided ACP of Bombay Police will pass on, but the archaic rules and laws he dredged up to wreak havoc at live entertainment venues in the city still remain on the books; dogmas detailed in century-old phrases. Therefore, it’s tough to believe that we have changed, or ever will. Blue Frog promptly suspended its Friday Night Electronica act after Dhoble’s raids gathered pace. As we go to press, the first wave of resentment had already been rebuffed by the state administration.
FREEDOM CLICKS FOR INDIA THIS TIME TOO? But optimism draws on the irrepressible power of an idea whose time has come. The sudden intellectual emancipation has made sure we won’t settle for less. The numbers are swelling, as they gather in front of their computer screen and share goodwill for free. This has given bands powerful bases to build on, an infallible proof of popularity. This makes sure, Dhoble or not, our music will never have to sell out or let go.
The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
41
Siddharth Raghunandan
LoG RECKONING ’99 - 2012
Right from their latest album Resolution and their world tour to Randy Blythe running for President, we examine and revel in the force that is Lamb Of God. Mid 90s - a time when the death of a phenomenon called Nirvana consequently ended the ‘grunge’ scene and was immediately replaced by the plague that was ‘nu-metal’. In parallel though, a band from Arlington, Texas was changing the definition of ‘heavy metal’ forever in the minds of Americans. Their sound brought back the sensibilities of 80’s thrash with modern day elements of groove and hardcore punk. Pantera were one of the pioneers of what is called
The New Wave of American Heavy Metal
The bands that forged ground for this movement include Unearth, Shadows Fall and more importantly, Machine Head. Characteristics of this particular scene were very similar to what happened in the United Kingdom during the 70’s/80’s known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (acts such as Saxon, Motorhead and Iron Maiden. The moniker of NWoAHM contains a vast pool of bands - ranging from gothic, melodic death, sub-progressive to even technical death metal - which put their respective genres on charts and radio stations after remaining underground for nearly a decade. Some popular bands that you may have heard of under this banner include Trivium, Black Label Society, Hatebreed, Chimaira, Mastodon and Slipknot among others.
LORES OF METALCORE The influence of Hardcore Punk was extensive for the bands that followed the NWoAHM in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, which gave rise to the style known popularly as ‘Metalcore’. These bands essentially had the 80’s thrash influences but had a contemporary mode of songwriting with hardcore punk at heart. Initially, metalcore bands were dubbed as ‘bands that try to sound like Pantera’ but things changed with the advent of more melodic elements and even clean vocals; Hatebreed, Killswitch Engage and Unearth paved the way for the genre. The experimentation by the bands in the States with metalcore led to a slew of sub-genres and fusion-genres with different proportions of hardcore and extreme metal such as – Deathcore, Mathcore, Grindcore, etc. Some of the most ridiculous extents of genre-fusing initiated atrocities such as Pornogrind, which
42
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
was based on porn themed grindcore; Crabcore, based on crablike movements of the band members; Nintendocore, based out of videogame sounds! In hindsight, the ‘core’ genre in fact paved the way for today’s NWoAHM scene - largely occupied by Djent inclusive of bands like Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya etc. The significance of the pioneering bands has not wavered but simply evolved. The influence of these bands over the rest of the world proves the credibility of the signature American Metal sound; which brings us to the most important band under the NWoAHM universe that I’ve evaded so far, the most influential over the entire existence of the New Wave and one of the biggest heavy metal bands today.
LAMB OF GOD: 7 YEARS & BURNING With multiple Grammy nominations and critically acclaimed series of albums, Lamb of God are the poster children for American Metal today. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, they think of themselves to be ‘a punk band that plays heavy metal’. While on their World Tour, they returned to Bangalore to satiate their hunger for humungous circle pits and devastating Walls of death (google ‘moshing‘), first experienced by them at the SummerStorm Festival, Bangalore in 2010. Starting off with a very death-influenced groove sound, Lamb Of God incorporated a very Pantera-like approach to string-shreddery topped with primal triplet-based grooves which formed a major element of their signature sound. The riffs of Mark Morton and Willie Adler have evolved during their journey as songwriters. While the first few albums, Burn the Priest and New American Gospel were “Dimebag and Mustaine worship”, they became idols to a newer generation with songs like ‘Walk With Me In Hell’, ‘Redneck’, ‘Hourglass’ etc. Bassist John Campbell plays most of the band’s challenging guitar riffs and locks on with drummer Chris Adler like a resonant leach; providing a churning low end and complementing melodies in fills. Adler - who started drumming at 22(!) - has incited his groove-based rhythmic melodies on the skin among the metal fraternity, earning respect among greats such as Gene Hoglan, Tomas Haake and pretty much half the metal drummers on the planet. The lyrical themes have involved War politics, religion and more recently, the human personality. Frontman Randy Blythe’s vocal style has gone from extreme squeals to low-rangy vocal fries with an overall improvement in vocal range and delivery through his career.
HERE… COMES… RESOLUTION! Their latest offering, Resolution, came out in January 2012. The album is a superposition of almost every single record they’ve put out in a way that it still has the major elements that define the Lamb Of God sound but is also progress, musically. If a band sticks to their signature sound, fans criticize them of playing it safe but if the band decides to do something different, fans accuse the band for sticking to their USP; what appealed to the masses first. Huge bands such as Metallica, AC/DC and Iron Maiden faced this sort of paradoxical pressure, almost as if the product (music) is as an entity that must cater to its audience. “This is the situation we face with every record but we are only going to put out what we want to and what we are satisfied with,” declares Chris. Nevertheless, the album topped the Billboard charts at No.1 and was considered by many a critic to be their best effort yet. As a footer: 5 star tracks – Desolation, King Me, The Number Six So apart from playing sold-out arenas and headlining major festivals, what are they doing on such an extensive world tour? “We are filming a documentary right now. It has more to do with the fans than to do with the band. We will be recording fans in places like the Gaza Strip and Israel where they suffer from a lot of political oppression. We want their stories to be heard,” explains Chris. Willie reminisced “It means a lot to us to connect to our fans, because I remember when I was in their position, I used to want to meet the bands that I was into. It builds a real special bond.” The filming took place in India as well and the documentary is expected late 2012, the theme being ‘In a turbulent world, music brings us together’.
(LAMB OF) GOD SAVE AMERICA! Earlier this year, D. Randall Blythe announced that he is running for President of the United States of America in 2012. One has to verify rumours like this and that is just what we did Q: Why are you running for President of the US and what do you think is wrong with the current administration? A: (intensely jet-lagged sigh) What’s “wrong”!? Ahh… That’s like asking the meaning of life itself! There are so many things that I don’t even know where to start. You should check out my blog Randonesia, which I’ll be using for my ‘campaign’. To sum it up, severe oppression and control over the sheep which are the citizens of the United States. I lost the trust of the people the second George Bush got re-elected. There needs to be a change.
Q: How do you plan to change things? A: We don’t! Not the way it is. We write music that basically pisses and moans about how messed up the world is and that’s a statement. It doesn’t change anything. For real change to come about there needs to be a severely radical transformation in the administration. Change is never a slow, subtle process for e.g. - what happened in India with Mahatma Gandhi, who is an inspiration by the way. The man single handedly led and freed an entire nation against oppression. I mean, he was a simple, levelheaded guy and I think he was Punk Rock as hell to be able to do something like that.
Catch the rest of interview with more of Nokia Live’s acts on www.highonscore.com. The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
43
XXXOTIC INDIA: NOKIA ALIVE 2012 BANGALORE
LoG’s live set at their show in Bangalore was supported by well-known Indian metal outfits Escher’s Knot and Bhayanak Maut who did a brilliant job of triggering the crowd and preparing them for the upcoming blitz. Skyharbor along with Daniel Tompkins performed their whole Illusion set from their latest debut album, which was received very well by the 6000 + odd audience. They were recommended by Chris Adler himself to support Lamb of God as he is a huge fan of Keshav Dhar’s work. The looming silence that followed was broken by the infamous drum fill of the intro of ‘Desolation’ and went on to impeccably perform several Resolution tunes such as ‘Ghost Walking’, ‘The Undertow’ and even ‘The Number Six’ which merged really well with their set of the most mosh-inducing numbers such as ‘Black Label’, ‘Walk With Me In Hell’ and ‘Redneck’. The set list was poised sensibly with a mix of the old and the new totaling to a whopping sixteen songs. Apart from the immaculate sound and tight-as-heck set, there was a character about the band that governed the overall experience of their live show – something that simply cannot be faked. Randy nailed each and every one of his excruciating vocal lines to the note (so to speak), interacted freely with the audience and orchestrated massive circle pits with enviable ease. Towards the end of the set, the band was just as blown away by the audience and assured a third coming early next year.
44
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Photography: Praveen S R
“
The music scene of today is only Lesle Lewis!
COUSIN LEZZ
MAKES A COMEBACK! 46
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Madhumita Prabhakar
Colonial Cousin Lesle Lewis talks to us about his inspirations, his music and gives us the scoop on his new solo album – Tanha Sa Soon. Me:
Your father P.L Raj was a choreographer for quite a few popular films such as Sholay and Teesri Manzil. Did this help pave your way into the field of entertainment?
Lesle:
Yes it did. At the early stages of my life, my father’s profession exposed me to Hindustani Classical and Bollywood music. When at home, my father used to listen to AIR which played pure folk tunes without any influence of electronic or commercial music. But I’d say my passion towards music truly scaled over the years because as a youngster, I had the privilege of meeting and interacting with some great artists like Ustad Alla Rakha Khan and Zakhir Hussain.
Me:
Having been surrounded by artists and tunes in the classical route, how did you get into western music? When did that transition happen?
Lesle:
Well, the answer is quite obvious! I belonged to the Rock n Roll generation. The unprecedented tunes of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton captured my senses. Moreover, I was trained under none other than Gussy Rich and Gorakh Sharma, so you can’t really blame me for breaking the rules and taking that journey towards non-conventional music.
Me:
You’ve dabbled in a bit of everything - film OSTs (Modhi Vilayadu & Chikku Bukku in Kollywood), ad jingles (He launched Ze-Bop Musik Pvt Ltd in 1987, which has composed several award winning jingles) & independent music. Which one do you personally find most gratifying?
Lesle:
Every part of this musical journey has been gratifying; when I took on something new, it was challenging, and gratifying in its own accord. Remixes with original artists, concept by R.D. Burman, is a project that will be fondly remembered. Most of my music was accepted in ‘broke moments’, when there was no hope for it. When people were listening to my music and saying, ‘arre yeh nahi chalega.’
Me:
How did Colonial Cousins happen and what would you cite as the reason for its resounding success?
Lesle:
It all happened during my career in composing ad jingles. One evening, in 1992, I’d called in Hariharan to sing a jingle for me. In a long wait for the lyrics to come in, I started strumming my guitar and Hari caught up to the tune and jammed with an alaap. The result of this? A seamless blend of Eastern and Western music that became characteristic of Colonial Cousins! The easiest way to reach out to the masses is regional music. However, Hari & I also realized that the
audience would love to lend their ear to a different note. That is why Colonial Cousins hit platinum records in India. Due to mass appeal, it was also the first Indian act tobe featured on MTV Unplugged. (They also bagged the MTV Asia Viewers Choice Award and the US Billboard viewer’s choice award)
Me:
What can we expect from your first solo venture – Tanha Sa Soon?
Lesle:
Tanha Sa Soon is a very inspiring album put together in a span of just two months. I’ve been a serious composer for a very long time - ad jingles and commercially. I’ve also shared the stage with other artists such as KK , Kunal Ganjawala and Hariharan. My duo coupling with Hariharan has been fruitful but we pitch differently and it’s a different process. Also, he does his individual Ghazal programs sans Lesle Lewis. Now, I think India and the youth is finally ready to listen to my voice. I’ve decided to move solo and create a niche for myself and Tanha Sa Soon is my first step towards that dream. The youth are ready for new genres being clubbed together and TSH fits that bill. There’s some rock’n’roll, blues, a ballad and even Brazilian beats. No collaborations - it’s purely an LL affair!
Me: How has the Coke Studio experience been? Lesle: When I was first offered the position of a Music Director
of Coke Studio India @ MTV, I was thrilled! We conceptualized 51 songs in 40 days and I could foresee a platform to bring unique tunes to the Indian music industry. Coke has this amazing concept of creating a blend of traditional music with contemporary tune which makes the youth grasp their roots while at the same time, experiment with new forms of music.
Me: What’s your take on MTV today, though? Lesle: It should go back to its original tagline
- ‘Music Television’. MTV and Channel V have made me what I am. It was the only platform that supported non-film music. Roadies and all are cool, but other channels are doing reality shows too! With Coke Studio, we’re restarting that, bringing music back to MTV.
Me:
Lastly, why the plait? (He sports a bright red one that sits comfortably on his shoulder)
Lesle:
Somebody joked that because of all these plaits, the album will go platinum!
Interview by Drushtee Shinde The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
47
Nilankur Dutta
IT’S BAND. JAMES
BAND.
After meticulous research and some of the most thorough investigative journalism, we bring to you some awesome ideas for band naming rituals!
Phalguni Nayak
You’ve got angst and you’ve got an acoustic guitar that you can play the C-major chord in. You own a brand new black t-shirt torn at strategic locations (for licensing reasons). You’ve finally managed to get your threshold for gratuitous drug-use to drunken excesses. All that’s left to do is to find a suitable name for your band, and you’re all set for a life of fame, fortune, and chicks and dudes and different dairy animals throwing themselves at your general direction. But now you’re flummoxed. You can’t seem to manage to choose between lyrically eloquent ‘Crazy Chrisnaa’s Tap Dance Extravaganza’ and the staggeringly succinct ‘Krotch!’ (gotta’ pronounce the exclamation, duuude!) Fear not, intrepid reader and part time unappreciated musician, Score as usual is here to save the day. Putting in days of meticulous research and high standards of investigative journalism, we have put together an exhaustive list towards musical success.
48
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
8 TRIED AND TESTED WAYS
TO BLOW MINDS
WITH JUST A BAND NAME Put a Number In There
1
Look at Matchbox 20, Blink 182, Sum 41 and the memorable Boys II Men. Throwing a number in there seems to stir things up quite swimmingly. Maybe put your phone number in there, for a not so subtle hint to all those desperate future groupies.
Misspell Eet When it comes to music, having failed upper KG English seems to be a definite bonus. There’s Korn, who have thrived on misspelling something you’d usually find on your granny’s feet. And Led Zeppelin, Linkin Park, Puddle of Mudd and Limp Bizkit (although, what they were thinking when they named their band that in the first place, is beyond my ken). So don’t be afraid to shake things up a little and throw some improbable y’s in there a la Lynyrd Skynyrd and Wyld Stallyns. After all, to quote the great lunatic Andrew Jackson, ‘It’s a damned poor mind that cannot think of more than one way to spell a word.”
2
Add a Scholarly Pop Culture Reference, or a Very Lame Pun
Name it After an Animal
3
Old-timer rock bands have thrived on this phenomenon that is somewhat akin to biomimicry. Everybody knows that naming you band after an animal adds seven hundred hit points to your charisma. E.g. White Tiger, Whitesnake, Great White, Steppenwolf, the Beatles. Pro Tip #1: Go ahead and mix and match the above rules. Like Def Leppard -bad spelling AND an animal! No wonder they were successful even with a drummer having a completely amputated left arm on board.
4
You’re not looking to appear stupid, are you? Well if you’re in a band then that is probably a bad question. But appearances can be deceptive, can’t they? So put an intelligent pop culture reference in your band name that makes everybody go “Aaaaaah!” Like Brian Jonestown Massacre. Or my personal favorite, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. Or take a more plebian path and put an incredibly lame pun (there are no other kinds) in your band; like The Dandy Warhols or the memorable Rumpleforeskin.
Be Ridiculously Ominous
If You’re Deep Enough, Name It After a Memorable Personal Story
5
When Jimmy Page was assembling his band, Keith Moon said that the group would go down like a lead zeppelin. Then there’s Depeche Mode, who stole the name from a French fashion magazine (whilst, no doubt, stroking their immaculately coiffured hair). And then there’s Steely Dan. So feel free to call your band The Reluctantly Ineffable or Miniature Bushwhackers. It will add a more obvious angle to your tragedy stricken musician image.
6
Scare the audience into a state of trembling docility by your sheer name. That way, when they discover your sound mainly consists of a triangle played in loop over progressive bagpipes, retribution may be a little less swift. Learn to use this brilliant tactic from past masters like …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (keep them guessing about what comes before the ellipses) and I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness (still, he does love you) and Megadeth whose name refers the death of a million people in a nuclear disaster (Dave Mustaine had a lot of repressed agro over his Metallica firing). Now is not the time to be coy. Call yourselves ‘And Death Will Fall From The Eaves.’ Or go with the egregiously redundant ‘Homicide By Murder.’
Punctuate The Hell Out of It Um. Find Interesting Foods?
7 Aug 2012
When you are out of ideas, punctuate. The good thing about this one is that it does not need to follow any rules of logic or physics. Like W. A. S. P or Panic! At the Disco. Don’t be afraid to replace entire words with punctuation, like ‘? and The Mysterians.’ Explore the more unpronounceable punctuation marks, like Sunn O))). In fact, go ahead and name the band ‘(.)(.)’ and gloat at the look of befuddlement on their faces. Pro Tip #2: This one works for your individual moniker as well, et al Ke$ha or Will.i.am.
8
You’ve got this far and you still have no idea what to name your band. But man, do you have a craving for a burrito. Well, that works too! Red Hot Chilli Peppers made it work. Black Eyed Peas made it work (kind of). In fact, Giant Meaty Burrito would be a significant improvement over any of these other names.
To wit, The Score Magazine call dibs on all the names we’ve come up with in this article and you now owe us eighty percent of all future profits in the unlikely event that you ever make your band profitable.
Now, go forth and conquer.
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
49
Neha Malude
INSPIRATION & A LIT W
hat do R D Burman, S D Burman, O P Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishen, Rajesh Roshan, KalyanjiAnandji and Nadeem-Shravan all have in common? YES, they are all music directors – but hold your horses! They are all also composers who have, at some time or the other, been ‘inspired’
by music from other cultures – western, Arabic, Pakistani and even Korean! If you thought lifting tunes began with Pritam and Anu Malik, you’d be wrong. It’s a trend that started right from the days of black and white films – a time when music directors were taken in by music of the West.
CUT, COPY, PRAISE! Even luminous composers like S D Burman and Salil Chaudhry have looked towards the West for inspiration. To cite a few examples: The famous Hum The Woh Thi (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, 1958) almost sounds the same as the Watermelon Song by Tennesse Ernie Ford. The peppy Jeevan Ke Safar Mein (Munimji, 1955), the first line of which seems to be vaguely
reminiscent of The Mexican Hat Dance. Salil Chaudhry admitted to adapting a Polish folk song Szla Dzieweczka Do Gajeczka for his evergreen composition Dil Tadap Tadap Ke (Madhumati, 1958). And how about the perennial favourite Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (CID, 1956) by O P Nayyar that echoes Oh My Darling Clementine, an American western folk ballad?
AND THE FLATTERY CONTINUES… Through the decades, the trend of lifting tunes has sometimes been a bit too blatant to be labelled as just inspiration. Take the instance of C Ramachandra’s Gore Gore (Samadhi, 1950), a clear copy of Edmundo Ros’ Chico Chico or Shankar Jaiskishen’s Dekho Ab Tho (Jaanwar, 1964) which is a total rip-off of The Beatles’ I Wanna Hold Your Hand. A few others that come to mind are Laxmikant Pyarelal whose Ek Haseena Thi (Karz, 1980) is a lift of George Benson’s We As Love, Jatin Lalit, whose Jaana Suno Hum Tumpe (Khamoshi, 1996) sounds exactly like Paul Anka’s Bring The Wine. Or Bappi Lahiri’s Sochna Kya Tha (Ghayal, 1990), which bears unending similarity to Kaoma’s The Lambada.
50
The
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
Ram Laxman, the music director of Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), also joins the list. He famously based the song Aate Jaate very closely on Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You and Mere Rang Me from Swedish rock group Europe’s Final Countdown. And how can one forget the gems of Anu Malik – Arre Baba (Auzaar, 1997) and Dil De De Dena (Dhaal, 1997) – both taken from Los Del Rio’s Macarena? And more recently, Pritam’s Shikdum (Dhoom, 2004) which he admitted to being inspired from Turkish singer Tarkan’s Sikidim and Ya Ali (Gangster, 2006) a lift from the Arabic band Guitara’s Ya Ghaly (This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Pritam Da’s exploits require their own space altogether!).
TTLE MORE
Song lifting – another trademark of Bollywood. We get our sleuth mode on and track this trend with special mentions to some serial offenders! OLD IS GOLD…. AND GUILTY! But ask Karthik Srinivasan, owner of the website itwofs.com – a comprehensive compilation of inspired songs, lifted tunes and coincidental copies in Hindi film music -about who he thinks is the worst of the lot and pat comes the reply, “Nadeem-Shravan, undoubtedly! Not only did they lift the songs Dil Ne Ye Kaha (from Abdul Majeed Abdullah’s song Ahibak Leh) and Aksar Is Duniya (from Lebanese singer Najwa Karam’s Ashtany) for their film Dhadkan (2000) but also said they deserved a Filmfare award for it!” Is there a popular tendency to single out only the new blood for lifting tunes and forget about composers of yesteryear? After all, Anu Malik’s rumoured-tobe lifted Taarein Hai (Virasat, 1997) from Simon & Garfunkel’s El Condor Pasa is a brilliant rendition. “A little, maybe,” admits Karthik. “We’ve grown up listening to stalwarts like S D Burman and Shankar Jaikshen so we don’t
like to accept that they cheated a little too. Anu Malik probably gets hammered more because he copied some really famous songs! But on the other hand, he has composed some really memorable ones too.” So how much is too much? “I can’t determine that and I think it’s an unending debate. Everyone will voice their own opinion about why the tune is not lifted, what raga it is and so on. So there’s no exact formula to determine if it’s original or not,” opines Karthik. Maybe not, but as intellectual rights property lawyer Pravin Anand discussed on Karan Thapar’s panel discussion on a similar topic - plagiarism of Hindi music - a few years ago, if the listener can easily recognize the original tune, it can be called a copy. Unless due credit is given to the original tune; much like Maine Jise Abhi Abhi Dekha Hai (Kal Ho Naa Ho, 2003) for which Karan Johar paid a lump sum to use the track Pretty Woman.
REASONS & REWORKS: NEVER ENDING! Could it be the constant pressure of delivering a hit soundtrack that drives composers towards lifting? Many agree. And then there are some who have admitted outright to being told by the film’s director or producer to deliberately imitate a tune. The popular duo AnandMilind revealed in an interview once that out of 1,600 songs they wrote, seven or eight have been copied simply because the director told them to. Another very plausible reason behind the complacence related to lifting tunes could be the lack of copyright on original songs. And
because a copyright lasts only for 50 years, if a composer lifts a tune that was written in say, 1960, it would not be illegal, although perhaps unethical. The yes-you-copied-no-I-didn’t tune will always be on a loop. One can attribute this to the fact that there are only seven notes and there’s bound to be some overlap, sometimes coincidental. What composers can do to save their reputation, however, is to give due credit to the original creators for let’s face it – inspiration can be the mother of excellence too! The
Aug 2012
Score Magazine
www.highonscore.com
51