The Score Magazine Aug-Sept issue!

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 09 Issue 06 August-September 2016

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India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

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STAR OF THE MONTH

KHUSHBOO GREWAL SHE SPOKE TO US ABOUT HER JOURNEY IN THE MUSIC SPACE AND HOW SHE ENTERED IT, HER PROJECTS SO FAR AND THE ONES TO LOOK OUT FOR.

GANGA ANTHEM DISCOVER THE STORY BEHIND THE OFFICIAL ANTHEM OF THE INDIAN RIVER GANGA. YOU WILL BE AMAZED!

PRODUCT REVIEWS

COVER STORY

BENNY DAYAL

WE HAVE SOME INTERESTING REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS FROM HARMAN, SENNHEISER, CASIO, ROLAND, BEYERDYNAMIC AND YAMAHA.

SPEAKS TO US ABOUT HOW HE CAME INTO THE MUSIC SCENE, STRUGGLES AND CHALLENGES HE FACED, HIS FAMILY, FUTURE PROJECTS AND MUCH MORE ALSO INSIDE : ABOUT ANGELS OF ROCK, SACHIN-JIGAR’S PROJECT IN ASSOCIATION WITH WILDLIFE AND MUCH MORE.

PLAY, SING, SHARE, REPEAT Contemporary and versatile, the DGX-660 has something for everyone!

NE W DGX-660 Piano, recording studio, band, orchestra… an instrument with immense musical versatility awaits you

Available in : Black (DGX-660B) White (DGX-660WH)

DGX-660 Highlights • Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard with 88 keys and mattefinished black keys • Pure CF Sound Engine • 554 voices • 192-note polyphony • 205 accompaniment styles and Style Recommender

• Piano Room function

• Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC)

• Damper resonance

• Mic input with effects

• DSP effects; reverb, chorus and harmony

• USB TO DEVICE terminal, USB TO HOST terminal

• Dual and Split function • 6 track recorder / USB-Audio Recorder • Spacious graphic display (allowing, for example, the presentation of notes and song lyrics)

YAMAHA MUSIC INDIA PVT. LTD.

For more information please visit our official website: - http://in.yamaha.com Find us on : facebook.com/ymindia

PRO KEYBOARD FOR STAGE AND STUDIO

musee musical

since 1842

www.museemusical.in

cSpeabing !he language of !Jl(usic s1nce 1<542 Established in 1842, Musee Musical is the oldest surviving 'music salon' in the country. Started by a Portuguese man named Misquith, mainly for servicing pianos and organs, the company was earlier known as "Misquith and Co" Over the years Musee Musical, has come to be known as the most reputed and trust worthy music store selling all the brands of music instruments, music accessories and music books from over the world.

Musee Musical also trains students in Indian and Western instruments and thousands of students appear year on year for exams conducted by Trinity College of Music, London.

Musee Musical Private Limited Chennai : Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002 Ph: +91 44 28522780, 28516474, Fax :+91 44 28585447, E: info@museemusical.in Hyderabad : Opp. Old Airport, Begumpet main road, Hyderabad - 500 016 Ph: +91 40 66101535, 66201535, 27762229, E: info@museemusical.in Pondicherry: Door. No.129, Saint Theresa Street, Pondicherry 605001 Ph: +91 0413 2223533, M: 9600009989, E: info@museemusical.in

PX-350M WHEN YOUR MUSIC MATTERS

The original Privia was the answer to many pianists’ prayers: the first (and for some time the only) serious 88-key digital piano at an unprecedented price and weighing only 25 pounds. This made it a catalyst for increased competition in the under-a-grand piano market: 128-voice polyphony, graded and weighted keyboard actions, and ample supplemental sounds are pretty standard these days. What does Casio do to up the ante? For the latest Privia, the PX-350M, they plunged their resources into a piano playing experience so improved... it’s astonishing.

One new feature which comes out of the box—but after a couple of uses is to be found indispensible—is the audio recording. Plug in a USB flash drive, hit a couple of buttons, and you can now record anything that goes on in the instrument as a CD-quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) WAV file. This is great for capturing fleeting songwriting ideas, documenting practice for feedback from a teacher, or turning a solo gig into a demo.

Piano Sound and Feel

On the Gig

Compared to the previous flagship Privia (the PX-330), Casio has tripled the sample size of the main piano sound. They’ve also adjusted the key sensors such that there’s a lot more going on than what you may be used to from a digital stage piano. For one, the keys transmit high-resolution MIDI to the internal sound engine (as well as any external software that can interpret it), so instead of 127 possible velocity values, there are 16,256.

We took the PX-350M out of the box and directly to a 150-seat jazz quartet gig. Going through a pair of Barbetta 41C keyboard amps, it took me a few songs to nail my sound. Most digital pianos, we now realize, are more forgiving than a well-miked acoustic grand. That’s what this Privia— with its sensitive dynamics and wide separation—sounds and plays like in a live situation. For the first few tunes, we had to concentrate on our voicings and touch. Then, it began to sound like a good recording of a live performance. A week later we played a 500-seat corporate gig through a pro sound system with a stereo direct box and wedge monitor.

Again, it was like playing a miked acoustic, only now we knew how to take advantage of it. For example, you don’t necessarily have to twist the volume dial to make it louder—you can simply dig in more.

On a graded keyboard, the hammers are (or seem to be) heavier and slower in the lower range, just like on a real piano, and they get gradually lighter as you ascend. The PX-350M has this, and also something called Hammer Response, an algorithm that accounts for the time it takes for the heavier hammers to hit the strings at a given MIDI velocity. Also, the key surfaces have a prominent texture that gives your fingers grip, wicks away moisture, and makes it hard to go back to stage pianos that don’t have it.

The PX-350M has sustain resonance, which simulates the sound of all the strings vibrating in sympathy with actually-played notes when the damper pedal is down. Check out presets like “Grand Piano Dolce,” which dials in resonance like you would reverb or chorus. The effect is magical. Casio also touts AIR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator), their digital strategy for interpolating between the four velocity-switched sample levels. It works. You get smoother dynamics, finer control, and longer samples with barely noticeable loops. Slam down an octave near the bottom and it growls away for what seems like forever.

The PX-350M sounds fine through its internal speakers as well as the signal from the Privia’s line outs is hot enough that you can leave the keyboard volume knob below three o’clock and just raise the gain on your amp, P.A., or recording interface without adding to the noise floor.

We tested this, and the results were loud and pure.

A final nit: On a dark stage, it’s easy to reach for and hit a Registration button and recall a sound category. Registrations save the entire state of the instrument and can include rhythm and auto-accompaniment that starts right up. Pre-programming registrations (a good idea in any case) can save you an embarrassing moment here.The latest Privia

delivers the most realistic piano experience you’ll get for under a grand and rivals the sound and feel of stage pianos that cost Bottom line: You have to engage the same level of mental and kinesthetic many times more. concentration that you would if playing an acoustic grand. Once you do, you have a very expressive instrument at your fingertips.

The Privia PX-350M has the soul of a real acoustic grand. It’s inspiring and emotional in a way that I haven’t experienced Other Sounds and Features in a digital piano outside of the best virtual instruments and What Casio didn’t do was tamper with the already robust feature array most expensive hardware digitals. Kudos to Casio for their of the previous deluxe Privia, the PX-330. For the Rs. 8000 bump up from commitment and execution. the PX-160 (which features the same piano sound), you get 250 sounds, a 17-track sequencer that records and plays MIDI files via driver-free USB2, a programmable drum machine with 180 rhythms, auto-accompaniment, and auto-harmony—the latter two with a bit of cheese factor but darned fun nonetheless.

There are cushy Rhodes simulations, a nasty little Wurly that’s the goto EP on anything funky, Clavs that cut, and a serviceable smattering of organs. New in the PX-350M are a super-wide stereo string patch and some ballsy drum sounds. The bass/piano splits (with both acoustic and electric basses) work in many situations, and you’ll be grateful for the pitch-bend wheel, which you can whip out at least once a night even on piano trio gigs.

PROS Uncanny grand piano playing experience. Audio recording of your performances. Graded action with textured keys. Giggable EPs, organs, basses, and General MIDI patches. Ultra-light.

CONS One needs to buy a case for the PX-350 separately as that makes it so much easier to carry to a gig.

I NSIDE

BENNY DAYAL

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Talks to us about how he entered the music industry, challenges faced by him, his musical journey, future projects and much more.

KHUSHBOO GREWAL 30

GANGA ANTHEM

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She spoke to us about her journey in the music space and how she entered it, her projects so far and the ones to look out for.

INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

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An insight into some of the pioneers of Indian Classical Music

AMARTYA GHOSH

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Discover the story behind the official anthem of the Indian river Ganga. You will be amazed!

Amartya catches up with Score on how his music comes straight from the heart of a guy who loves to sleep and exudes a characteristic optimism

KALPANA PATOWARY

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ANGELS OF ROCK 34 MTV sets out to rock India with woman power with the launch of a brand new musical road trip â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock.

PARTY LIKE AN ANIMAL

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Bollywood Sensations Sachin & Jigar compose the new music video to celebrate the Indian wildlife This rare female folk artist has already many feathers in her cap as a musician-achiever.

Read her complete interview to discover more.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE Director, Strategy and Planning Ajay Prabhakar Director, Business Development Pragash VM Director, Marketing & Operations Sneha Ramesh Editorial Advisor Nikila Srinivasan Creative Director George Vedamanickam Content Contributors Pramita Bose Amogh Rao Manisha Bhat Shreya Bose

thescoremag

@highonscore

Let's rush to the press, and let's then put our foot in the mouth. The world is becoming a more opinionated place; some people would blame this phenomenon, and every other possible "evil" phenomenon on our "intolerant" Prime Minister, but I would do no such thing, let's argue on fact, please.

There is a new phenomenon brewing. It's the phenomenon to hurt sentiments of people in the guise of supporting "Azadi", and then ranting against the Indian state for not playing along. I recently read a very descriptive account of a Kashmiri rap artist who used his stage to raise slogans against our country.

It boggles my mind as to how one cannot distinguish between the freedom to express honest opinions about the plight of Kashmiri people vs throwing bile on the Indian state (not the government, the state). I look at it through the prism of common sense: If you know how to break the law, then you know how to face the law.

AJAY PRABHAKAR Director, Strategy and Planning

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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. 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.

SENNHEISER EVOLUTION In 1998, evolution microphones were thrust into the spotlight for the first time, providing bands with a complete microphone solution for flawless and rich sound for both vocals and instruments. Since then, the company has sold some 10 million wired and wireless evolution microphones. evolution microphones are designed specifically to withstand the rigors of live stage performance, excelling at meeting a range of specialized needs in this demanding market. At the same time, the series manages to strike the right balance between affordability, impressive sound and high quality workmanship. The evolution series has the right microphone for any performance, regardless of whether the stage is big or small. They are a permanent fixture of the sound tech’s rider for countless bands and events. In Grammy’s as well, evolution microphones are used for vocals.

LOOK BACK TO HOW EVOLUTION SERIES WAS CREATED Before the introduction of the evolution microphone range, Sennheiser’s professional microphone offering was dominated by classics such as the MD 441, MD 421 and the MD 409, as well as mics based on these models. The company’s focus was clearly on the TV area, on high-quality microphones for use in broadcasting and TV studios and not every microphone that has been optimized for broadcasting can be so easily transferred to the live stage. Sennheiser was faced with a complex problem: the company knew that if it wanted to be more successful in the music industry, certain price limits could not be exceeded. At the same time, the company wanted to continue to focus on quality, with microphones that were made in Germany.

In the end, the solution was the domestic manufacture of high-quality microphones through a fully-automated production process. This represented a major financial and technical risk because such a production line had never been built before. Together with an engineering company specialized in precision engineering, the company’s manufacturing engineers and product specialists started to develop a production line for manufacturing dynamic microphones and capsules.

1998 and one year later: the first mics started rolling off the assembly line and the evolution range was launched.

The company’s willingness to take a risk paid off through a comeback in the music microphone industry that was nothing short of spectacular. The original models of the evolution series included the wired vocal microphones e 825, e 835 and e 845, as well as instrument microphones e 602, e 604, e 608 and e 609, with more models added over time.

EVOLUTION 900 SERIES –DESIGNED FOR THE MOST DEMANDING TASKS In 2003, the first premium evolution 900 models were added to the evolution microphone series. With the microphones of the 900 series, Sennheiser started a new tradition of testing the microphones from the outset in the environment in which they are actually used. The company took the first prototypes straight to a music club we know well, where they were put through their paces by musicians and the developers. Once there, we could hear directly where changes needed to be made to the sound, or where more presence or brilliance was needed. Our developers with their design and music expertise –then usually knew which refinements and tweaks were required to achieve the sound quality they were after. In record time, the 900 series has become a well-known brands among bands, artists and sound engineers. The sound of the vocal capsules and, in particular, the sound of the 935 capsule is very popular.

Every detail counts for perfect live sound. Take the evolution wired 900 series: conceived of as a harmonically calibrated family, these high-end microphones combine demanding sound with unmatched reliability.

Uncompromising stage equipment for uncompromising professionals.

EVOLUTION WIRELESS D1 D1 is a range of digital wireless microphone systems that lets bands go wireless the easy way. With systems for vocals or for instruments, a band’s life is made simpler: transmitters and receivers automatically pair and select suitable transmission frequencies, while multiple D1 systems can automatically coordinate themselves. ew D1 operates in the 2.4 GHz range, which is license-free worldwide. D1 instantly readies you for making music and takes the complexity out of wireless Ease of use is key Bands can now just forget about frequency setting, matching transmitters and receivers, and getting the gain right – evolution wireless D1 offers true ease of use by doing all these time-consuming and sometimes error-prone chores for them. Basically, all that is needed is to switch the system on.The rest will happen automatically. In no time at all, you’re all set to start jamming – with all the levels right, and a stable wireless link.

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L A Y A D Y N N E B

Benny Dayal, the enthusiastic voice behind the super popular dance number Badtameez Dil, spoke to us about how he came into the music scene, struggles and challenges he faced, his family, future projects and much more.

Read on to discover some inner secrets of this sensation.

When was the first time you realized you wanted to pursue music?

S5 led you to be where you are today, how were those days?

When I was 13, I was in school. I’ve been listening to all kinds of music all my life and it came to a moment where…Mr. Rahman was playing a very key in my life that time because he’s just come out in ’92 and this was in ’98 and I knew it – this is what I want to do. His album, Dil Se had come out, we were really young at that time and these songs hit me really hard. I really had no words to express what I was feeling at that time. I wasn’t mature enough to explain or realize but it really made me feel one thing that I want to do music till I die, that is all matters and there’s nothing else. So, that’s how the big decision came.

It happened in Chennai and S5 was the time when I got acquainted to recording in the studio, interacting – being a team player and at the same time being a solo singer and being a backing vocalist. It teaches you all the aspects of singing.

Singing has 2-3 aspects, you back somebody and you sing lead so S5 was all about that, you learn the combination of both.

For me it was a great learning experience because I got to understand how things work in studios, how people record your voice, how the entire recording process happens, how the music is produced, how the music is created, how it is put forward, how the voice is added to it, how every layer or harmony is done, how to sing into the mic, how to utilize the mic properly, all of that I learnt. So it was one hell of a learning experience for me.

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MANISHA BHAT

1. Best song you’ve sung so far Kaise Mujhe Tu Milgayi 2. Your favourite recent release Roota from Teena and Kehe Bhi De from Traffic 3. Favourite comedian in the Indian comedy scene I love Vir Das and I love Kapil Sharma because he’s ridiculously funny I also like Irfan Khan’s sense of comic timing

Just do what makes you happy, that’s all. I’ve been saying this for the last 10 years and I still say the same thing.

4. One instance you can never forget in life Recording this Tamil song called Omana Penne from Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya and I recorded this song on my birthday

I read that you joined MCC mainly for its cultural and you have been a part of quite a few bands there, how is it different when you’re making music as a band as opposed to independent music?

Well, being in the band, we were making independent music.

Music is music at the end of the day, there is film music and independent music but they’re classic occasions being created by the media but for me, it is all music and that’s exactly why I want to be a part of everything and I want to do more.

You should not let your heart stagnate or let your mind be complacent of what you already have and if you can do more and find pockets of happiness, fill in those pockets of happiness in your life and if all those steps make you feel happy then you should continue doing it because happiness is the only thing that keep your mind away from being attacked by the devil in you because if you keep your mind idle it is just one spiral downwards. So, I never let that happen, I like to engage myself with doing more music and doing new stuff all the time. I’m working on my EP this year, it’s a Hindi-English EP called Silence Swaad Anusaar. Swaad Anusaar in Hindi means ‘as per taste’ and I believe that music starts from silence and with silence. And when I work with great producers, they always say, “Silence plays a very important role in music” and it’s like a very valuable ingredient in a song and that’s why I named my album Silence Swaad Anusaar, it’s going to be a great album, it’s not going to be loud in your face but it’s going to be loud enough for you to enjoy it and soft enough for you to be moved. That is the whole concept behind the album but it is going to be active, fun, creative and it’s going to be very, very independent.

Who has been your greatest influence to make the kind of music you make?

MJ and AR. MJ has been a great influence because I started all because of him. When I was five my dad gifted me the Moonwalker movie and as any kid would go crazy seeing that movie, I went crazy too seeing the dance moves, the singing and automatically I took to dancing and then my parents realized that I have rhythm in my body and that I understand key and pitch and so, everything took over.

You were first noticed by AR Rahman, how was your first interaction with him and how was the whole experience of working with him for the first time?

It still don’t have heavy, valuable interactions with him for me it has always been just watching him and learning the way he works and the way he conducts himself as a human being on the whole, that’s what teaches me and that’s how I’ve learnt from him. It’s not like he tells you things and he gives you advice on something, it’s for you to grab and take things from him. The way he works, works for him really well and if you can take some good out of it and implement it in your life the way you can and make it your own, then that’s really good for you, right? So, that’s all I’ve done, I haven’t sat there and asked questions and questioned the art form or the craft of making music, nothing, just observe, keep your mind open, let there be a lot more passion in your art and you’ll be there.

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How hard was it for you in that window when you had just started singing regularly and then you had to give up your job to follow your dreams? What kind of parental pressure followed after?

I had a lot of pressure, crazy amounts of pressure. When I used to go and record there have been points where people have rejected me, the way I sing and said “Naah…this is not a great voice” or “You’re never going to be a singer,” and stuff like that and you have to go through that because that should trigger to bring out the better in you, there’s nothing called the best but the even better in you. Even my parents sometimes were like “What are you doing with your life?” so I had to fight it and keep the faith. So for me pressure brought out the even better out of me and I’d say succumbing wouldn’t have helped and I would have been nowhere. It wasn’t much of a shift; my plan of coming to India was to become a singer. I fought with my dad, I argued with him as to why I needed to go to Chennai from Abu Dhabi when my dad wanted me to get a business degree from Pune from a good business school like Symbiosis or so and I said “No. I want to become a singer” and he questioned me “What about your education?” and I was like I will study just that I need to make my way through this and I can do it myself and by you telling me what to do and what not to do is going to confuse me further and I will be hopeless, I will be pointless and I will be goalless in life. So I had to fight it and make that choice. We had a cold war for almost a month and a half, we never spoke to each other much and eventually when I started recording in movies and songs started doing well and when the whole world started letting my father and mum know “Oh your son’s song is beautiful” “He’s done a great job” “How did he meet Rahman?” and then my father started feeling that I am becoming important in life and he’s becoming important to the people in the society. Not in terms of becoming big or humongous but in terms of marking yourself as a recognized person. And that made my parents feel that I am actually taking the right steps in life and it was not through any push or pull through anybody in the industry. I had nobody to push me.

What is the scene like for someone without a godfather to survive in the industry?

I’ll tell you something, it is very hard to be honest. Everybody has honesty in them but some people don’t choose to be honest. You can show it every day and my thing is, even this interview is me being honest and I’m not trying to sugarcoat any of my life and if I went through shit, I went through shit and if I’m having a good time, I’m having a good time but I am extremely honest about what my life was and what it should be and I’m not sitting there expecting things to come to me and make my life wonderful. For me, I am expecting to improve and that’s a very honest way of saying and is not something people would like to quote in the papers and read that some other day. For me, honestly, I just want to become better and I just want to become more awesome and even when I meet my musician friends I keep saying that I want to be more awesome. You have to be more awesome, you have to be blowing everyone away when you perform and you know that first line you sing on stage should just blow them away. And I still feel that I haven’t been able to do that for myself.

All of what I am doing is for me and no one else and if I am going to make myself happy, I’m sure that everyone else is going to see the resonance of my happiness. So that’s what it is, it’s at a higher level for me altogether. And thank you for interviewing me because people get to hear my story.

How come you never went back to acting after By the People?

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I was never serious about acting. I realized that making music is more my cup of tea. I don’t know, I can’t be so loyal. I need to sleep.

I love to sleep. You have to be there on time, you have to look fresh and all that takes a lot of dedication and to be very honest I am lazy in some way and I love to sleep because my voice has to sound great when I get to the studio. Like how every actor’s face needs to look

fresh, when they sleep they get their beauty sleep and they look fresh, for me I need to sleep so that my voice sounds great and I sing my song without wasting the composer’s time and energy, nailing the song as per his vision and getting it to that point where he is happy and also I am happy. You are giving everything into that song, your heart, your soul, your blood, your sweat.

Language has been no barrier for you and you’ve sung in all South Indian languages, how do you go about that?

To be very honest, I have an ear for grasping sound so I used to imitate when I was in school. I used to listen and then imitate and because I used to imitate, it was easy for me to sing too. And then I realized that language isn’t much of a problem and in school I used to study Arabic, I was very good at Hindi in school and I studied French and I was really bad at it and dreaded it. There have been instances where you do a corporate show and you perform for a Korean client and you have to learn a Korean song, I have done that. Recently Karsh (Kale) was producing an album for this amazing Chinese singer called Sa Dingding and I have featured on Malayalam/ Chinese collaboration and Karsh is giving a brand new image in terms of her sound, him being the genius he is. So yeah, languages have never been a barrier for me, I’ve sung in Telugu, Kannada and recently I’ve recently been approached to sing in Gujarati as their industry is beginning to grow. I also happened to learn a little bit of Ohamia singing with Papon for Assamese when I was doing Coke Studio. As long as you treat your mind as a child, you can always teach your mind to learn right from the base. People keep approaching me with different languages because they think that my diction is quite okay and they’re happy with the way I sing in their languages; they don’t curse me so that’s more than enough.

You experiment a lot with different genres, which would you say spoke to you the most?

Every genre is interesting in its own way and I’m not trying to be diplomatic and it’s just that sometimes you want to be doing everything but not everything may come to you perfectly. I used to sing Arabic in school and that was to a certain extent but now I’m trying to sing even more perfectly.

Sometimes when I’m in Dubai and I’m stuck in immigration or something and sometimes they have the prayer going on, they put it on the speaker, I just take my phone out and record the prayer. They sing it and it’s really beautiful, so I try and learn inflections like that and try and do stuff like that so that I can I can improve myself because I learnt the language and I need to keep it intact so that makes me a cut above many other musicians in terms of delivery of content in the industry. So, that’s how I train myself, if I’m travelling so much and can’t constantly learn music my only way of learning is to record content and to keep listening to it.

Where do you draw your inspiration from to create music?

There is nothing like that, so Tamil Fever was created by Nucleya and me in five minutes. We were in a hotel room and we didn’t have a mic to record it, Nucleya had this basic beat and he was like can we do something on this and I was like do you have a mic to record it because I will lay you melody right now. He just turned the phone’s video camera on and pressed record, he played the beat and I just started singing till the track ended. He stopped and he was like, “Dude! The song is set.” And a few months later Sony approached us and that was it, the song was there and we just had to get the song written in

Tamil as per the concept of the song they wanted and my friend Christopher Pradeep wrote it and we recorded it and it was there for everybody to enjoy.

You’ve sung a lot of songs in so many industries and have also released albums, both independent and commercial. How do you find the time?

Make time, as usual. It is very simple, you have to make time, and if you cannot make time you cannot make music. There are sometimes when I’m gigging and recording very busily for weeks, sometimes you get a 3-4 day break and at that time I contact my friends whoever helps me produce and who I can produce with, I make time, either I fly them down or get to them, sit with them and share these ideas, melodies that I have on my phone, and see how we can arrange it and which angle we can go with to produce the song to make it sound unique.

I always write lyrics when I’m flying in flights; the melody is in my head so I keep writing them down. Sometimes I start writing a song and finish writing it before the flight takes off and those are the best songs that happen.

You’re also a great hit when it comes to live performances as you get the crowd pumped up. Which do you like better, singing in a studio or at a live performance?

Both are just the same because you are performing at both, you are giving your heart and soul for both because you perform in a studio and give it your best so that the song sounds great and you’re performing on stage and are giving your heart and sound so that it sounds great there too just that there’s one person as an engineer or a composer in front of you and over there, there are just many more people. Honestly, my performance is the same in both places. The thing is, I do music, and when you do music you should look like you were born to do this. It applies to anybody, any kind of job. On Facebook, some people they write horrible stuff about Mr. Rahman being such a bad performer but even now when he’s on stage that aura and the purity he spread is amazing. He is pure, his mistakes are pure, his songs and the way he sings is so pure, he is not pretentious, he might not be perfect but his imperfection is saw pure that it wants you to be someone like that even when he made a mistake, he smiled about it.

People’s heart should melt and people actually say “Oh…he made a mistake, so cute.” And that’s what I strive for where you become so great that one small mistake can be forgiven.

But I’m in a stage right now where even one mistake cannot be forgiven and I shouldn’t forgive it myself.

Is there some sort of a pre-show routine that you follow?

No, I just pray. I make sure I pray before I get on stage. My band, Funktuation, and I pray together before we go on stage.

What advice would you like to give to upcoming musicians?

Just do what makes you happy, that’s all. I’ve been saying this for the last 10 years and I still say the same thing. If you aren’t happy doing what you’re doing, don’t do it. Simple. And don’t be pretentious and just be yourself no matter what.

Lastly, what do your future projects look like?

Teen, Amitabh Bachchan’s movie and then I have many that I cannot reveal. Independent is my album which I’m working on, called Silence Swaad Anusaar with my friend and brother Dub Sharma and I’m really looking forward to this EP because it’s going to be something that’s really, really cool.

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For more details, please log on to

www.harman.in

Harman Professional India launched its range of JBL Marquis Dance Club Products at the Harman DJ Arena during Indian DJ expo.

JBL’s Marquis Dance Club Series is a state-of-the-art family of loudspeaker systems designed specifically for the Dance Club Market.

MD7

Ultra Long Excursion High Power Dual 18" Subwoofer

MD49

High Power 4-Way Loudspeaker with 2 x 15" LF Driver The MD49, a high-power 90° x 50° dual 15" low-frequency system utilizing dual 2265H Differential Drive transducers, CMCD82H 8" midrange driver, 2432H 3" diaphragm compression driver, and dual ST400 super tweeters.

PRODUCT FEATURES • Dual JBL 2265H 3" dual voice coil – dual magnetic gap Differential Drive® woofers

The MD7, dual 18" subwoofer system is fitted with two JBL 2269H Differential Drive, Vented Gap Cooling capable of generating frequency response to 25 Hz in a sonically superior and visually imposing dance floor system.

• JBL CMCD-82H 8" cone midrange compression driver • JBL 2432H 3" diaphragm, 1.5" exit compression driver

PRODUCT FEATURES

• 90° x 50° PT™ Progressive Transition waveguide

• Dual JBL 2269H 4" dual voice coil – dual magnetic gap Differential Drive® woofers with Vented Gap Cooling™

• Dual JBL Selenium ST400 Super Tweeters • 4-way quad-amplified system

• 4000 watts continuous program power handling • Horn-loaded enclosure for low distortion • Ultra low-frequency response with true sub-bass extension This product can be used in sophisticated dance clubs and anywhere high energy dance music is required.

MD52

2-Way Full-Range Loudspeaker System with 1 x 12" LF The MD52, also designed for the mobile DJ is a medium-power 90° x 50°, 12" 2-way fully passive full-range system utilizing a 262H Differential Drive transducers and a 2408H-1 compression driver with a 1.5" diaphragm for smooth low distortion high-frequency response.

This product can be used in sophisticated dance clubs, Mobile DJ and live sound reinforcement.

PRODUCT FEATURES

This product can be used in sophisticated dance clubs and anywhere high energy dance music is required

MD55

2-Way Full-Range Loudspeaker System with 1 x 15" LF The MD55, designed for the mobile DJ requiring a light weight, high fidelity portable system. The multi angle enclosure features a 45° angle on one side for use as a floor monitor in the horizontal orientation and is fitted handles, a pole mount cup on the bottom panel. MD55 is a mediumpower 90° x 50°, 15" 2-way fully passive fullrange system utilizing a 265H Differential Drive transducers and a 2408H-1 compression driver with a 1.5" diaphragm for smooth low distortion high-frequency response

PRODUCT FEATURES • JBL 265H 2" dual voice coil – dual magnetic gap Differential Drive® woofers

• JBL 262H 2” dual voice coil – dual magnetic gap Differential Drive® woofers

• JBL 2408H-1 1.5" diaphragm, 1" exit compression driver

• JBL 2408H-1 1.5" diaphragm, 1" exit compression driver

• Pole mount socket for portable applications

• 90° x 50° rotatable PT™ Progressive Transition waveguide

• 90° x 50° rotatable PT™ Progressive Transition waveguide • Pole mount socket for portable applications

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This product can be used in sophisticated dance clubs, Mobile DJ and live sound reinforcement.

NATIONAL AWARD WINNING SOUND ENGINEER KJ SINGH SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE ON DT 1770

I played various kind of tracks and also played at both loud and soft levels to gauge its ability to play subtle nuances at both volumes and it managed to deliver very admirably. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very pleasant headphone to listen to music and seems to engage the listener.

SHANTANU HUDLIKAR, GLOBALLY RENOWNED SOUND ENGINEER FROM YRF STUDIOS SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE ON DT 1770

The DT 1770 pro is probably one of the finest headphones that I have ever used.

A beautiful sonic spectrum is heard and engulfs and embraces the listener. Silky highs, well rounded mid-range and well balanced low end. The fit is perfect; the build seems extremely sturdy. I do believe they will sound even better with a good headphone amplifier.

beyerdynamic India Private Limited. #1,14th Cross,10th Main, Malleswaram, Bangalore-560003 Shaik Ahmed, shaik@beyerdynamic.com

DGX-660 The DGX-660 is simply loaded with music power. Hundreds of sounds and backing styles, audio and MIDI recording, microphone input with effects… the list is almost endless. However, it’s still incredibly easy to operate; everything is controlled from the intuitive panel and graphic information display, allowing you to focus on the music.

Of course, when you just want to play piano, you still have the great sound and faithful response for which Yamaha is renowned. The Piano Room feature gives you a choice of different pianos and room acoustics – you can even adjust the lid position of your virtual grand piano!

The DGX-660 can be connected to computers and other devices via USB and there’s also an optional wireless adaptor (UD-WL01) available to connect to your network. For maximum versatility, whatever your style of music, the DGX-660 is an outstanding digital piano and more!

FEATURES Just You and Your Music The DGX-660 contemporary digital piano gives aspiring pianists a fun way to enhance their learning experience. Players of all abilities can feel what it's like to play with a band and sound like a pro. The built-in USB Audio Recorder captures your musical inspirations when you're ready to share your accomplishments.

Sing along while you play!

Choose your piano, and choose where you'll play it!

Welcome to your personal "Piano Room"! The DGX-660 provides a dedicated virtual space where you can choose from a variety of pianos and acoustic settings, creating your personalized practice or performance environment. Simply select your desired piano, then choose acoustic spaces from a plain room to a club stage to a concert hall. You can even adjust the position of the virtual piano lid!

Go wireless with your iOS device Simply connect a microphone to the DGX-660 to either sing along with your playing or with pre-recorded karaoke song files from Yamaha Musicsoft. Hear what you sound like with everything mixed perfectly together from the builtin speakers. View the lyrics on the included score display.

Three convenient presets are provided for different vocal performance situations. You can even create and save your own original microphone settings including professional reverb and chorus effects.

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Optional wireless adaptors from Yamaha stream audio and MIDI to and from your iOS device with compatible music apps. The Chord Tracker app takes full advantage of this technology, allowing you to play back songs from your iOS device song library wirelessly through the DGX-660's speaker system. Chord Tracker analyzes the audio songs stored in your iOS device and then displays the chord symbols for you. It can even create an XF song file that plays back the entire song using the DGX-660's accompaniment Styles.

World Class concert grand piano sound Pure CF Sampling The Pure CF Sound Engine is the result of years of piano-making history combined with state-of-theart sampling technology and piano expertise. Yamaha is the industry leader in digital piano technology, and you can hear this in the Voices that utilize the Pure CF piano sample. The sound of the renowned Yamaha CFIIIS 9' concert grand piano is faithfully reproduced, allowing for incredible dynamics and expressiveness, making the DGX-660 worthy of the Yamaha name.

Authentic piano touch, 88-note weighted GHS keyboard The Yamaha Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard features a weighted action with heavier touch in the low end and lighter touch in the high end, just like the hammers inside an acoustic piano. Great for the aspiring pianist, practicing on the GHS action builds the proper finger technique and strength for when the time comes to perform on an acoustic piano.

Chords played simply. Sound like a pro!

Smart Chord makes you sound like a pro, even if you're just learning how to play. With a single finger on your left hand, Smart Chord will create entire chords from simple Pop triads to complex jazz 7th and 9th chords. Accompaniment Styles create the rest of your virtual band so you can get straight to playing music.

USB Audio Recording/Playback Record performances or MIDI songs as uncompressed, CD-quality audio (WAV) to a USB flash drive using the Audio Recorder. From there, you can copy songs to your computer to make CDs, share over the Internet or transfer to your portable music player. You can also playback uncompressed WAV files stored on a USB flash drive.

Damper Resonance Damper Resonance digitally reproduces the sympathetic vibration between strings on acoustic pianos. Just like an acoustic piano, when the damper pedal is used in a performance, other strings add sonic colour to the notes you play until the pedal is released.

Easy-to-read score and lyric display The crystal-clear LCD can be switched to score or lyric display, showing you notation for any MIDI song that the DGX-660 is playing.

Read the music for your favourite built-in songs, or follow along with songs downloaded to a USB device from Yamaha MusicSoft.

Even see the score for songs you've created yourself on the DGX-660!

Live! Cool!, and Sweet! Voices Authentic guitars, lush strings, punchy brassâ&#x20AC;Ś the highly acclaimed Live!, Cool! and Sweet! Voices feature a unique blend of long, stereo and multilayered samples that capture the essence of each instrument, right down to genuine resonance, expression and vibrato.

Style Recommender - Choose styles the easy way!

Style Recommender helps you find styles quickly and easily when you know how the music should feel, but don't know which style is right for the part. Simply play a few notes in the rhythm of the song you want to perform, and Style Recommender will offer a list of matching Styles to choose from.

Let your mobile music device be heard!

Use the Aux line input to connect your portable music player or even another instrument and hear the playback through the speakers of your DGX660. The DGX-660's speaker system is powerful, clear and fine-tuned for playing back music of all types.

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A WORLD OF SOUNDS AND BACKING STYLES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Songwriters and performers alike will be pleased with the wide-ranging sounds and powerful arranger engine of the Roland E-A7 61-key arranger workstation. You'll have ample hands-on control, with 156 dedicated function buttons that allow you to make changes fast and efficiently.

The E-A7 even packs a high-quality microphone input with dedicated vocal effects. Complete with backing styles from a wide range of countries and regions, the Roland E-A7 is an exceptional arranger keyboard.

Powerful arranger for live performance If you're a solo performer who needs an arranger keyboard as your backing band, you'll be well served by the Roland E-A7. Assign one-shot audio samples or even MIDI phrases to the six pads, and trigger them anytime during your performance. And seven user-assignable buttons allow you instant access to anything else you want to do.

Over 1,500 sounds, with backing styles from all over the world From pianos, EPs, and organs to strings, brass, and more, the Roland E-A7 arranger keyboard has you covered with over 1,500 essential instrument sounds. You get a wide range of instruments from all over the world, too, including authentic sounds from Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

Built-in song player supports WAV, MP3, and MIDI file playback The built-in song player on the Roland E-A7 is just as useful for playing some music between sets as it is for importing pre-created MIDI files to play along with. It can even serve as an impromptu karaoke system: when using WAV files, you can use the Center Cancel feature to minimize the recorded vocals to leave room for your own voice. The song player can act as a recorder too, allowing you to record your entire performance as a WAV file and save it to a USB stick (not included)!

Features: Over 1,500 versatile tones from all over the world WAV file import and onboard sampling function Huge library of backing styles from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America Powerful arranger engine with direct control buttons and versatile, one-touch performance options 156 dedicated buttons for fast access to commonly-used functions Logical dual-screen layout, with backing styles on the left and sounds on the right Microphone input with dedicated vocal effects Easy to carry and transport, weighing just 8kg

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ZOOM U-24 AND U-44 HANDY AUDIO INTERFACE Whether you're in the studio or out with your iPad, Zoom's U-24 and U- 44 Handy Audio Interface makes it easy to record and monitor. Microphones, linelevel sources, guitars, you name it - the U-24 and U- 44 has the connections you need. What's more, you can connect Zoom Capsules to your U-44, adding microphones and additional preamps instantly.

Pocket-sized recording interface that's ready to travel Few audio interfaces compare with Zoom's U-24 and U- 44 when it comes to sheer portability. With the U-44, USB bus power is only the beginning. For one thing, it can run on a pair of AA batteries when bus power isn't available, making it an excellent audio interface to keep with your iPad (Camera Connection Kit required). And since both the audio interfaces are so compact, you can comfortably carry it in your jacket pocket and be ready to record whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.

All the connections you need Despite its diminutive size, the U-44 certainly manages to pack in the I/O. A pair of TRS/XLR combo jacks serve as your main analog inputs, accommodating line-level sources and microphones - even supplying phantom power to condenser mics. What's more, there's a DI input so you can plug in your guitar. There's also MIDI I/O for your MIDI devices. Separate headphone outs make collaborative work easy.

Loaded with Zoom's top-quality preamps and conversion Inspired by the Zoom H-series recorders, the U-44 is equipped with high-performance, low-noise mic preamps (-119.5 dB EIN) that enable recording and playback at resolutions up to 24-bit/96 kHz. You can also use U-44 as a studio-quality headphone amp and listen to your favorite music in full fidelity

Zoom U-44 Handy Audio Interface Features: 2 and 4-channel USB recording interface for Mac, Windows, and iPad (via Camera Connection Kit) 2 XLR/TRS combo inputs include the microphone preamps from the H6 (with phantom power) Extensive analog I/O accommodates mic-, line-, and instrument-level sources Record and play back high-quality audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz resolution Connect Zoom Capsules to add microphones or expand your input connections in Zoom U 44 Digital I/O supports standalone AD/DA conversion Onboard MIDI I/O accommodates keyboards and controllers Record for up to 4 hours on just 2 alkaline or NiMH rechargeable AA batteries Includes download code for Ableton Live 9 Lite The

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HARMAN Professional Solutions launched its first DJ Arena at the Indian DJ Expo 2016 Organizes a Live demo of solutions for clubs, pubs, lounges, DJ rental industry and a three day DJ battle

HARMAN Professional Solutions, a leader in professional sound, light, video and control equipment, organized its first Harman DJ Arena at the Indian DJ expo 2016 from 30 June – 2 July. The Indian DJ expo is India's first ever exposition on the DJ and his environment. The Expo was held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, the international destination for prestigious exhibitions, having the best facilities and a landmark known to everyone in the trade.

Harman Professional India participated in the show to support the hospitality industry which includes clubs, bars, lounges, restaurants, and rental agencies. They created a platform for the DJ community to bring out the best talent in front of the entertainment professionals from across India.

The platform was divided into three parts. During the First half, company’s officials showcased their sound and light solutions catering to different needs of the market live on demo, then a 2 hour DJ competition where 9 DJ’s from EDM genre competed over 3 days, followed by the culminating headliner act by some very well known EDM DJ’s of India.

The four sound solutions showcased at the arena were from the JBL Marquis range. JBL’s Marquis Dance Club Series is a state-of-the-art family of loudspeaker systems designed specifically for the Dance Club Market.

The MD7, dual 18" subwoofer system is fitted with two JBL 2269H Differential Drive, Vented Gap Cooling capable of generating frequency response to 25 Hz in a sonically superior and visually imposing dance floor system.

The MD49, a high-power 90° x 50° dual 15" low-frequency system utilizing dual 2265H Differential Drive transducers, CMCD82H 8" mid-range driver, 2432H 3" diaphragm compression driver, and dual ST400 super tweeters.

The MD55, designed for the mobile DJ requiring a light weight, high fidelity portable system. The multi angle enclosure features a 45° angle on one side for use as a floor monitor in the horizontal orientation and is fitted handles, a pole mount cup on the bottom panel. MD55 is a mediumpower 90° x 50°, 15" 2-way fully passive full-range system utilizing a 265H Differential Drive transducers and a 2408H1 compression driver with a 1.5" diaphragm for smooth low distortion high-frequency response The MD52, also designed for the mobile DJ is a mediumpower 90° x 50°, 12" 2-way fully passive full-range system utilizing a 262H Differential Drive transducers and a 2408H1 compression driver with a 1.5" diaphragm for smooth low distortion high-frequency response.

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Martin by Harman took the center stage with their entertainment lighting products: Mac Aura, it is the first LED moving head wash light to combine multicolor beam LEDs with a backlight LED array that takes the synthetic look out of LED wash lights;

DJ COMPETITION CONTESTANTS DJ Skip ( Delhi) World Champion IDA 2013 , DMC 2014 1st runner’s up for Talent DJ Decisions aka Agam Walia ( Delhi)

The RUSH MH 6 Wash, it a fully pre-mixed color system from 12 x 10 W RGBW LEDs with a spectacular 10°–60° zoom. It also offers full electronic dimming, strobe effects and temperature-controlled fan cooling for quiet operation;

DJ Vm3 aka Vinod Mhetre(Mumbai F Bar)

The RUSH MH3 BEAM, it is a powerful beam moving head that blasts an intense and narrow long-throw beam for spectacular mid-air looks and effects. It houses a fixed gobo wheel and color wheel with a multitude of effects possible from a dimmer, strobe effect, 8-facet prism and focus;

DJ V-Tek ( Delhi) Winner of the Harman DJ Arena

The Atomic 3000 LED, this is not only a strobe, but also a creative tool that incorporates backlight illumination with RGB-controlled LEDs pointing into the reflector. It delivers stunning eye candy looks similar to the MAC Aura™ and the MAC Quantum™ Wash.

HARMAN DJ Arena, a three day DJ contest brought together some of the most renowned DJs from across the country under one roof. It was a Battle of DJs where nine DJ's competed over three days.

Each day also had a headliner act played the well known names from the industry.

DJ monks aka Mayank Anand ( Hyderabad) DJ Valance aka Valance Paul (Bengaluru) DJ Suhas aka Suhas Hiremath (Bengaluru) DJ Deepan D’Souza – (Mumbai) 2nd Runner’s up for audience choice DJ Stetson – (Mumbai)

HARMAN DJ Live Arena is a platform for professional DJs to showcase what music means to them. Our club music portfolio offers an incredible experience to the listeners and gives the DJs an opportunity to experiment with their imagination. Indian urban population’s is entertainment crazy and their idea of clubbing is directly linked to good music and sound and a creative DJ, thus giving us the opportunity to invent and create best in class club audio solutions.

- Prashant Govindan, Senior Director – Professional, HARMAN India

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Indian Classical Music The burgeoning of India’s indie music scene often leads many of us, especially milennials to cultivate an interest in the music that defined this country’s soundscape. Anyone committed to exploring great music in India can hardly do without perusing the classical archives. If you’re not listening to the men and women that gave this country its roots in music, you are missing out on sounds that evoke impossibly timeless sentiment. And, if you want to remedy that, you should be youtubing the following five names at the speed of light.

USTAD ALI AKBAR KHAN

ANNAPURNA DEVI

We begin with the obvious name, one that has manipulated the strings of the sarod in order to send multitudes into ecstasy. A virtuoso of the Maihar gharana, he was trained by his father, the legendary Ustad Alauddin Khan. He composed numerous ragas and cinematic soundtracks, chief among them being Satyajit Ray's Devi and Tapan Sinha's Khudito Pashan and part of the music for Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha. Having visited America on the invitation of violinist Yehudi Menhuin, he performed abundantly in the West, attracting the adulation of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr, among others.

The ustad established a music school in Calcutta in 1956, and the Ali Akbar College of Music in 1967, which is now based in San Rafael, California.

Emerging from the same hallowed bloodline as Ustad Alauddin Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi was acclaimed for her mastery over the surbahar ( bass sitar ) to the extent that she counted among her disciples Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Hariprasad Chaurasia. Although she never quite adopted music as a profession in the way of her father ( Ustad Alauddin Khan) , brother ( Ustad Ali Akbar Khan ) or husband ( Pandit Ravi Shankar ), she was lauded with wide audiences and multiple awards. A recluse who recorded no albums and refused to perform in public after her divorce, she is still celebrated as one of the most adept instrumentalists of all time.

To start off on his work, I’d suggest liberal helpings of Raga Chandranandan, a composition he shaped on four evening ragas, Malkauns, Chandrakauns, Nandakauns and Kaushi Kanada .

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While obtaining a adequately audible recording of her pieces is difficult on the internet, it is entirely worth listening to a low quality track of her Raag Manj Khamaj .

SHREYA BOSE

BHIMSEN JOSH

ALLA RAKHA

Apparently, as a child, Bhimsen Joshi was so taken by the the harmonium and tanpura that he would often follow musical processions, at the end of which, he would fall asleep on the streets on account of exhaustion. This addictive disposition translated into his becoming one of the most illustrated exponents of the “khayal” form of singing. He had various teachers, among them Agasara Channappa, who had trained with Inayat Khan and Shree Shamacharya Joshi, a descendant of Haridasa Shree Mahipati Dasaru. His rendering of devotional songs in Hindi, Marathi and Kannada did wonders for his popularity, and he is remembered for kicking off the beginning of Mile Sur Mera Tumhara ( 1988 ).

The man who often set the percussion on his tabla to Pandit Ravi Shankar’s sitar ran away from home at 12 to study the tabla with Mian Kader Baksh of the Punjab gharana. Known for having put in ungodly hours of practise, he metamorphosed his expertise that allowed him to accompany the likes of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Allauddin Khan, Vilayat Khan, Vasant Rai and Ali Akbar Khan. As a soloist, he exhibited nothing nut magnificence in terms of both skill and composition.

“Abbaji”, as he was affectionately addressed by his disciples gained praise from Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart and jazz drummer Buddy Rich ( with whom he collaborated ).

A great way to introduce yourself to the Bharat Ratna awardee’s work is the Raag Marwa as he performed it with Ustad Zakir Hussain.

His duet with Pandit Ravi Shankar on the Raga Pancham se Gara is the go-to piece for everyone looking for a way into this man’s astounding repertoire.

BHIMSEN JOSH At nine, this legendary sitarist became the youngest musician to be employed by All India Radio. A student of Baba Alauddin Khan, he is believed to have practised from four in the morning to eleven in the night. Despite having only been able to finish a few recordings, he performed actively and continued to learn from Ustan Alauddin Khan and his children, Annapurna Devi and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He sought music as an avenue to spiritual realisation and taught few students for fear of not being able to devote the requisite amount of time to a large number of them. His sound, rendered in the Maihar style of sitar playing is often referred to in the same breath as that of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan.

For both beginners and connoisseurs, one would unequivocally recommend his execution of the Raga Bhairavi with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

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Amartya Ghosh As someone who paints empty wine bottles and thinks â&#x20AC;&#x153;cake is always better than a facebook likeâ&#x20AC;?, Amartya Ghosh is not low on quirk, some of which he brings into the alignment of his new EP, Broken Compass. From life in Jamshedpur to his a room of his own in college, his music encompasses personal experience that can easily transmute itself into universal sentiment. Amartya catches up with Score on how his music comes straight from the heart of a guy who loves to sleep and exudes a characteristic optimism.

When did you start creating music?

I wrote my first song when I was thirteen. Most of what I wrote back then was for myself. Jamshepur didnt really have too many outlets for original music and I was still pretty much in the dark about the indie scene in the country. I started living by myself in my second year of college. This gave me a lot of time to revisit old songs and work on new ones. A lot of the material on Broken Compass is also from this time. I like to think of that as the real beginning. Moving into that room was the best thing I've ever done.

What would you say are the primary ideas/sentiments that your music conveys?

Sometimes I hold a mirror for others and sometimes I look at myself. There are no primaries. Sometimes I think of songs as photographs, I'll write something to capture a certain feeling or immortalize an incident or an experience. Some of my songs are statements. A lot of my songs are notes to myself.

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Who are you influenced by?

Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins.

How do you perceive your music independent of its reception by an audience?

I try not to think of the audience when I write. Different people give me different opinions about my music anyway. To me, its like the background score to the movie we're all a part of. :)

Tell us about your EP. How did you decide the songs that would go on it?

Well I have a lot of songs and it was around last year when I decided I should go ahead and record a bunch of them. I wanted my first EP to have the 'mellower' material I had. The songs on Broken Compass are from around the same time.

They're romantic, personal and have always been part of a set.

The name Broken Compass is from a verse in one of the songs (Explorers). Explorers is a song about that time. It talks about love, hope and aimlessness. I really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to expect of this EP but its a start!

How would you characterise your sound?

I don’t. That is for the listeners to decide. A lot of the music I write is mellow, mostly because I like melancholic music but there are songs that are heavy. Songs that try to rip apart the idea that everyone has of singer-songwirters. But let’s talk about that after the next album. Broken Compass is a mellow EP. But there's a lot more in store.

Outside music, what are your primary avenues of artistic expression?

I guess I'm pretty boring outside the music. I sleep a lot. Scare people with political rants and sometimes I paint empty wine bottles.

SHREYA BOSE

Different people give me different opinions about my music anyway.

To me, its like the background score to the movie we're all a part of.

Tell us about the first song you wrote.

I was thirteen and had learnt my first chords. My parents loved listening to Harry Belafonte and there was something about that calypso that captured my imagination. A failed attempt at trying to get there led to a song a called 'Since You've Been Around”. I liked to rhyme back then and put together a few verses (that were obviously dedicated to a high school romance) and that was it. I remember recording it on a tiny Mp3 player and giving it to my mother. She didn't believe me at first and told me I shouldn't take credit for the work other people had done. I had to show her the piece of paper I wrote the verses on to convince her. Playing it just wouldn’t do. This was especially embarrassing as the piece of paper was full of notes passed around in class! But I think the fact that I wrote a song trumped anything else. I don't play that song anymore but I think it’s cool that the first song I played on the guitar was my own.

Can you walk us through your songwriting process?

Musical ideas usually come out of nowhere. I like to keep playing them and keep them alive in my head. But the song doesn't come around until something I want to write about fits a musical idea. I can’t write a song with just a cool riff or a nice melody. The theme must be established before the first word is penned down. Some songs happen within minutes and some take years. You can always tell when a song has been written to put a name to a musical idea and there's nothing wrong with that. But my process is almost entirely an effort to avoid that.

Are you already writing new songs?

Yes I am!

One of the most annoying things is the time it takes for artists like me to record and release a song after writing it. There are too many songs just waiting to be recorded but it'll happen. I might not have all the money in the world but time is abundant!

Which is your favourite song to perform?

There are so many. But currently its Explorers. I've started playing with a band now and Subhadra and Ishaan are both fantastic musicians. We've reinterpreted a lot of the songs. Its like breathing new life into them and Explorers tops my list at the moment.

Do you feel like your music has been appreciated to your satisfaction?

Well I've only just started and there's a whole universe out there that I'd like to win over with my music but yes, I am very happy with the way people are reacting to my music. Someone sent me a polaroid picture, a note and a cake during my launch gig (!) and cake is always better than a facebook like. :)

As a participant in it, what does the indie music scene in this country strike you as?

Its pretty great I think! This scene like any other, is the product of what people want and it can only grow as long as we don’t institutionalize the whole thing and alienate people. I come from a small city and I really do hope to see more and more bands travel to these cities and not just go to the bigger cities. But that’s easier said than done. There's a long way to go I guess, but things are looking up. Look at me, I just answered an interview!

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Tell us how you started your musical journey My musical journey started all thanks to the meet brothers, I use to sing at parties for karaoke nights and that’s where the meet brothers spotted me singing in great sur and taal as per them & they thought music was my calling & I should pursue it professionally & start doing it on stage and make money out of something I love to do so that’s just how simply my music career started

You are also an Actor. How do you manage to be multi talented and do well in all aspects? What's your secret mantra?

I think all in all its performing on stage that just comes naturally to me so whether its acting, vjing or singing or dancing I think all in all I was just born to perform & born to entertain & right from the time I was in school I would love to take the centre stage & love to dance & sing for all my friends and teachers & perform for them & I think that’s when the performance ka keeda really bit me. I don’t think there can be any secret mantra to do what you love to do so I think as long as you enjoying what you doing you really don’t need any secret tonic to work its magic on you, I think some things just come naturally, so does this.

You've sung for commercial films and also independently. Which do you enjoy more and why?

I think the main difference between doing commercial music & independent singles is that when you are doing commercial music you are catering to a particular requirement of a film ,a scene or a director or a producer, whereas if you doing independent music or singles you can make the kind of music that you love to make irrespective of any pre-set situations or requirement. So I think as musicians, independent music gives you a lot more scope to explore & present yourself the way you would want to viz a vi commercial music where you would have to stick to certain demands requirements given to you.

Any albums to look out for?

My latest track PAGALON SA NAACH from junooniyat is just out & its very different from what you heard in girl I need you,so its totally a different vibe, totally different song, so that’s one album that I would love my audiences to check out & give me there precious their precious and valuable feedback.

Which has been your best song ever and why?

The first love is always the love that you remember the most so I think for me my first love has to be pink lips. The song that got me into the Bollywood playback industry & that song is always going to be special to me because A. it was picturised on sunny leone who is one of my hot favourites at this time and because its so fondly remembered & whenever I go & perform pinklips on shows people love it & sing along so just to see people enjoying that song so much makes me very happy.

Message to readers of the magazine.

My message to readers of score would be to dream & then accomplish those dreams. I think life is very short & 1 should just be open to accepting whatever challenges come your way & give your very best & leave the rest to god. I think we have the power to shape your own destiny, if not write it, so I think all those people who have big dreams & ambitions now is the time to get up & go catch your dreams & make them a reality.

Where do you get inspiration from?

Well you know my entry in music is been all thanks to the push that the meet brothers gave me & I know them since the time they use to run a liquor business in the north & to see them make career path for themselves from running a liquor business to starting their own radio channel & then coming into music & becoming one of the most iconic music directors is I think extremely inspiring the way the boys have worked so hard to get to where they are, I think it’s truly inspiring story & they inspire me a lot, they are very motivated ,very energetic, full of passion for what they do & I think that is the most inspiring thing.

Artists you would love to work with and why?

NOTABLES

Well there are for any singer who enters this industry at this age,they definetly want to sing a duet with arijit singh & that dream of mine has come true with GIRL I NEED YOU from Baaghi, bt I think a music composer I would love to work with is MR. A.R. Rahman , I think to sing one of his compositions which are truly timeless is gone be absolutely a dream come true so ya I think its gonna be A.R.Rahman.

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Selfiyan Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene

Tu Takke Dharam Sankat

Girl I Need You

Pagalon Sa Naach

Baaghi

Junoniyaat

STAR OF THE MONTH

KHUSHBU GREWAL

Khushbu Grewal, the voice behind the recent Girl I need you from the movie Baaghi spoke to us about how she started her journey in the music industry, her favorite artists from the industry, how she multi tasks and a lot of interesting facts about herself in this issue. Read on to find out some undiscovered stories.

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The Namami

c

reativity is always born out of an inspiration or a life incident which goes deep within you to trigger an idea, which you religiously develop to create something that signifies your passion, commitment and dedication to that idea. The Namami Gange Anthem (Music Video) is one such. Strong Music and Visuals have the power to communicate an intense message in a way to make people feel responsible and work towards it, rather than make them feel depressed and give up in despair. Of course, with a Music Video, the process can never be split between the Music Making and Video Making. It needs to be thought about and executed in an integrated/seamless manner to get the best output.

On Sept 28, 2014, our Honourable PM Shri. Narendra Modi was making his historic speech at the Madison Square Garden, USA to a crowd that was in raptures. As youngsters, it was an inspiring moment for the Trichur Brothers too. Trichur Brothers - Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan were at Chennai watching this speech being live telecasted. India was projected truly as a Nation it is, with interesting details on its culture and heritage culminating with a detailing of the vision.

Amidst the multiple points he made, one of the points that struck a chord within them immediately was the way he spoke about our National River, Ganga. The Government of India had just launched a movement called, "Namami Gange" translating into "I bow to you, Oh Ganga!!" aimed at cleaning and rejuvenating Ganga .

The Trichur Brothers knew they were destined to be the chosen ones for a project of this magnitude because the idea was so convincing. One thing that they had decided immediately was that this Music Video would be an offering for a National Cause and hence extra care will be taken to make sure that there will be no compromise in terms of Quality.

In a world that talks about Climate changes, water conservation, cleanliness and the likes they wanted to develop this as an idea which would be India's show case to the world that we mean business!

They then had the rough Music track ready and it was during this time that they got in touch with a friend Prashanth Techno, to help them with the arrangement of the Song. They had the visualization and conceptualization of the Video done and knew more or less the imagery they wanted to go along with the Music. This is when they got the other very important link in this project, Deepika Chandrasekaran, former associate of Director Gautham Menon involved as director, in the project. They needed her film making experience and technical brilliance to convert their vision and visualization into a high impact video. The team shot a mock Video in Varanasi.

With an idea, now converted into a basic Music Video, Trichur Brothers wrote to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG, the govt. body in charge of the Clean Ganga Mission.

It was a mixture of joy, nervousness, shock, surprise and an array of other emotions put together, when they got a reply from the NMCG within a fortnight informing them that they loved the concept and that they want us to come to Delhi to discuss this further. The rest as they say is history!

Making of the Music Some parts of the Music is driven by what they wanted to see on the screen and some parts of the visuals are driven by the inspired Music.

They wanted to have 3 parts to the structure.

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Part 1 would have to first educate people on the glory of the Ganga, how she is revered around the world and how she has been referred to by many as

Gange Project the Giver of Life. This thought came from the fact that a lot of youngsters who have bot been in the vicinity of Ganga have a pre conceived notion that Ganga is polluted and beyond repair. There are however many areas where the Ganga is still pristine clean and one can simply cup the water and take a sip without worrying about anything. In fact, they felt so refreshed during shoots having water straight out of the river. It tastes better than bottled water and it felt like it gave you instant energy.

There was also a thought to may be employing the ancient language Sanskrit to add an aesthetic touch to it. It also came from the thought that it is probable that the Most Revered Adi Shankara has written something about the Ganga and who better to describe the Ganga in all her glory than the great saint. They discovered that Adi Shankara had writted an octuplet called "Gangashtakam" describing the physical and subtle qualities of the river.

Part 2, it was decided will talk about how Ganga is important for the life and livelihood of at least 40% of India' population. So, it would talk about the various other facets of Ganga like how she is important for Agriculture, Economy, Tourism, Bio Diversity etc. It also goes on to say how in spite of all the abuse, Ganga keeps flowing in all glory supporting people by giving them the resources they need to sustain.

This is one of those sections where the Music had to be set keeping a lot of the visuals in mind. It just worked seamlessly.

Part 2 and Part 3 had lyrics in Hindi and these were penned by a very good friend Vayu.

Prasanth Techno has arranged the song beautifully based on what they wanted the feel to be. The first part was basically arranged to go with flow of the tune which was set in a way that people should be able to visualize how the Ganga flows when they listen to the Music. Part 2 was set to a predominantly Indianized arrangement and tune with a heavy classical influence. Part 3 was the core of the anthem and had to be powerful and give people a feeling of liberation!!

Though the basic track of the song was completed within a few days, the song kept evolving with new ideas over the next one year or so. The last part of the recording was the 20 piece strings session, recorded at AR Rahman's studio.

The mixing and mastering of the track was handled by Navneeth Balachanderan, a much sought after sound engineer. The quality of output speaks for itself.

They also got a ten piece choir with 5 male and 5 female singers to create an earthly harmonic feeling in the chorus. The chorus was arranged by reputed guitarist Vedanth Bharadwaj.

Quotes by famous people on the project: AR Rahman wishing good luck on the project being adopted as the official anthem for the Movement.

Director Priyadarshan commented on the positive approach towards communicating an important social message Director Gautam Menon commented on the beauty of the visuals Multiple other people have passed on their good wishes. It is also really nice to see the response of the masses. They have got messages even from places like Bangladesh and Australia with kind words. The Anthem seems to have captured the imagination of young and old alike.

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ANGELS OF ROCK MTV had set out to score another big win for woman power with the youth brand launching its brand new show, Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock. The idea is to give viewers some major woman - power punch as four Angels of Rock, Shalmali Kholgade, Jasmine Sandlas, Akasa Singh and Anusha Mani ride across the country to draw inspiration from extraordinary women across cities, towns and villages of incredible India. Be privy to a musical road trip of a lifetime, as these women on a mission.

This show will see four rockstars journeying across the country with an aim to bring women power to the fore. The angels, who have each picked their own stories which have inspired them, will kick- start the action- packed journey from Mumbai, pit stopping at various destinations meeting ordinary women who have made extraordinary contributions to the society through their work with the journey culminating at the Wagah Border.

The angels will meet inspiring women such as the female firefighters of Jaipur, the women running an all-woman radio station in a village in Gujarat, the female rickshaw drivers of Haryana in their famed Gulabi Autos, an inspiring young lady sarpanch, and many more incredible women with extraordinary stories and present to us original songs in each episode which capture the spirit of these stories. Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock is unique in more ways than one, as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a one-of-a-kindshow made of an entirely female led cast and crew filming it. A show made by women with love for everyone. Promoting female solidarity and honoring fierce women, present Angels of Rock will bring with it an amazing concoction of music, adventure and women power through an exploratory bike road trip by four rockstars. MTV puts Angels Of Rock at the forefront of a new generation of females who know their worth and know who run the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; GIRLS!

Anusha Mani- Anusha hails from a musically-inclined family and has Carnatic music from Smt Meera Nathan. Her big break was in in 2007, when Shankar Mahadevan offered her the chance to sing the track Dhoka from Johnny Gaddaar. Recently her play back for Tera Rasta Choddoon Na from Chennai Express and Gulabo from Shandaar has won her a lot of accolades.

Akasa Singh- Akasa Singh was the only girl to make it to the top 5 of Raw star (reality singing show). Post that she got the break of doing playback in the movie Sanam Teri Kasam for the songKheech Meri Photo which went on to become one of the most popular tracks of the year. While music is her biggest passion, she is a globe trotter and fitness lover too.

Shalmali Kholgade- Shalmali began her Bollywood playback singing career with the song "Pareshaan" for the film Ishaqzaade, which earned her wide success and several awards and nominations, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer. The following year, she garnered a second nomination in the Best Female Playback Singer category at Filmfare for singing the song "Balam Pichkari" from the coming-of-age romance Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and received praise for the song "Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai" from the sports drama Sultan (2016), both of which rank among one of the highest-grossing Bollywood film. She received critical acclaim for her singing style in a series of hit songs, including "Aga Bai" from Aiyyaa, "Daaru Desi" from Cocktail, "Lat Lag Gayee" from Race 2, "Chingam Chabake" from Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, "Shanivaar Raati" and "Besharmi Ki Height" from Main Tera Hero, "D Se Dance" from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), "Mohobbat Buri Bemari" from Bombay Velvet, "Shakira" from Welcome to Karachi, and "Naach Meri Jaan" from

ABCD 2, all of which topped the charts. She is also a vocalist with Mikey McCleary's popular act 'The Bartender' where she has performed beautiful renditions of vintage Bollywood songs revamping it with a flavour of sensuous, old school jazz, and is featured on their second album, 'B Seventy'.

Jasmine Sandlas- Jasmine Sandlas took the nation by storm with her playback in the song “Devil-Yaar Naa Miley" with Yo Yo Honey Singh from the movie- Kick. She is a songwriter, singer and performer who sings Bollywood as well as Punjabi songs.

She was also featured on the MTV Coke Studio and Spoken Word platforms. Her first song, 'Muskaan’ written by Lalie Gill was great success worldwide. In 2012, she did an album 'Gulabi' with Bohemia.

Ferzad Palia EVP Viacom18 and Business Head, English and Youth cluster- “MTV is known for creating content that depicts women in strong roles through shows such as MTV Girls on Top, MTV Splitsvilla 9 and India’s Next Top Model. With Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock, our aim is to up the ante by showcasing inspiring stories of real women across the country through a unique musical road trip. The show’s key focus is on celebrating the spirit of womanhood by blending the musical expressions of the four fantastic female singers as they set out on a journey of a lifetime – to inspire and to be inspired.”

Anusha Mani- “The very thought of being associated with a show that acknowledges women and brings out the best in them is extremely appealing to me. The journey was extremely fulfilling as we got to interact with women who have brought about a wave of change in our country through their endeavors. Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock is going to make you fall in love with all the amazing women we met on this magical journey!”

Jasmine Sandlas- “MTV has undertaken a sublime initiative of demonstrating the efforts of real Indian women. The viewers of Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock are in for a lot of fun, music and adventure through the course of this journey. It’s one show you’ll be waiting for all week every week, I can guarantee that!”

Akasa Singh- “It is extremely satisfying to be a part of a show like Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock which combines travel, music and the power of being a woman so beautifully. What excites me the most is that the show will not only revolve around the four of us making music but it will also portray the impactful stories of the women of our country.”

Tune-in details- Catch Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock as it premiers every Sunday at 8 PM pm only on MTV

Shalmali Kholgade- “The concept of the show really intrigued me and without giving it a second thought I took up the opportunity of being a part of it. Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock is a wonderful initiative to celebrate women in all their glory and I am very excited to have been a part of this fun- filled journey along with the others.”

MTV sets out to rock India with woman power with the launch of a brand new musical road trip ‘Sunsilk & MTV present Angels of Rock. Four Rockstars - Shalmali Kholgade, Jasmine Sandlas, Akasa Singh and Anusha Mani will set out on a journey across India to inspire and get inspired.

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PRAMITA BOSE

Kalpana Patowary Her loyal service to Bhojpuri folk music has rightly earned her the sobriquet ‘Bhojpuri Queen’, despite being born out of that strong cowbelt region.

Blessed with an enviable high-octave range, Kalpana Patowary is a rare female folk voice to reckon with in current-day context. Disciple of the legendary Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan, this dynamic Assamese girl is also trained in the rich folk traditions of Kamrupiya and Goalporiya lokgeet by her mentor-father Sri Bipin Patowary, who is also an accomplished folk singer. Having collaborated with ace percussionist Trilok Gurtu and formed the happening folk-fusion band Dhruv Voyage alongwith Dhruv Ghanekar, a co-founder of the path-breaking state-of-the art live performance venue — Blue Frog, this amazingly talented artiste has already many feathers in her cap as a musicianachiever.

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“

I just love to chase the phonetics of every single tongue and boli

How come you know so many languages and comfortably sing in them?

Well, at first let me express my gratitude to the Lord for giving me a golden opportunity to survey this planet Earth as an artiste and celebrate its wealth of variety and originality. Frankly, I do not know all the 30 provincial vernaculars I have sung in.

But I just love to chase the phonetics of every single tongue and boli. You know, every lingo has its own vibrations. Hence, I feel so much blessed to have been born in a country that speaks so many different languages and dialects. In Mumbai, diction was a little problem for me at the outset. But by God’s grace, I proved my credentials in the Bhojpuri language over time which is even more problem-prone. And that’s what I presume has worked in my favour.

Where did you pick up so many folk forms from?

Looking at the prism of art today, I could clearly gauge one thing that many people love to pick up things solely for the use of gimmicks within their scope of work. However, my situation was different. Interestingly, I got my share of name and fame from an unfamiliar direction — from the heartlands of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and there was a lot of travelling involved in the process, getting to meet and mingle with a multitude of people from dissimilar backgrounds and notions. I also got bestowed with the tag ‘Bhojpuri Queen’ which is a big title on my shoulder. Gradually, I was exhorted to follow the route of different folklores and songs from birth till death, in other words, the Sanskara geets. Today it has become my sanskriti to live and breathe like this (smiles), plucking and acquiring different folk philosophies of the human race. It gave me some sleepless nights, yet at the same time, fetched me enough money and loads of accolades that one dreams of. I invested time and efforts to seek out indigenous information at each step, plus there was this perpetual hunger to learn more and work towards not only the artform, but also respect its culture, the history and its ancient roots behind, because they are all there for a reason.

What is the current status of independent folk artistes in India? Do you think their voices often get lost and gagged in the crowd of mainstream film tracks and band-music?

See, it’s easier said than done, because it’s never a cakewalk to find your way into the hearts of women in villages, into the private corners of their rustic homes as well as their warm kitchens. In India in a nutshell, there is no definitive concept of independent music. Here, everything is synonymous with movies and its scores. Music to me is a medium to emote through songs. Today, people want to watch big stars in choreographed songs and a lot of emphasis is laid upon their visual appeal rather than the sound aspect. If a video is devoid of a well-known face, it will certainly not be promoted as much it is duly desired or expected. So, independent artistes have less freedom to be vocal about some vexing issues here.

But hopefully, things slowly seem on the upswing now as folk or regional music has attained international standards and so are its serving folk artistes today. We need to understand that a global sensation like Shakira is phenomenally popular with her native colloquial speech worldwide and not any common lingua franca.

Does India host many folk festivals and platforms to patronize and push the genre on a pan-national level and export the same on a world-wide scale?

Yes, music festivals like Nh7 Weekender, Rajasthan International Folk Festivals are growing size and strength around in India with every passing season and performing folk artists on these stages are certainly getting a good coverage under massive spotlights of recognition. So am quite optimistic about the future which holds signs of promise and potentiality.

Do you advocate experimental work in music or staunchly believe that no format should be tweaked or twisted for posterity’s sake and innovation?

A constant reinvention is the need of the hour. You are always free to speak your mind in indie musical domain but first thing first, that is to put the parent source on record and then opt for fusion in the second phase. Or else, we will lose grips from our original essence forever and forget who we were, who our forefathers were, what our root was and blah blah blah.

You are also breaking away from stereotypes with music by singing Chhaprahiya style of Purvi folk music which was so long a male monopoly. How did you dare that?

I am the first non-Bhojpuri speaking singer who could for the first time present in Bhojpuri music history, an age old tradition of “Khadi Birha” folk to international audiences via avenues like MTV@CokeStudio, Nh7 Weekender and Blue Frog with world-renowned musicians. I am also the first woman to record and sing the Chhaprahiya Purvi style. The day I had decided to give it a go, being a woman I felt challenged by my inner conscience as no woman had ever dared to sing this particular Chhaprahiya form of Purvi folk music as it demands a highoctave range. Without compromising on the conventional and traditional value of Chhaprahiya Purvi, I continued to add interesting innovations. Until I set foot on the scene, Purvi I agree was indeed a male preserve. But today Purvi is known as if I was the one to engender it. The song ‘Devra Tudi Killi’ from my album Pyar Ke Rog Bhayil released from the T-Series stable, was an experimentation to record it in a female voice, needing a very high-octave vocal range to render it successfully. Years later, the song becomes history itself.

How did the big Bollywood offer ‘Gandi Baat’ from R. Rajkumar happen?

Just a phone call from the superhit music director Pritam Chakraborty. That’s it (chuckles!).

Begum Jaan is one of your forthcoming works. Talk to us about its music and the ace composer Anu Malik’s magical touches on it.

I am very happy as the song is based on a tapestry of folk elements. Vidya Balan is a much respected actress for me as her performance graph pitchforks her image beyond the confines of a clichéd Bollywood heroine. And Anu Malikji’s signature melodic tunes are there on the playlist. So excitedly looking forward to this one and keeping my fingers crossed!

Any other upcoming endeavours you would like to mention?

Of late, I finished shooting the music video of my recent musical documentation album, Jimo Chhayan — the children of the sun and the moon of the north-eastern India. The album consists of the famous Assamese strains of Bihu folk songs featuring the core of north-east interspersed with different community languages namely, Deuri, Tiwa, Missing, Sonowal etc. Other ambitious non-film projects include Gangasnan — The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur (Part 2), Labour Pain Songs (Sohar) — how a migrant’s wife delivers her baby, Shikayit — a protest song, Mahout Song — a folk project on Assam’s Goalporiyalokgeet and Uta Desor Palta Katha — a folk fusion album. Among Bollywood assignments, Vidya Balan starrer Begum Jaan and Aamir Khan’s much-anticipated Dangal are waiting in the wings.

Bose Professional Launches

New Line of Adaptable PowerShare Amplifiers

Three 600-watt models allow asymmetrical sharing across outputs

The new Bose PowerShare adaptable power amplifier line consists of three 1U models: 2- and 4- channel fixed-install models (PS602 and PS604) and one 2-channel portable amplifier (PS602P). Each model delivers 600 watts of power that can be shared across all output channels. With support for both lowand high-impedance loads up to 100V, PowerShare amplifiers adapt to a wide range of applications. Onboard configurable loudspeaker processing and direct access to zone controllers eliminate the need for an additional signal processor in many installations, while outstanding audio performance and reliability are assured with patented technologies inherited from the field-proven PowerMatchÂŽ line. This unique set of features and technologies makes PowerShare one of the most versatile high-performance amplifiers available today.

Patented PowerShare technology allows asymmetrical sharing of total amplifier power across outputs. Instead of selecting amplifier power based on the needs of the largest zone, installers now have the flexibility to use total amplifier power in the application. This enables more flexibility during the initial design, or later on-site when making unplanned changes that take advantage of surplus power.

PowerShare amplifiers employ the Dual Feedback Loop (DFL) system, inherited from the Bose PowerMatch amplifier line, improving performance and reliability through continuous monitoring and control of both the current and voltage

delivered to each output load. This combination provides improved linearity and lower distortion, while providing loudspeaker protection. Additionally, each channel can be configured for low-impedance (4-8 Ί) or high-impedance (70/100V) applications without bridging, use of jumpers or software settings.

For applications requiring additional signal processing, the PowerShare Editor software offers real-time selection and control of Bose loudspeaker EQs, 9-band PEQs, mixing, crossover, limiters, delay, and mute/output polarity through a USB connection. For basic setups without a PC, rearpanel settings allow installers to recall Bose loudspeaker equalization and protection per output channel. These features eliminate the need for an external signal processor in many applications.

When an integrator is asked to expand a zone beyond the wattage of the amplifier channel, they have to either buy a larger amp, or buy a second amp to accommodate the change.

With PowerShare adaptable power amplifiers, all 600 watts can be used across the outputs, allowing installers the freedom to utilize power where needed - Arun Kumar

Divisional Manager-Bose Professional, India

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BEYERDYNAMIC DT 1770 PRO THE EVOLUTION OF A STUDIO LEGEND With the DT 1770 PRO headphones, beyerdynamic is building on a great tradition. The new model is the next step in the evolution of the DT 770 PRO reference headphones, which have been tried and tested for decades and are an essential staple for professional users around the globe.

The DT 1770 PRO meets the high requirements of musicians, sound engineers and producers who are looking for the best equipment available on the market. The new headphones are clearly positioned as a new premium model in the range of professional beyerdynamic headphones.

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A detailed and also balanced sound is essential in a recording studio.

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The DT 1770 PRO are the ideal headphones for live applications as the extremely high efficiency drivers ensure a perfect listening experience in loud environments.

A triple-layer compound membrane in the DT 1770 PRO reduces unwanted partial vibrations to allow a previously unknown level of brilliance in the reproduction of overtones, as well as thoroughly impressive bass reproduction. Sound events of any kind are reproduced precisely, and a dynamic range from pianissimo to fortissimo is recreated effortlessly.

In addition to its sound, the new DT 1770 PRO offers an attractive

design. The clear, aesthetic contours reflect the heritage of the legendary DT 770 PRO, while numerous details add fresh accents.

Fine materials ensure durability and captivate viewers with their exclusive look and feel.

The comfort plays a decisive role in mixing and mastering applications. High quality materials and the ideal headband pressure of the DT 1770 PRO ensure maximum comfort and a perfect fit for the daily studio work.

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Velours ear cups and leatherette ear cups are both part of the delivery scope. The sturdy spring-steel headband is adjustable and equipped with exchangeable padding. Thanks to the wide range of accessories, the DT 1770 PRO dynamic premium headphones are ready to tackle any audio task. High-quality accessories are part of the basic version â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the included coiled cable and the included straight cable are singlesided and securely attached to a lockable Mini XLR connector. A hard case can protect the headphones and accessories during storage or transportation.

Whether you are recording, mixing, monitoring or mastering, whether for studio or live use â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO is the perfect solution for professional users who demand maximum quality and the best in both sound and design. Like the classic beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, the new standard for professional headphones is made by hand in Germany.

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Party LIKE AN ANIMAL!

Animal Planet’s new catchy campaign ‘Yeh Mera India’ breaks this month.

Bollywood Sensations Sachin & Jigar compose the new music video to celebrate the Indian wildlife

W

itness the spectacular, explore the exotic and celebrate incredible Indian wildlife as Animal Planet launches a new season of YEH MERA INDIA. Starting August, every night at 8 PM, the month-long programming initiative YEH MERA INDIA travels across India’s most stunning national parks, nature reserves and bio-diverse regions to discover it’s rich and varied wildlife.

Animal Planet also plans to reach out to the youth and family towards the Indian wildlife through a music video ‘Party like an Animal’, composed by music duo Sachin-Jigar. Sung by leading Bollywood sensations Monali Thakur, Anusha Mani and Rahul Pandey in Hindi, Tamil and Bangla, the multi-lingual party track has gripping lyrics, vibrant choreography and glitzy performances.

The song “Toh sochta hai kya, aachal main dikhadoon, aa party karneketarike main sikha doon, come party like an animal…” inspires viewers to come along, connect with the wild kingdom and party like an animal. The groovy and celebratory party anthem aims to capture the millennials’ attention through its trendy aesthetics and foot-tapping beats. Reminding viewers of nature’s beauty and amazing wildlife, YEH MERA INDIA seeks the current generation to be the change agents for a better tomorrow.

“We are delighted that Animal Planet gave us opportunity to connect with our fans and youth across the country.

Party Like An Animalmusic track aims to appeal to today’s generation and sensitise them to preserve the natural world for our own future.” said Sachin and Jigar.

In its fifth year, Animal Planet’s annual programming initiative YEH MERA INDIA takes viewers on an immersive journey across India exploring its iconic wildlife, mystical locations, epic landscapes and colourful beauty. From Kaziranga and Manas wildlife reserves in Assam to Jawai and Ranthambore in Rajasthan, from Gir and Thar in Gujarat to Nagarhole and Shola range in Southern India, this new season of YEH MERA INDIA focuses on the biodiversity of different regions and extraordinary wildlife that thrives in it.

Beginning its journey on August 15, YEH MERAINDIA’s first episode Manas: Return of The Giants tells the story of revival of Manas National Park and returning of all its endangered giant animals: the wild water buffalo, the gaur, the one horned rhino and the Asian elephant.

Experience the dramatic convergence of rare wildlife with people and habitats on YEH MERA INDIA from August 15, every night at 8 PM only on Animal Planet.

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SOUND RECORDING – The Journey

Music has evolved over the years, right from the genres to the way we consume music, digitally and the modern devices – headphones, speakers, home theatre systems. What we forget to think upon is the fact that the way sound is recorded has also changed over the years mostly with the advancement in technology. The major evolution over the years in Studios and recording is the complete transformation from Analogue domain to digital domain. We have come a long way starting with - Analogue mono tapes to now much advanced and flexible digital audio workstations (DAW) which offer at least 128 track recording; Earlier to record music, musicians and singers all had to come together at one time, today individual artist and musicians can record at their convenient time and the song can be mixed later and with the development VST (virtual studio technologies), various music instruments can be played out of one midi controller.

Earlier sound was recorded on from vinyl to 8-track cut to - from cassette to CD and now is the era of digital downloads, the music industry as a whole has evolved over the years. This evolution can be segregated to four different eras – Acoustic, Electrical, Magnetic and Digital. The Acoustic era literally meant recording through mechanical devices. These recorders typically used a large conical horn to collect and focus the physical air pressure of the sound waves produced by the human voice or musical instruments.

The second era, electrical, brought forward the concept of integrated systems which involved - electrical microphones, electronic signal amplifiers and electrical disc-cutting machines.

This marked the beginning of creating sound through a much more organized and hybrid process. Though the capturing was happening electronically, the actual process remained essentially mechanical. Consumer discs were mass-produced mechanically by stamping an impression of the master disc onto a suitable medium. This era also introduced a new profession – the audio engineer, to capture a fuller, richer and more detailed and balanced sound on record, using multiple microphones, connected to multi-channel electronic amplifiers, compressors, filters and sound mixers. Also, the electrical microphones led to a dramatic change in the performance style of singers.

This was followed by the magnetic tapes, the reason for the third era to be called the magnetic era. The magnetic tape recording started with Germany. Magnetic tape revolutionized broadcast and recording. When all radio was live, it allowed programming to

be recorded. At a time when gramophone records were recorded in one take, it allowed recordings to be made in multiple parts, which were then mixed and edited with tolerable loss in quality.

Magnetic tape quickly became the standard medium of audio master recording in the radio and music industries, and led to the development of the first hi-fi stereo recordings for the domestic market, the development of multi-track tape recording for music, and the demise of the disc as the primary mastering medium for sound.

Over the last few years, what has dramatically driven the recording industry to its most successful phase is the digital era. In a period of less than 20 years, all previous recording technologies were rapidly superseded by digital sound encoding.

Unlike all previous technologies, which captured a continuous analogue of the sounds being recorded, digital recording captured sound by means of a very dense and rapid series of discrete samples of the sound. When played back through a digital-toanalogue converter, these audio samples are recombined to form a continuous flow of sound. This era introduced the most advanced consumer audio format to date - the digital compact disc (CD).

The Compact Disc almost totally dominated the consumer audio market by the end of the 20th century, but within another decade it was rendered virtually redundant by the most significant new invention in the history of audio recording - the digital audio file.

The Digital Audio File marked the end of one era in recording and the beginning of another. Digital files effectively eliminated the need to create or use a discrete, purpose-made physical recording medium (a disc, or a reel of tape, etc.) as the primary means of capturing, manufacturing and distributing commercial sound recordings. Concurrent with the development of these digital file formats, dramatic advances in home computing and the rapid expansion of the Internet mean that digital sound recordings can now be captured, processed, reproduced, distributed and stored entirely electronically, on a range of magnetic and optical recording media, and these can be distributed almost anywhere in the world, with no loss of fidelity, and crucially, without the need to first transfer these files to some form of permanent recording medium for shipment and sale.

Thus, over the years the recording journey has taken different turns and sound has been moulded into different casts with the objective of producing an end product that is ‘perfect’. The pursuit of perfect sound has brought us to the current era and will definitely take us further ahead with the constant evolution in technology.

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Key sectors provide big boost for Middle East professional audio visual and entertainment market World’s leading suppliers of event technology and related equipment turn to Prolight + Middle East 2016

Key sectors are providing a big boost for the Middle East’s professional audio visual and entertainment market, with the world’s leading suppliers of event technology and related equipment lining up to take part in the region’s specialist industry trade show in Dubai this year.

This will come as good news to the 80-plus exhibitors from more than 10 countries at the inaugural edition of Prolight + Sound Middle East, whichruns from 31 October – 2 November 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Research gathered by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Prolight + Sound Middle East 2016, indicates that industries such as hospitality, retail, education, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions), present ample opportunities for the AV and entertainment market, and major players are responding.

The three-day event is the Middle East’s premier international trade and networking event dedicated to technologies and services for the entertainment, events, creation and media industries, and has attracted several industry heavyweightssuch as Monacor International, A German manufacturer of PA, stage and event technology.

According to Messe Frankfurt, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) alone has 1,559 hotels, 142 shopping malls, and 245 exhibitions, all of which require the latest professional AV technologies and services to enhance the visitor experience, whether for festivals, special events, and corporate functions, or for night clubs, concerts, restaurants and shops.

Monacor will showcase its three brands, Monacor, IMG Stageline, and JTS, and will launch its DMIX-20 mixer. “The digital mixer DMIX-20 from IMG Stageline impresses with an intuitive operating concept of the well thought-out user surface,” said Marco Willroth, Executive Managing Director at Monacor International.

The Gulf is also home to 99,321 mosques, which translates to regular upgrades of PA (public address) systems to the latest digital models for broadcasting daily prayers, while the 34,302 educational institutionsdotted across the region is also a big market for integrated AV systems.

“Due to the compact design, it’s ideally suited for applications on smaller to medium-sized stages and for home studios. The device quickly impresses musicians, DJs and live sound mixers, and combined with an external router, it allows for convenient operation via iPad using a network connection.”

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Willroth added: “Dubai and Prolight + Sound Middle East is the perfect trading place for our activities in the Middle East and Africa. In this rapidly growing region we are, of course, at the right place with our professional PA technology as well as modern stage and event technology.”

Other big names signing on early at Prolight + Sound Middle East 2016 include Adam Hall, one of the world’s top 25 manufacturers in professional events technology, while Martin Professional, a supplier of stage lighting and effects fixtures, and Sennheiser, which produces consumer and professional audio electronics, are on-board as Founding Partners.

Alexander Pietschmann, CEO of Adam Hall Group, said the company is enjoying strong demand for its event technology in the Middle East: “Due to our worldwide success for more than 35 years, the Middle East demand in the retail, installation, rental, live sound, leisure and sports industries are increasing rapidly,” said Pietschmann.

“We’re going to introduce at Prolight + Sound Middle East the full range of our various brands, stage equipment and cables, since we’re facing increasing demands from the Middle East and Africa. We expect business growth of 15 to 18 per cent in the new fiscal year in this region.”

Prolight + Sound Middle East 2016 will include several special features, such as Stage On, an outdoor live demonstration area

for PA and AV systems; and Music Corner, a specialised area dedicated to musical instruments and DJ equipment.

Other exhibitors confirming their participation at the annual showcase include NEXT–proaudio from Portugal; USheadquartered Samson Technologies; Bosch, and PAN Beam.

Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Prolight + Sound Middle East, said: “In addition to urban centres such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha and Kuwait, the demand for audio visual and entertainment solutions spans the wider Middle East, which is one of the more exciting markets in the world today.

“With the region holding out immense potential to become a leading market for audio visual and entertainment equipment, Prolight + Sound Middle East brings together leading international players and their range of products under one roof to enable easy access for regional trade buyers,” he added.

Prolight + Sound Middle East is the fifth instalment of the international network of Prolight + Sound events worldwide, and is co-located with Light Middle East 2016, the region’s dedicated exhibition, conference, and awards for lighting design and technology.

More information is available at: www.prolightsoundme.com.

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NEW International Exhibition of Professional Technologies and Services for the Entertainment and Creation Industry

31 October â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 November, 2016 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre www.prolightsoundme.com

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s master it.

A diverse range of event solutions that are music to your ears.

From state-of-the-art solutions to ones that meet your budget with the right mix of quality and affordability, explore a wide and varied spectrum of audio-visual equipment and systems at the show.

Register online to visit at www.prolightsoundME.com/Score

AMOGH RAO

7 Youtube Channels to Learn Music at Home Most of us have come across that moment when we notice an instrument in a music store or watch an artist perform, and go home eager to learn it ourselves. Utilizing the largest consolidation of internet videos, we’ve narrowed down a bunch of YouTube channels to help you tone your tunes.

Marty Schwartz Guitar Jamz Almost every single beginner guitar player has heard this man’s name. Marty’s videos are immensely popular and rightly so, considering how brilliantly simplistic yet wholesome his lessons are. From holding a bar chord to shredding the November Rain solo, you’ve got all you need and more with this channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/martyzsongs

Howcast Breaking past your average instrument lessons is pretty much what defines this channel. From music and dance lessons and theory to the science of sound, DIY instruments and gadget reviews, you can’t possibly have enough.

If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for practically everything, you’re looking for Howcast. https://www.youtube.com/user/Howcast

Drumeo Drumeo is to drum lessons, as Neil Peart is to prog.

It’s not just the largest and most comprehensive drum education channel but also the most innovative and versatile of its kind, from guest artist lessons and live play-alongs to technique and hardware tips and tricks. If you can’t tap your feet in time, this channel is for you. https://www.youtube.com/user/freedrumlessons

Scott’s Bass Lessons Most people assume bass to be a difficult and time-consuming instrument to learn. The others assume it to be like guitar and just wing it. This channel is where all of that changes. Scott’s lessons are by far some of the most knowledgeable videos on YouTube, with

concepts and techniques that help day-to-day practice and also a fantastic new outlook towards a critically important instrument. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWTj3vCqkQIsrTGSm4kM34g

Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Although it might seem unconventional to sing to your computer screen, online lessons for vocals are immensely helpful to develop a strong and mastered voice. Ken’s lessons focus on key ideas and approaches towards singing styles, as well as methods to practice.

His channel also features covers of a variety of different bands that showcase a plethora of styles and ideas. You know you’re doing something right when you feature on Jimmy Fallon’s show. https://www.youtube.com/user/kentamplin

Lypur Piano lessons are usually scattered all across YouTube with very few having a direct relationship with music theory. One such channel that brings it all together is Lypur. Andrew, a pianist, puts across some amazing tutorials and covers of famous compositions in an effort to bring together musicians looking for guidance. https://www.youtube.com/user/Lypur

Creative Guitar Studio Most guitar players tend to phase out after learning their basics, most probably due to lack of access to advanced concepts or lessons that explain them. Here’s where this highly underrated yet extraordinary channel comes into play. Andrew Wasson’s talent for making the most challenging techniques seem completely doable is only overshadowed by the vastness and practicality of his videos.

From modes and jazz triads to soloing in odd time, every advanced guitarist should subscribe to this. https://www.youtube.com/user/creativeguitarstudio