The Score Magazine April 2017

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 10 Issue 3 April 2017

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India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

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INTERVIEW WITH

ABOVE & BEYOND

WE HAD A CHAT ABOUT THEIR MUSIC, SHOWS IN INDIA, WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE FUTURE AND MORE

STAR OF THE MONTH

SHRAEY KHANNA

TALKS TO US ABOUT HOW HE STARTED SINGING FROM BEING A POPULAR DANCER, HOW HE LOOKS UP TO MJ AND HIS UPCOMING PROJECTS

READ ALSO

SULA FEST & COLOMBO JAZZ FESTIVAL COVER STORY

WE GIVE YOU A ROUNDUP OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THESE MASSIVE FESTIVALS.

AMAAL MALLIK WE HAD A FUN AND INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH THE TALENTED COMPOSER & SINGER ABOUT HIS LIFE, HOW HE MAKES HIS MUSIC, FUTURE AND MORE ALSO INSIDE: PRODUCTS FROM HARMAN, SENNHEISER, YAMAHA & ROLAND.

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I NSIDE

AMAAL MALLIK 10

The super talented and charming music composer and singer talks to us in a fun interview about how his journey , having a sibling in the same industry, future projects and a lot more exciting and uncovered information.

INTERVIEW WITH ABOVE & BEYOND 32

STAR OF THE MONTH: SHRAEY KHANNA 34

We had an interesting chat with the popular band on their music, shows in India, what to look forward to in the future and more.

SULAFEST AND COLOMBO JAZZ FESTIVAL 16 We give you a roundup of what happened at the SulaFest in Nashik and the Colombo Jazz Festival early this year.

MUSIC FOR EVERYONE 26 Mr.L.S.Ramesh, a Post Graduate from the reputed Indian Institute of Technology-I.I.T.Madras has designed an Innovative Carnatic Music chakra. Read all about it in this issue!

STRANGEST MUSIC INSTRUMENTS

This talented young musician talks to us about how he started singing from being a popular dancer, what he prefers more, how he looks up to MJ and projects to look out for.

INTERVIEW WITH VANDANA VISHWAS 42

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There are far more interesting, curious and sometimes strange devices that serve as instruments. Check it out!

PRODUCTS TO LOOK OUT FOR

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We bring you the hot products from Harman, Sennheiser, Yamaha Roland and Beyerdynamic

In this issue, we chat with the talented singer Vandana Vishwas on her latest album Parallels, her view on the Indie scene in India, and 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 Designer Manasi Doshi Content Contributors Pramita Bose Souvik Chakraborty Shreya Bose Amogh Rao Aditi Sarawagi Deepa Natarajan Sriram Ravishankar

brand partners

During a recent US concert tour, renowned singer SP Balasubramaniam (SPB) received a legal notice from Music Director Illayaraja. The notice claimed that SPB had committed copyright infringement and that he should cease to perform any of Illayaraja's compositions, failing which SPB and the organizers could be made liable for huge financial penalties. SPB's Facebook response to the notice created a stir in the Music Industry: SPB claimed that he was ignorant of such legalities, apologized for the incident and stated that he won’t be using songs from Illayaraja’s repertoire for the remaining duration of the tour.

India has an eons-old tradition of reproducing culture and artistry with little attribution and with impunity. This tradition had enabled much of our culture to spread for many centuries and evolve it to the form it has today. While this tradition is incompatible with modern copyright laws, the common man couldn’t care less: viewing copyright laws as draconian and a regressive way of effecting entertainment control. Not surprisingly, we witnessed some hilarious social-media caricatures on the alleged greediness of Illayaraja.

Tiding against the prevalent public opinion, The Score Magazine is a strong proponent of stringent copyright law. For India to gain a prominent position on the world stage for its cultural and intellectual contributions, it must set the stage for strong institutions that ferociously fights for the right of artists. The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) is one such informal body mandated for collecting royalties from event organizers for events happening in India.

After deducting administrative charges, the Royalties collected are divided and distributed to Music Label, Music Director, and the lyricist of the songs performed. Unfortunately, IPRS is neither an efficient nor a transparent organization forcing many artists including Illayaraja to leave the organization.

Will this incident open the doors for a larger IPRS defection? Will this force the industry to organize itself better to protect it's creators and artists? We certainly hope so.

PRAGASH VM

Director - Business Development subscribe to us at www.thescoremagazine.com

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contactus@highonscore.com +91 95000 12975 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.

AMAAL MALLIK

PRAMITA BOSE

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He started young and scaled to the top to rake in name, fame and moolah over a short span. But 25-yearold composer Amaal Mallik hasn’t got things easy on his plate. For his is not a typical ‘he came, he saw and he conquered’ kind of a story to boast of. Despite being born with a legendary musical lineage, Amaal like his younger singer-brother Armaan too struggled his way to the ladder of success and climbed it up on his sheer talent and patience. Barely four years into the industry, this smart kid on the block already flashes a Filmfare statuette in his pocket with a broad sunny smile. By his own admission, the outspoken Amaal poured his heart out to The Score Magazine on his pedigree, formal taalim, key musical influences, siblingbonding, new trends in the music industry, adulation of fans and much more in a no-holds-barred interview.

Photo credits: Gaurav Sanghvi

Tell us something about your formal education in music. Did you take taalim in diverse genres? Who was your guru?

I started learning the piano at a tender age of eight from talented musicians like Ruma Majumdar, Kersi Gazdar, Xavier Pinto, Yvonne Heredia, Xavier Fernandes, Benny and Joy sir. They’ve all been wonderful teachers and each of them taught me something new to absorb and adapt to! I finished my Trinity College of London course in piano, which was all about western classical music — the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Schubert, et al. But soon I got more and more attracted towards rock, RnB (Rhythm and Blues), pop and country music during my growing-up years. My childhood buddy Krish still makes me listen to a lot of varied genres of music and I am kind of open to everything and anything that my hands can lay upon. So my routine has been to listen attentively and soak in like a sponge right from the start!

I never got trained to produce EDM (electronic dance music) and Dubstep that I’m usually known for. For instance, numbers like ‘Sooraj Dooba Hain’, ‘Chal Wahan Jaate Hain’, ‘Kar Gayi Chull’, ‘Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main — all have the influence of electronic dance music. Composing a melody was something I think I got naturally. It was in my genes and I had grown up in an environment with a continuous exposure to music sittings and live recordings. My jazz and chord progression lessons came from my teacher Benny, who is a wonderful human being and a great master to boot.

Can you trace back your growing up years as siblings under the same roof?

Armaan and I were each other’s support system since childhood. Dad and mom went through so much of struggle in life together, that both ensured to make ends meet and yet retain that smile on our faces. Mom would do tuitions and dad did everything possible to just put food on the table. We were not the kids of a super successful father but then what we are today is because of our humble, sweet parents and their healthy upbringing so as to say.

My father never saw the success he deserved and even though he never showed us he was down, he always made sure that it never affected us. He fought alone with his own internal strife and depression and took us out on the best of trips to cheer up our mood, even if it meant losing out money and work. Armaan and I realised it at the very onset of our childhood that things would be getting rough and we need to buck up diligently. So you may say, that as kids we were very understanding and never grumbled with unreasonable demands. Mom was brutally honest and thank God for that.

She never painted a rosy, unrealistic picture before our eyes about our status. Instead she told us in black and white that we weren’t rich and that we must work harder to earn our bread and butter.

I also remember telling my dad after the 10th grade that ‘don’t you worry, I’m leaving home now with my equipment to venture out, learn the ropes of this industry and stand up for myself’. Both of us brothers I may recall would spend most of our times in the studios and simultaneously pursued studies seriously, as that was something we had to manage with full efforts since mom came from a very astute academic background.

Were you and Armaan both naughty kids joined at the hips, having loads of fun and being partners in crime?

Of course, we have had our fun times too. We went swimming on the weekends, played across sandy beaches, enrolled for

music classes together and so on. Those were some wonderful days it seems as I reflect back. At that time, my only sounding board was my brother and even though he was a mama’s boy, he kept most of my secrets well, unless he wanted revenge for some toy I broke of his or a slap that was too hard for him to digest, ha-ha!

How did you convince Bollywood bhaijaan Salman Khan to come up with a version of the Hero title track in his own signature style?

I never had to cajole or persuade him for the song. I had composed the song during my Jai Ho stint, when I read somewhere that Hero is being made. I dunno why I thought of making a title-song on such a non-romantic word — ‘Hero’. But the way it came about was indeed beautiful. I couldn’t believe what had conjured up but I was pretty much sure that it would be somewhat special and strike a chord. Luckily, Salman sir felt ditto. I mean he loved it so much to my pleasant surprise, that he told me “let’s keep Armaan’s version in the film and record a second edition” in his voice as a “promotional number”.

You know, before this touching ‘Main Hoon Hero Tera’ track came out, I was only offered dance numbers to score and no one ever thought that I could be a serious composer as well, who is really capable of churning out a simple heart-melting romantic ballad. So it’s solely because of Salman sir that I got a scope to showcase a different side of my creativity. This break actually brought about a turning point in my career. So am amply indebted to him for unearthing the hidden potential in me.

In the wake of many singer-composer-songwriters making a mark in mainstream music these days, did it ever occur to you Amaal, to put your words to your thoughts and pen down the lyrics of the tracks while scoring their notes?

I’m glad that more and more singer-songwriters are coming into the scene. It’s a good advantage if an artiste can write, compose and sing. Songmaking is after all a multitasking craft involving many disciplines of art. You see, the industry is more open than it ever was. Thus it pays off to be a multifaceted musician around. Six years ago, when I commenced proposing my ideas to a couple of directors and producers, I was heavily discouraged and told not to compose as I was too young in their estimates. Today it no longer really matters at what age you are setting out to take the world by storm. People don’t bother at all or care much about who you are and what you’ve acquired so far. It’s what you have now and a good song is anytime welcomed with open arms by all labels and producers alike. I’ve penned Armaan’s debut single ‘Leja Zakhm Tere’, and I got a lot of ‘likes’ both as a composer and lyricist for that song.

Do you enjoy female attention? How do you handle crazy fans...did you ever come across any bizarre request?

Well firstly, I don’t agree with the word “crazy”. My fans and supporters love my music, love me for who I am, for the way I think and how I have a voice of my own. They give me their honest feedback, and that helps me comprehend the audienceprofiles and tap their pulse better. As artistes, we live for the appreciation of our work and always yearn for love. As far as female attention is concerned, yeah, I do enjoy it (blushes!).

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Factoid:

Sooraj Dooba Hai was downright rejected by several producers and makers before T-Series honcho Bhushan Kumar picked it up for Roy. Mallik beat the ‘Mozart of Madras’ A.R. Rahman to become the second youngest music-director to win the Filmfare Award at 23, the first being Rajesh Roshan who bagged it at the age of 21 and Rahman was 29 years old when he lifted up the ‘Black Lady’ for his debut Hindi project as a composer, Rangeela.

Bizarre instances with fans have been many, but there was this one very beautiful and cute incident that I can very well recollect is when a 12-yearold boy came down from Kolkata with his uncle and stayed in Mumbai for four days just to wish me on my birthday.

Your musical inspiration and key influences: I avidly listen to eminent German composer and record producer Hans Zimmer. Music somewhere epitomises Hans Zimmer for me. The man is a stupendous genius. In the Indian scene, I’ve learnt a lot from Pritam sir (Chakraborty), Salim Sulaimanji, Amar Mohile, Sandeep Chowta and voraciously fed upon a staple collection of the erstwhile gems like LaxmiPyare, R.D. Burman, et al. I grew up listening to Pritamji, A.R. Rahmansaab and my uncle Anu Malikji. My another uncle Praveen (maasi’s husband) was also instrumental in getting me an access to a lot of internationally reputed artistes’ repertoire like that of Dire Straits, Foreigner, Prince, MJ, ABBA, Kraftwerk, Seal, etc. My regular playlist included an eclectic choice with names like Tom Holkenborg, Brian Tyler, Harry Gregson Williams, Enrique Iglesias, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nickelback, Coldplay, U2 and Creed on the inlay card. So, it’s a mixed-bag in toto. Besides, some Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan songs, some Arabic tunes and the beats of African music would occupy the music-cabinet.

As a composer, how difficult is it to reprise a different version of an already popular song as remakes of yesteryear hits seem the current flavour of the season?

The best way to make a reprise/recreation or a tribute piece, (whichever way you’d like to see it) is to attach your style to it. True that it’s a current trend to remake old classics or chartbuster songs and that’s what has been working for the music market for the moment, but it needs to be done with great tact I feel. For I always ask myself, “What extra can I lend to this particular song to reverberate my personal style through it?” If I can’t shell out something new or add to it musically, then I prefer not doing it at all. I’d rather refrain from remakes and concentrate on my own original stuff.

Gone are the days when superhit jodis like LataKishore, Rafi-Asha, Sanu-Alka, Udit-Sadhna and till very recently, Sonu-Shreya or Shaan-Shreya would happily reign the film music industry. Do you miss the making of such hit pairs as solo voices are more frequently heard these days?

Well, there are both advantages and disadvantages to this aspect. A profitable pair suggests more comfort and ease in working. Also they become increasingly sure and confident

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of getting approached for songs consistently. One big disadvantage to this system is that no new, untapped voice would then stand a chance for a playback, while the industry is hungry for embracing novel tonal textures. But if you reckon today’s scenario, you’d come across a vast abundance of singers and composers flooding the studios everyday. So this plentiful footfall has abolished the previous monopoly in a way. That’s a good sign in my opinion. In recent times, the trend of singer/ songwriters has more prominently begun and we would observe many such talents coming up in the near future.

Love has two facets to deal with — passion of togetherness and pangs of estrangement. The sense of viraha is no longer about melancholia and anxiety but celebration with fun-filled, cheery breakup songs. E.g. the ‘Sayyaji’ song from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. How do you see this change of human expression? Do you think this is only a trendy passing-phase in music?

I don’t think that estrangement has been shown so colourfully otherwise. Except, the break up song that you just mentioned, which again was a situational song through the respective director’s vision. So I guess, till the director briefs you with something so revolutionary such as this, one has to keep adhering to the basic traditional norm and yet come up with something satisfactory to cope with the market dynamics and spell fireworks at the box-office. Coming back to the ‘Sayyaji’ song, it did exceedingly well. It’s a fresh take on things, so why not! If the audience loved it, then I don’t see a problem.

What do you have to say about silent disco as a concept? Are Indian pubs yet to wake up to this offbeat new development?

The concept is really interesting. We bump into so many such unheard concepts, unveiled on screen by films and then they cause a humongous rage. This is one of them. Yes, Indian pubs are still slightly in a state of slumber to adopt it as much aggressively as some parts of the surrounding world already have. But I guess the craze will catch up soon. It’ll be a great idea to boost it over here, as it looked like a lot of fun on screen.

Today, singers and composers often get selected through scratch versions unlike the erstwhile system of auditions, long interactive sessions and interpersonal sittings. Do you find this practice engendering a large, open market crowded with too many players in the same game?

Yes and why not? Gone are the days when you really needed a myriad hurdles to cross and then get your way through the right door after appeasing so many middlemen formally.

Discography Jai Ho - ‘Tumko To Aana Hi Tha’, ‘Love You Till The End’ (House Mix), ‘Jai Jai Jai Jai Ho’ (Title Track) Roy -‘Sooraj Dooba Hain’ Hero – ‘Main Hoon Hero Tera’, ‘O Khuda’ Hate Story 3- ‘Tumhe Apna Banane Ka’, ‘Love To Hate You’ Airlift - ‘Soch Na Sake’, ‘Mera Nachan Nu’, ‘Tu Bhoola Jise’ Sanam Re – ‘Gazab Ka Hai Yeh Din’, ‘Hua Hain Aaj Pehli Baar’, ‘Kya Tujhe Ab Ye Dil Bataye’ Kapoor & Sons – ‘Kar Gayi Chull’, ‘Buddhu Sa Mann’ Baaghi – ‘Sab Tera’ Azhar – ‘Bol Do Na Zara’, ‘Tu HI Na Jaane’, ‘Jeet Ne Ke Liye’ Sarbjit – ‘Salamat’ Do Lafzon Ki Kahani – ‘Kuch To Hai’ M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story – ‘Besabriyaan’, ‘Kaun Tujhe’, ‘Jab Tak’, ‘Phir Kabhi’, ‘Parwah Nahin’, ‘Padhoge Likhoge’, ‘Har Gully Mein Dhoni Hai’ Baar Baar Dekho – Sau Aasmaan Force2 – Ishaara Badrinath Ki Dulhania – ‘Aashiq Surrender Hua’, ‘Roke Na Ruke Naina’

Today if an unknown, unassuming, raw talent has a great tune to croon over the mike, he’ll be definitely given a chance.

That’s how it works today and I totally support this method because I think, we rather have good music on the board than crib about the number of people making it.

I agree, the solo composer trend is still there and it has flourished for several decades now. But several successful movies with multiple composers like Kapoor & Sons, Sanam Re, Baar Baar Dekho have proved that fresh young blood with innovative brains and the capacity to hatch ideas out of the box can also deliver goods with no less flair. Today the most important thing is the song, and whoever has a good song, he or she will be heard across. It’s brilliant that new people are joining in. Well, that’s how the soundscape would change.

Your generation is quite alien to a live-orchestra playing and rehearsing alongwith vocalists on the studio-floor when a songrecording is on. Do you prefer the current process of an instant recording inside a compact room on programmed music?

In all my songs I try and keep a balance of live instruments and programmed stuff.

The depth that a live gizmo can provide to a song is something a keyboard and virtual instruments obviously cannot.

It has a unique flavor altogether. The audio-release of MS Dhoni was recorded by the Bombay Film Orchestra with an entire string section of violins, violas

and cellos. We first programmed all the ideas, and then we got all of it dubbed over live instruments. For example, all the drums, the bass guitar, electric guitars, flutes, etc.

Music releases have become more digital than physical. Is it now easier for amateurs to publish and promote their numbers online and get an immediate feedback from the listeners rather than approaching a music company and then ceremoniously launching an album after getting its approval?

Yes, the digital market is booming and it augurs well for all of us. Isn’t it? Like you said, amateur artistes can certainly put out their work in the cyberspace and get a healthy response in return for a bulk of impressive output. It’s easy, cost-saving and the freedom of expression is well-maintained. Many of the greenhorn talents are in fact spotted over the internet and then called on to do more commercial work.

So it acts as a great medium to hunt candidates with immense promise and possibilities. I think YouTube artistes like Shirley Setia, is the biggest case in point for this.

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CRAFTED TONES, FORGED FOR ROCK Boss Katana 100 - 100/50/0.5-watt COSM Combo Amp With five distinct amp "characters" to choose from, support for acoustic-electric guitars, and access to a wide range of customizable effects, the BOSS Katana 100 combo amplifier represents a new generation of flexible amplifiers for practice and performance. A set of familiar controls allow for fast tone shaping, and you can use the BOSS Tone Studio editor software to further customize your amp settings and effects. The Katana 100 is also equipped with a tilt-back stand so you can hear the amp better, and an adjustable Power Control that allows you to achieve cranked-amp tone at lower volume levels. For a does it all amplifier for electric and acoustic-electric guitar, you definitely need to check out the BOSS Katana 100 combo amp.

Five Original Amp Characters, Honed for Rock Playing Sharpened to perfection by the BOSS engineering team, the Katana-100’s five amp characters offer everything from organic vintage tones to modern high-gain sounds. Clean is natural and transparent, while Crunch offers satisfying grit and response. Lead has a wide gain range to suit many styles, from fat, stinging blues solos to fluid legato shredding. With DNA inherited from the Waza amp, Brown delivers refined high-gain tone sought after by the world’s greatest rock players.

The Acoustic character further enhances the Katana’s versatility, providing optimized tone that makes acoustic-electric guitars sound stunningly natural.

Create custom effects BOSS Tone Studio editor software The Katana 100 supports 55 sweet BOSS effects, and you can load up to 15 of them for instant access. The amp's Booster/Mod, Delay/FX, and Reverb controls give you easy one-knob access to each effects type, with a color-coded button to switch between preset effects. To completely customize your effects and amp settings, connect the Katana 100 to your computer via USB and load up the Tone Studio software. Create your own setup, or download setups created by pro guitarists at the BOSS Tone Central website. Best of all, the Katana 100 can store two custom amp and effects setups for instant recall, effectively making the Katana 100 a versatile two-channel amplifier.

Direct output for silent recording or direct performance While the Katana 100 offers a Power Control for getting cranked-amp tone at a low volume level, you can achieve truly silent recording by connecting the amp's line output to a line input on your recording device, completely bypassing the speaker.

It's also an easy way to connect directly to a PA system to help keep the volume down onstage.

BOSS Katana 100 Combo Amplifier Features: ■■ Versatile combo amp with five amp voicings, customizable effects, and editor software ■■ Amp characters include Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown (derived from the BOSS Waza amp), and Acoustic (for acoustic-electric guitar) ■■ Can store 15 different effects (three can be used simultaneously), selected from 55 BOSS effects ■■ Variable Power Control allows you to achieve cranked-amp tone at lower volume levels ■■ Shape your tone quickly with dedicated Gain, EQ, and Effects controls ■■ Use the BOSS Tone Studio editor software to customize your effects and amp settings ■■ Effects Loop allows you to add effects pedals after the preamp section

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From left to right: Recording engineer Andy Jackson, Dr Andreas Sennheiser, producer Simon Franglen, co-curator Aubrey Powell, producer Simon Rhodes, Daniel Sennheiser

SENNHEISER / PINK FLOYD CREATE UNIQUE IMMERSIVE LIVE 8 MIX

Preview of special AMBEO 3D mix of Comfortably Numb live at LIVE 8, ahead of The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains at London’s V&A . Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason makes a return to Abbey Road as part of Sennheiser’s immersive audio production New Delhi, March 21, 2017 – Audio specialist Sennheiser has partnered with Pink Floyd to demonstrate its AMBEO 3D audio technology in action as part of the sound expert’s work for The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, which opens to the public at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum on May 13.

more, Sennheiser will enable captivating audio experiences for the visitor using its innovative AMBEO 3D technology.

Sennheiser systems will be used for audio elements throughout the exhibition, including the delivery of highest-quality arrangements from historic Pink Floyd documents.

One of the most anticipated elements of the exhibition is a new immersive mix of Comfortably Numb from the Live 8 concert – the last time David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright played onstage with former member Roger Waters – created using Sennheiser’s AMBEO 3D technology in a brand-new format using 25 speakers. AMBEO 3D places sound both around and above the listener, delivering an immersive audio sensation unlike anything visitors have experienced before.

Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, who made a return to Abbey Road during the production of the AMBEO 3D mix, commented on the collaboration: "We have been using Sennheiser equipment ever since Pink Floyd started out as a live band and used the MD 409 microphones for our performances, so it is only fitting that they provide the audio experience at our exhibition.

Sennheiser has been at the cutting edge of audio technology for a very long time, so we have no doubt that they will help make Their Mortal Remains something special.”

The 360 degree surround mix was presented earlier this month at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London, where Pink Floyd recorded a number of their albums including The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. Pink Floyd associate, recording engineer Andy Jackson, who worked with Pink Floyd on several albums including The Division Bell, is collaborating closely on the project with Simon Rhodes and Simon Franglen, the mastermind producers behind the brand new AMBEO version of Pink Floyd’s music, creating new mixes which utilise many more discrete channels than were previously possible. Rhodes is a senior engineer at Abbey Road with over 18 years’ experience of working on productions for projects including the Avatar and Spectre movies, whilst Franglen is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globenominated composer and producer with credits on many of the biggest films of all time, including Titanic and Avatar.

As official audio partner for the Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition, a retrospective of the band’s history, connecting music, sound technology, live performance and

“Pink Floyd has worked with Sennheiser and Neumann microphones throughout their career. To come back to the Abbey Road studios to jointly work with the AMBEO 3D audio technology is a very special part within this collaboration”, said co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser. “3D audio is the new frontier of sound excellence, set to transform the listening experience for users. We are very happy to bring that special audio experience to The Pink Floyd Exhibition”, adds Dr Andreas Sennheiser.

On the production of the AMBEO 3D version of Comfortably Numb from Live 8, Simon Franglen added: “I can’t think of a band that is better suited to Sennheiser’s AMBEO 3D technology than Pink Floyd. They pioneered surround sound in their live shows, now Sennheiser’s 3D immersive audio pioneers a completely new experience. It allows the audience to hear every detail inside the performance. I can’t wait to see what Pink Floyd fans make of the 3D audio version when they see the exhibition.”

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DEEPA NATARAJAN

Reality

BITES Do you remember the time when you would finish all your work and rush to the living room to catch the latest episode of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’? How about the days when you would wait an entire week to catch the next episode of the programme?

Hosted by the then fresh face and now much sought-after Sonu Nigam, a mere mention of the show brings back a host of memories for all those who are old enough to remember the 90s.

Giving some tough competition to this show was ‘Meri Awaaz Suno’, hosted by actor-singer Anu Kapoor who was also the warm host of the extremely popular ‘Antakshari’.

Now here’s a little trivia for you. Did you know that the two most popular female playback singers of today – Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan were both participants of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ and ‘Meri Awaaz Suno’ respectively?

We bet some of you do remember these divas as chubby little teenagers who sung like a dream on these shows and shot to fame.

Shreya was handpicked by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali to sing all the songs of his magnum opus ‘Devdas’.

The music of the movie became a big hit and the rest as they say is history. Shreya went on to win numerous awards including the National Award.

Sunidhi Chauhan’s musical journey, a tad bit different, nevertheless started from the stage of ‘Meri Awaz Suno’.

Though she first sang for a film called ‘Shastra’ and went unnoticed, it was her effortless rendition of the songs of ‘Mast’ that made her a household name. Not to forget, host Sonu Nigam himself who was a cut apart and delivered hundreds of hit tunes in various film industries as well as an indi-pop singer.

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As the 90s came to an end and the millennium began, there were competitions for the cooler lot – the budding ‘pop stars’ who were inspired by a generation of Western musicians.

Channel V’s ‘Popstars’ was watched by millions of people across the country in 2002 and lived up to its promise – that the winners would work with the who’s who of the music industry. And ‘Viva’, the girl band that was formed with the five best singers chosen by the judges, not only rose to fame overnight but also worked with the likes of ShankarEhsaan-Loy, Javed Akhtar, Salim-Suleiman and Jatin-Lalit and produced a wonderful album as a result.

The promos of ‘Popstars’ also promised that the first concert by the winners would be a grand success. And that’s what happened when ‘Viva’ took to stage for the first time in Mumbai. There were crowds waiting and the band itself was stuck in a traffic jam that was a result of their show.

Oh, what a grand finale it was! Season two of ‘Popstars’, though a little lukewarm, saw a good band in ‘Aasma’ who had popular songs like ‘Chandu Ke Chacha’ and ‘Tumse Hi Pyaar’. Sadly, both ‘Viva’ and ‘Aasma’ didn’t stick together for long and disbanded soon after. Fortunately, some of the singers in both these went on to create a niche for themselves as solo performers.

The first edition of ‘Indian Idol’ too was a grand success in 2005 with winner Abhijeet Sawant becoming the talk of the town overnight. His album ‘Aap Ka Abhijeet Sawant’ that came out as a result was quite a soulful one too and emerged as a big hit. Its sweet melodies like ‘Mohabbatein Lutaungo’ and ‘Lafzon Mein Keh Na Sakoon’ became quite popular among the love-struck. The seasons that followed also produced some well-known names like Monali Thakur and Karunya.

Now cut to the present times. Can you name five musical competitions on television? Chances are you can name ten!

But how many do you actually follow? As one channel starts with one, another one starts with another in the race for TRPs. And just as you heave a sigh of relief that one season is over, the same show returns with a season for children.

More than music, it’s the melodrama and the sob story of many a contestant (with the judges coming on stage to wipe their tears!) these shows focus on. With too many talks and advertisements, chances are that in 15 minutes, you would probably see one performance.

Not to forget the Indian versions of international shows like ‘American Idol’, ‘The Voice’ and ‘The X-Factor’ (senior, junior etc). Then there are competitions like ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar’ that pit the winners and participants of different musical shows together. Phew!

The latest one that started recently was ‘The Stage’, that is more or less the same concept wise except that the participants sing English songs and the winners are chosen by the judges.

Nevertheless, it’s a refreshing change from the reality show staple that everyone is so used to and gives a platform to those interested in Western music.

The good old ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ is still around and has many takers. But somehow it lacks the innocence and freshness of the 90s, which is lost in the game of TRPs and commercialization.

Like many of its contemporaries, it has various editions like ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs’ and so on leaving one confused regarding which is what.

So many shows and so many platforms for upcoming talent. It’s a good thing right? Well, yes it is but how many of the winners are actually able to break all barriers and reach the top? How many of the participants do we actually remember once the show gets over? Also, is it a good thing for tiny tots to be pushed on stage at such a tender age?

If you look at all the participants right from the time these shows began, you would notice that most have faded into oblivion. In such circumstances, the only way out for these artistes is Bollywood and that’s the bandwagon that many talented singers like Anushka Manchanda (from ‘Viva’), Neeti Mohan (from ‘Aasma’) and Arijit Singh (runner-up of ‘Fame Gurukul’) have jumped on.

While playback singing in Bollywood isn’t an easy nut to crack, making it big as independent musician is equally hard. With a tough world out there, many talented artistes are struggling to get opportunities. And as the world gets caught in the ‘web’ of social media (quite literally at that), this struggle only worsens. There are too many channels of entertainment and the audience’s attention is diverted. So if they stay out of sight, they are out of mind.

However, there are always two sides to a coin. Technology has also opened a world of opportunities. Although some probably didn’t get the fame that they desired, they have carved a niche for themselves and gained hundreds of followers, thanks to Facebook pages, music blogs and YouTube channels.

Yes, the world is a much smaller place today thanks to the click of a button. However, we do long for those good old days where everyone in the colony watched the same programme and discussed the results the next day. Some even called each other to find out the results in case they missed it without Twitter or Facebook spilling the beans. Those were the days my friend, The Score Magazine weren’t they?

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The 10th edition of SulaFest saw festival goers from across the country at a weekend to remember and this year was an even grander production with even more amazing memories.

The festival this year being a 3 day affair – adding Friday dedicated to Indian artists had also added one more stage – The ‘Tropical Stage’. Friday’s highlights were Nucleya at the Atmasphere Stage and Indian Ocean at the Amphitheatre Stage. Sula’s all new musician talent hunt competition “Rise and Shine” contest winner performed to a thrilled audience at the Tropical Stage. The Bloc Party from the UK made their India debut and rocked the Amphitheatre stage on Day 2, Saturday – while Loco & Jam from Germany performed to a haven of fest-goers at the Atmasphere Stage. The Tropical Stage highlight this day was Peter Schumann’sperformance. Amphitheatre Sunday headliner – Infected Mushroom from Israel set the stage on fire! German Jan Blomqvist & Band created magic at the Atmasphere Stage located amidst the vineyards.We had a quick chat with Zoya and Infected Mushrooms on their take on the music scene currently and projects to look out for.

How do you think your music stands apart?

We have a different take on the singer songwriters. Lot of them in the country is re-doing the pop and that’s what happens in the States as well. I think since I was surrounded by that music, I had the chance to figure my sound earlier in time.

ZOYA What do you think about SulaFest?

This is my first time playing and ever since I came to India, I have been hearing about it and this year I was happy to be booked for both days to play

What is your take on music scene in India?

It is growing! Coming from the States, I feel it has become super saturated. Coming from a place with so many music festivals, bands and a lot of music scene, India had very few and there is an opportunity to build something around it.

There is a small movement that I love to be a part of. I feel happy to be a part of this change and the cultural shift too. In the States, there is no room to do more.

INFECTED MUSHROOM What are the current projects you are working on?

Our new album “Return to the Sauce” is out and we are touring all around the world and it has been very busy.

How important is Digital in the field of music?

It is super important! You can put your music out there with no big labels and company and if people like it, they can take it and you can make it big by yourself. Don’t need to go through a huge process.

If there is one thing you’d like to change in the music scene, what would it be?

What is the biggest problem you faced while you were forming a band?

It’s in all our best interest to make things better. I think audiences are fast forwarded from actually going to festivals and now they actually want electronic music and it is all super new to everyone. Now people have a chance to be free, hang out with friends at such festivals. Sometimes, it feels like audiences are here for other things rather than music and that indeed puts the artists, organizers and promoters in a tough spot, which I think needs a change.

In the beginning, to get signed by a label was difficult for us and it took a long time for us. The truth is, drinking too much alcohol (Laughs hard) and that is the problem of the band.

Better live acts programming needs to be done. Even my band, I had to make an electronic set up. I wish there were more festivals in every city.

What are your plans for future?

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What bothers you the most about the music industry?

People need to wake up and make a lot of new music. If you have the talent to play an instrument or make music, just go for it!

Well, we love what we are doing and keep making new albums and the stuff we love doing.

What is Above & Beyond working on right now? What can we expect from you in 2017?

Paavo: We’re currently writing songs for our new electronic album that we’re hoping to finish this year. So it’ll be an interesting year for us, starting to test drive a lot of new material, while taking regular breaks from touring to ensure we have enough energy to get stuff done at our studios too.

How did you end calling yourselves Above & Beyond?

Paavo: “Above and Beyond” was a slogan used by an inspirational American speaker who, believe it or not, was also named Jono Grant.

INTERVIEW WITH

You have been regular visitors to India.

Could you tell us which Indian show has been your most memorable?

Paavo: Definitely when we came to Bangalore to change our radio show name and to start Group Therapy radio. That night at Jayamahal Palace was something I’ll never forget!

What do you do outside of music that contributes to your musical output?

Do you have a hobby that you turn to rejuvenate yourself?

Paavo: I love photography, taking pictures especially when you take out some time and you see pictures from some years ago, there’s something magical about it all.

What drew you to music in the first place?

Paavo: I come from a musical family and everyone around me was playing an instrument. My dad was singing in choirs and my granddad was writing poems. I grew up thinking I need a ‘real job’ but realised music was and always would be my true love when I went to a music high school.

The internet has changed the way people make and consume music. Is there effect that you aren’t too fond of?

Do you think social media has brought you closer to fans but also made you more susceptible to trolls?

Tony: Thanks to Paavo’s tech skills we had a vibrant web forum right from the start, where we encouraged our fans to communicate and connect, and even criticize. So we were in front of the social media explosion. Over the years that forum-based community has ported over to Facebook, Twitter and Reddit, but essentially nothing has changed for us. We’ve always been about three-way communication, us to our fans, them to us and them to each other. Now our “Anjunafamily” runs into millions, but our relationship with them is the same as it was with a few hundred back in 2002.

Are there any Indian artists that you’d like to collaborate with?

Tony: We have collaborated with a band from Bangalore called Lagori who’ve recorded Indian version of our songs “Sun & Moon” and “We’re All We Need” which you can watch on You Tube. They re-wrote the verses in both cases but used the choruses from the English versions.

Who is Above & Beyond listening to?

Can you recommend some new artists for us to check out?

Paavo: I’m a big Lana del Rey fan - and if you haven’t yet heard Yotto’s music - definitely check him out.

A message for your Indian fans.

Tony: I find the people of India inspirational.

Conversations with Indian people are always calm, considered and thought-provoking, which is how discussions should always be. Guru is an Indian word, after all! For us in the UK, India feels a lot closer than it is geographically because so many lovely Indian people have made their home in the UK and have given us our national dish, chicken tikka masala! Add to that our links to Anjuna and we felt strong bonds with your country long before we ever went there as a band. But since 2007 (our Indian debut in Goa) we’ve been experiencing the love first hand and it was an easy decision to pick Bangalore to launch our Group Therapy Radio show four years ago.

So, I’d like to say thanks for the love, thanks for being such an example to the world of how to live in a diverse country with respect and love and thanks for all you have taught us and given us since we started.

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Festival Founder Gehan Fernando

The Mercedes Benz Colombo Jazz Festival opened on the 18th and 19th of February at the Galle Face hotel. Following on the success of it’s inaugural festival in 2016, this year’s event expanded to cover two days. The concept behind the festival was music, culinary and art event that promised to combine and showcase the talents of the best international jazz artists as well as artists of national renown.

The stunning heritage property the Galle Face Hotel, in Colombo, welcomed global music fans to jazz-centric celebration, where fans of all types of jazz-related music rub shoulders with aficionados of the genre. When putting together artists such as this, Mainstage Events, the organizers aimed to capture all that diversity, all that makes this art form so beautiful, in a weekend of performances.

The lineup was the culmination of the festival’s commitment to bringing a diverse and unique group of jazz musicians to Colombo to deliver a collection of performances that included, exciting new artists, international and local jazz legends and groups all connected around presenting unique musical experiences in a first for Colombo.

Incognito, which has been labeled as everything from pop band to Latin jazz ensemble, from '70s-styled funk crew to acid-jazz collaboration headlined the festival. Another legend who performed was Mud Morganfield who describes the resemblance of the tone and timber of his voice to that of

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his father’s voice as a double edged sword. The similarity is evident in For Pops: A Tribute To Muddy Waters. Morganfield launched his music career in blues clubs on the south side of Chicago, where he performed a mix of his father’s material and his own original works.

From afternoon to midnight The Mercedes Benz Colombo Jazz Festival took place at the iconic Galle Face hotel, designed to meet festival-goers’ every need, in the heart of Colombo with the beauty, sounds of the ocean and the cool breeze that drifts in, as its spectacular setting.

We had a quick chat with the Festival Founder Gehan Fernando about the show.

How do you compare the response to the Colombo Jazz Festival this year against the last year?

This was our second year while the first year was a one day inaugural one. We had about 1500 people last year and this year we have sold more tickets, lot of corporate clients and so on.

What are your intentions behind organizing this festival?

I’m a restaurateur! I have always looked at Colombo and wondered why there is not much tourism here. I wanted to change that mainly to attract more people to visit here.

Jazz is very close to my heart and hence I wanted to have an international festival with artists performing in Colombo. This Photo Credits: Sandun de Silva

was one of the ideas. The second one was to create a platform for our local musicians making lovely music but have no one to support them. We wanted to build a property for this.

Has the government been supportive in your initiative?

perform even during heavy rains. Some were so disappointed that we had to cut their sets shorter.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to organize a festival like this?

Jazz festival is something that they don’t understand. I want Colombo to be like Singapore or Dubai where the government invests in such festivals. I remember attending Dubai Jazz festival in 2002, the 2nd edition that had only 1000 people and 4 bands. The same festival, last year they had 68000 people.

Colombo is a beautiful place and we also have India close by and lot of jazz enthusiasts. It is growing!

Please don’t! (Laughs) You need to have passion for sure and not look only at the money. If you want to get into it, you must enjoy each and every phase of it. It’s all worth it!

Your future plans for this festival

Do you visit festivals like this in other countries?

I want this to continue growing the way we are. We are looking at coming up with multiple locations next year.

We want to move some of the elements. I want people to get exposed to such festivals and enjoy what Colombo has to offer.

I want to elevate the local musicians through this. We want people from India, Middle East to fly down for this. We want to get great acts like George Benson next year.

What is the most treasured memory you have after the whole planning?

My team, sound guys, stage, everyone put in a lot of effort to make this happen. Artists were really flexible and out there to

On a scale of 1 to 5, rate this event.

Id’ like to explain why I’m rating this. Since we couldn’t carry out a lot of planned things due to heavy rain, I would rate it 3!

I have visited Java Jazz Festival, Singapore and Dubai Jazz Festival. I want to do Montreal Jazz Festival.

What do you think will make this festival better next year?

With the help of the tourist board and the government, I want to change things around. We have a 28 acres park with old trees and so on with an amphitheatre. I want to do it there, if I can pull it off. I would like to have smaller acts perform in the day and bigger ones at night. It must be one whole week for the city to go jazz. We would like small restaurants having small gigs and then organize packages to the airlines and want people to come and experience this for a whole week.

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AMOGH RAO

P L AY L I S T S T O HIGHLIGHT YOUR TRAVELS People looking for a blend between lush nature and the calm of solace always seek the sites of the south.

The songs to accompany you in these lands must reflect that musical quiet, and the happiness that it invokes.

A lot of pairs in nature come instinctively, and one of the most impactful is music and travel. Everyone knows the graphic universe you’re transported to the moment you plug your ears with music while on the road. And like cheese and wine, some combinations turn out to be ecstatically life changing. Apart from just amplifying an experience, songs tend to bind themselves to these experiences making them immensely more cherishable. So what we’ve done here is compiled a bunch of artists from varied genres to give you a wholesome understanding of the places they go so well with.

Since these playlists are based on opinions of people, they’re subjective, but would definitely make for a memorable trip the next time you visit these places.

Himachal and the far North If you’re in for the trekking, village hopping and minus temperature vibes, you’ve got to have some out-of-thebox yet digestible tracks to accompany you. This playlist blends songs that are heavy on the feels and those that are basically fun-loving genius jams since a couple of math rock bands can’t do complete justice to this region.

The hippie, nomadic and chill sounds are exemplified by Motopony, Tame Impala, Daughter and Benjamin Francis Leftwich. The cold weather and atmosphere in general is pleasingly countered with a rush by the heavily melodic and voluminous compositions by Plini, Devin Townsend and Scale The Summit.

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To cover the central range of sonic spectrum, math rock bands like Totorro, Elephant Gym and alt rock geniuses like Birds of Tokyo help boast a playlist worthy of your adventures.

Tracks to sum up: • • • • • • • •

Enjoy The Ride by Morcheeba Electric Sunrise by Plini Mayflies by Benjamin Francis Leftwich Youth by Daughter Greek Tragedy by The Wombats Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez Chevalier Bultoe by Totorro Let Me In by Grouplove

Shillong and the North East Considering this region to have one of the best music scenes in India, we’ve got artists that have relatively more complex vibes and intricate musicality. Hiatus Kaiyote’s jazz funk and blended technicalities take you beyond just easy listening, into the depths of the land and the sounds that go with it. Weather Report for the old school listeners, and probably dabble in Animals As Leaders, August Burns Red and Bring Me The Horizon for the more energetic youngsters. Your quintessential post rock staples of God Is An Astronaut, Explosions In The Sky, Mogwai and Tycho just sum up the vibes in this region.

Must haves on your playlist: • • • • •

Hoppipola by Sigur Ros The Brain Dance by Animals As Leaders Fragile by God Is An Astronaut Nakamarra by Haitus Kaiyote Drown by Bring Me The Horizon

The Western Coastline Beaches and rocky coasts have always had a correlation with lazy afternoons and bright, fuzzy mornings. Whether it’s wasting away hours in a hammock or taking long walks under a merciful Sun, the warm colours of the west coast speak a language of their own. Angus and Julia Stone match this warmth almost absolutely, and so do a handful of indie folk bands. The Lumineers and Hey Marseilles make for a heavy influence, and The Decemberists ironically create the most summer-like vibe of any band ever. Phillip Phillips, Switchfoot and Avalanche City are the best pick-me-ups, and probably the most influential coastline playlist would be dominated by pretty much every single one of Kodaline’s songs.

Fundamentals in your playlist: • All I Want, Talk and Love Like This by Kodaline • A Beginning Song by The Decemberists • Saltwater Heart, Love Alone Is Worth The Fight by Switchfoot • Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips • Ho Hey by The Lumineers • Yellow Brick Road by Angus and Julia Stone • Swells by Wylder

with their mellow yet happy and calm yet dynamic compositions. Cool colours reflected by bands like Snow Patrol are essential and if you think you’ve had enough of calm and need some energy, there’s always Intervals, Tesseract and Mutemath. A host of single artists or random tracks made their way into our playlists, so we thought we’d share those as well.

Here’s the aggregate: • Slow and Steady, Mountain Song and Dirty Paws by Of Monsters and Men • Follow The Sun by Caroline Pennell • Halcyon by Paper Kites • Technicolour Beat, Heart Hope and Drive by Oh Wonder • Breathe by Anna Nalick • Lazarus by Porcupine Tree • Plans by Birds of Tokyo • All About Us by He Is We • Solitary Shell by Dream Theater • Libra by Intervals • April by Tesseract • If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It, by Snow Patrol

Rajasthan, Rann of Kutch and Royal Palaces Bringing history alive in the land of kings and royalty, the desert is more than just a pretty tourist attraction.

Keeping up with the centuries of stories and themes of the land, your playlist has got to have some exotic and hopeful tracks that colour your visits just as vividly as the region’s inherent fantasies. Probably the perfect correlation with Rajasthan would be the Gypsy Revolution and the styles of music that go with it, since all of these movements originated right there. If you’re looking for a more flavorful touch or feel wildly adventurous, you could couple Godsmack’s Sully Erna and the dark yet sublime Opeth with traditional sounds that bring you home like Shakti and Parikrama. If these dimensions aren’t enough, you could experiment with combinations of Enigma, Kings of Leon, Muse and of course, U2.

A not-so-comprehensive list would be:

Ooty, Hampi and the southern retreats People looking for a blend between lush nature and the calm of solace always seek the sites of the south. The songs to accompany you in these lands must reflect that musical quiet, and the happiness that it invokes.

Oh Wonder and Of Monsters and Men are perfect fits,

• • • • • • • •

Finding The Way by Shakti Atonement by Opeth Avalon, Sinner’s Prayer by Sully Erna Return To Innocence by Enigma Where The Streets Have No Name by U2 United States of Eurasia by Muse I Believe by Agnee, Parikrama and Shilpa Rao The Sound of Muzak by Porcupine Tree The

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RAMESH SHARMA

MUSIC FOR EVERYONE – UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE MUSIC CHAKRA

Mr.L.S.Ramesh, a Post Graduate from the reputed Indian Institute of Technology-I.I.T. Madras has designed an Innovative Carnatic Music chakra (SriSaraswathi 72 Melakarta chakra) after more than six years of effort ,to help anyone,children to elderly ,without any Music knowledge to very easily SEE,LEARN and PLAY the Melakarta Ragas of Carnatic music , Western as well as Hindustani by using this Unique Chakra.

Most peoplefeel Carnatic music and Music in general ,is beyond their grasp. I wanted to simplify the entire concept and show all the main ragas as a visual tool seeing which it becomes easy to identify with the entire genre of music.

Carnatic music is the mother of all world music

Design of the Music Chakra The 72 Melakarta (Main Ragas) have been neatly depicted in the form of a chakra(Wheel) wherein the ragas are clearly shown as ‘dots on an Octave of the keyboard’.Playing the dots on your keyboard will bring out the melody of the raga.

Each dot represents a swara stana (Position of a note). For Example, Mayamalavagaula-Melakarta Number 15 is depicted below : Side one contains 36 Suddha Madhyama Ragas which are categorized under respective Chakra heads,for example Indu Chakra has 6 Melakarta Ragas Namely Kanakangi, Ratnangi ,Ganamurthi,Vanaspathi,Manavathi and Danarupi.Similarly other Chakras Netra,Agni ,Veda, Bana and Ruthu chakras with their respective Melakarta ragas are depicted with swara stanas as Dots.

This pattern of dots can be seen and played even by a novice to reveal the particular raga.

Side 2 has the remaining 36 Prathimadhyama Ragas depicted with chakra names Rishi,Vasu Brahma,Disi,Rudhra and Adithya with eac h chakra comprising 6 Melakarta Ragas each.For example Rishi chakra has the Melakartas from 37 to 42 .

It is interesting to observe the following in the Music chakra: 1) As an example if we take Melakarta 29 (Dheerashankarabharanam) and add 36 to this we get the corresponding Prathimadyama Melakarta raga (29+36=65) Mechakalyani which is very similar to Dheerashankarabharanam except for the MA note.

This helps students to quickly grasp the swara stanas and visualize the raga patterns.

2) The below table shows a comparative list of

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Carnatic,Hindustani and western scales Carnatic

Shankarbharanam Melakarta 29 Natabhairavi Melakarta 20 Keeravani Melakarta 21 Gowrimanohari Melakarta 23

Hindustani

Western

Bilawal

C Major

Asavari Kirvani Patdeep

C- Natural Minor C- Harmonic Minor C- Melodic Minor

Use of the Music Chakra to help Children with special needs - Autism, Down's Syndrome Children with autism or Downs syndrome are very good at identifying patterns and Music is a language they understand best.

Parents and teachers of special children can learn from this Chakra and teach .

Research has shown how Playing an instrument helps in Brain development .When a person plays an instrument the Left and Right hemispheres of the brain get activated and the motor neurons become more active to help send or receive signals.

Mr.Ramesh conducts Lecture-demo and workshops for Schools, Colleges and corporates on “Music - What, how and Why to play Music.”

For details website http://www.faces108.com E-Mail faces108@gmail.com Mobile Mrs.Sridevi 09445360139 Note : Part of the sale proceeds of this Music chakra is used to support orphans through our FACES (Food, Aid, Clothing, Education, Shelter) initiative.

SNL professional relies on Soundcraft by Harman

Sound & Light Professionals, more commonly known as SNL Pro, is one of the leading Sound reinforcement companies based out of Mumbai. They have a vast experience in handling some of the most challenging events and to do so, the team at SNL pro relies on Soundcraft by Harman digital audio mixers.

In past 12 months, SNL Pro has provided sound solution to almost all the music festivals and many large format Live concerts including Arijith Singh with Symphony (Multi city tour), Zubin metha with Andrea Bocelli & Maria Katzarava along with Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, Bollywood Music Project (BMP) , NH7 weekender, Supersonic, Global Citizen Fest, EDC, EVC and have used Soundcraft by Harman’s digital mixing consoles to deliver an un-forgetful sound experience. “We relied heavily on the Soundcraft Vi series consoles for the busy season in 2106 & 2017. Being also one of the first vi series owners way back in 2008 today we have the largest inventory of vi series consoles catering to various segments of live entertainment & broadcast business that SNL Pro is catering to...backed by un-parallel support form HARMAN India”, said Manish Mawani, Director SNL Pro The Soundcraft inventory of SNL Pro includes 1 full size Vi1, 2 full size Vi 3000, and 1 full size Vi6 digital mixing consoles. They upgraded the inventory with the recently launch Soundcraft Vi 7000 console which completes the Vi family. The Vi 7000 is the most advanced digital console and delivers the best Vi sound ever, bringing optional 96kHz processing, upgraded channel counts and even more reliable hardware to live sound's most popular mix interface. Partnering a compact control surface with new Local Rack and Active Breakout box hardware, Vi delivers simultaneous mixing of up to 128 inputs and 32 mono/ stereo busses. Pristine sound quality is assured by ultra-

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low noise mic amp designs and enhanced 96kHz* 40-bit floating point digital audio processing, while FX come courtesy of 8 independent Lexicon multi-FX units, BSS DPR901ii™ integration and a BSS graphic EQ on every bus output. Rapid configuration and powerful automation features, radio mic status monitoring and extensive ViSi Connect I/O expansion (EtherSound™, CobraNet™, Dante™, MADI, etc.) complete the package.

Prashant Govindan, Sr. Director Harman Professional India and Srilanka said, “SNL Pro has been very supportive of HARMAN professional gear in last few years. They have chosen and invested in our best two digital mixing consoles i.e. Vi3000 & Vi 7000, and kept them in the forefront of all large format Live events and major music festivals across the country. Vi7000 is the most advanced console with all the latest tech that will revolutionize the live sound industry in years to come and we are grateful to the team of SNL pro for choosing the Soundcraft Vi range as their first choice of digital sound mixing consoles.”

Harman Professional uplift the sound experience of the performances at Bangalore Gayana Samaja

HARMAN Professional India adds another feather to its hat with the recent renovations of audio infrastructure giving one of the oldest running sabha’s in the country a much overdue facelift. The Bangalore Gayana Samaja, originally constructed in the 1962, went through a complete facelift over a period of 8 months. While preserving the original aesthetics of the venue, the 600 seater auditorium had improved acoustics designed and installed by the HARMAN professional team of experts, in partnership with Bangalore based system integrator Waveguide Systems.

Though Bangalore Gayana Samaja was one of the first performance venue of the country and was known for hosting some of the best concerts in Carnatic classical music, the sound design required a serious overhaul. The main PA would only cover the venue from the middle to 3/4th of the hall, while rest of the seats would get sound as a result of the reflection from walls and the analog mixer had limitations of output and processing. To make the hallowed venue sound as good as any new auditorium, Sunil Karanjikar, Application Engineer at Harman Professional India, who worked on the design of the system says, “The project was prestigious for Harman to work on while at the same time posed challenges due to the venue’s old architecture. The beams could not take the weight of heavy line array speakers and the reflection from walls varied the sound impression for the audience. We had to deliver a system which would not only overcome the venue’s architectural challenges but also be cost effective as BGS is a free entry venue.” Sunil also expressed his gratitude saying, “We would like to thank Mr. Giridhar Ghattam Udupa, one of India’s leading percussionist, Ghatam player and a Harman Professional India endorsee who reached out to us for the acoustic facelift of the venue.”

Acknowledging the challenges of this emblematic venue and commending the superior consultation and solutions provided

by HARMAN Professional, the President of BGS Dr. M.R.V. Prasad said, "Our auditorium has a capacity of six hundred seats but our earlier sound system was not very good and it is the heart of a music auditorium. We decided to entrust this job of installing an efficient and a good quality sound system to a renowned company making the Harman professional India team the obvious choice. Within a short span of time, they have done a wonderful job - The planning and installation of the equipment were done in a very timely, cost-effective and professional way. I must thank the entire team of professionals lead by Mr. Sohan K.P. of Wave Guide Systems & HARMAN Professional India for providing us a state of the art sound system specially designed for music. The artistes are very happy to perform on our stage because of the new sound system.”

Commenting on the planning, Mr. Sohan K.P. of Waveguide Systems said, “The brief for the project was given to us on 1st Jan 2017, our team delivered the project in mere 15 days and we were ready for the opening on 15th of Jan 2017. The system was designed in a non-conventional manner; lightweight speakers that fit the requirement were suspended from the support structure and tuned to reach the seats with the least amount of reflections from the walls.

We have seen some of the best classical performances at the BGS. When we received the query for the acoustic facelift of the venue, our team was extremely excited to give the best solution possible along with the support of Harman Professional India team. There were major issues with the equipment used by BGS earlier. Use of an analog mixer limited their number of outputs and processing, such as graphic EQ, time delay unit or crossover. The Harman professional India team helped us design a system that would overcome all these challenges in a very short span of time. Though the technical staff at Bangalore Gayana Samaja was not comfortable using digital mixing consoles and control systems. We were successful in convincing them to switch from analog to digital.

We knew that this task would take time but training and hand holding for the first few and important shows at BGS made the transition very smooth and easy. We’re indeed happy to have successfully completed this prestigious project.”

Just 2 units of JBL MD55 loudspeakers constitute the main PA along with 2 units of JBL ASB6115 subwoofers. Additional loudspeakers included 4 units of JBL AC15 for front fills, 2 units JBL AC25 for under balcony, and 4 units of JBL AC28 for upper balcony fills. Crown DCi network amplifiers drive all the speakers, and the inputs are fed via BSS BLU link.

The JBL STX 812M are used for stage monitoring driven by Crown XTi4002 power amplifiers. The FOH and MOH mix is done on the Soundcraft Si expression II digital mixing console.

The complete system processing and control is done on the BSS BLU 100 with HiQnet Audio Architect software with customized panel controls for different zones.

Prashant Govindan, Sr. Director Harman Professional India, said “India has a rich heritage of classical music and Harman Professional India remains committed to the nurturing and revival of classical and traditional music genres. We are Delighted to be a part of Bangalore Gayana Samaja which celebrates this movement. The audience can now listen to their favourite musical maestros in a modern setting with an enhanced listening pleasure by Harman’s true fidelity sound.”

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THE S T R A N G E S T MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

IN THE WORLD

SHREYA BOSE

It is astounding enough to know that the Hawaiian people have an ancient practice in which a leaf is made to whistle. In other words, they play a leaf much like someone you or someone you know would play a clarinet. However, turns out that there are far more interesting, curious and sometimes strange devices that serve as instruments. Take a peek at the list below to get your jaw dropping.

THE 12 NECK GUITAR

THEREMIN

THE VEGETABLE ORCHESTRA

Yes, that is a thing. Japanese artist Yoshihiko Satoh combines massproduced guitars in order to “unleash the energy residing in their function and shape”. That has led to him turning them into these incredible sculptures that could easily replace paintings on walls. They might be a tad difficult to play, but no doubt that if it could be managed, the sounds they produce would be unmatched. One should possibly try to get Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielson to try one of these, given that his instrument is a custom 1981 Hamer that includes a 12 string, a 6 string, a 6 string with a whammy, another 6 string and a fretless 6 string. Five necks. Can twelve be all that difficult for him?

Named after its creator, Leon Theremin, this instrument stands out for the strangest of reasons – you play it without touching it. The thereminist waves their hands in air (in very specific ways, though to the uninitiated, it might look like they are trying to summon a demon), causing an eerie tone to be spun out of nothing ( or so it appears ). Two antennas and the thereminist’s hands’ distance from each determined the quality and pitch of the sound. The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume). Higher notes are played by moving the hand closer to the pitch antenna. Louder notes are played by moving the hand away from the volume antenna.

An entire musical group from Austria that plays their music on instruments made out of fresh vegetables. The ensemble consists of musicians, visual artists, architects, designers, media artists, writers and sound poets who play with pumpkins, peppers, carrots, turnips, broccoli and a very healthy selection of organic produce. The Orchestra is far from a gimmick, having been in operation for seventeen years.

The musicians have to be not only skilled at being able to extract sound out of greens, but also at picking the right vegetables from the market before every performance ( unlike other musicians’ their instruments tend to rot ), shape them appropriately so that they function as an instrument and practise for hours.

Try catching up with their performances on Youtube, and if someone ever tells you that its not polite to play with your food, show it to them too.

The theremin has been featured in soundtracks of movies like Miklós Rózsa’s Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, and Bernard Herrmann’s The Day the Earth Stood Still, theme songs for television shows such as Midsomer Murders. Its sound is exceptionally suited for eerie, ominous or anticipatory scenarios ( Dr. Hannibal Lecter playing the thing in the 1999 eponymous novel )

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THE GREAT STALACPIPE ORGAN Wikipedia says “The Great Stalacpipe Organ is an electrically actuated lithophone located in Luray Caverns, Virginia, USA. It is operated by a custom console that produces the tapping of ancient stalactites of varying sizes with solenoid-actuated rubber mallets in order to produce tones.” It is an organ set inside a cave where instead of pipes, it is wired to soft rubber mallets that are able to strike the stalactites of varying size, shape and density. Essentially, when this instrument is played, it utilises the entire geological structure into its strings and cymbals. Try imagining that – playing a note and having the earth reverberate it back to you.

MORSKE ORGULJE (SEA ORGAN) In another bid to turn the earth into a musical instrument, architect Nikola Basic devised a way to make the sea sing. On the surface, it looks like a series of marble steps dropping into the Adriatic Sea. Underneath, a number of narrow channels connect to thirty five organ pipes. Each set of steps contains within it five organ pipes and is tuned to a different chord. Wind and waves stimulate passage of air through the pipes and onto the steps, leading to the emergence of sounds.

Unsurprisingly, people flock to the sea organ’s location ( Zadar, Croatia ) to catch a whiff of these sounds describes as haunting and harrowing in equal measure.

THE SINGING RINGING TREE A musical sculpture near Burnley designed by the architects Tonkin Liu. Composed out of stacked pipes of various lengths which are aligned and structured to lean into the directions of the wind, however it may prevail. When the wind flows through the differently shaped pipes, it is transformed into different chords. Anyone sitting under the tree will hear a different songs, predicated upon the direction of the wind relative to their position.

In 2007, The tree won an award for architectural excellence from the Royal Institute of British Architects. No surprises there.

PYROPHONE ORGAN

HYDRAULOPHONE

LOOPHONIUM

Another curious device that utilises wind to create tone, the pyrophone organ uses combustion to create explosive compositions. Powered by propane gas supplied to the base of glass resonant chambers which is set aflame by a flame generator, the instruments utilises the detonations and its creation of hydrogen flames that are channelled by the pipes and manipulated to generate specific tone and timbre. The variations are caused in accordance with the diameter and heights of the resonant chambers.

Invented by Steve Mann, this device creates music by contact with water or other fluids. Fundamentally, you press with your fingers on narrow jets on water spurting out of the usually curve shaped device and it results in sound. Know the technicalities of the contraption and you’ll be able to generate actual songs – all out of water and your fingers.

Far-fetched, I agree. But entirely real, I assure you. (Youtube for proof)

One day Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal flautist Fritz Spiegl. woke up and decided that he would combine the euphonium with a lavatory pan. No, I did not make that up. The Loophonium was invented to be played at a concert of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on April Fools’ Day 1960. In 2003, the original item designed by Spiegl was auctioned by Sotheby’s for 500 – 1000 pounds.

While the original model of construction from the 19th century is no longer followed, the early designs have been modified to work with smaller proportions. These days, pyrophones are quite amenable to being transported and much safer to use on account of resonant chambers being cooled by liquid nitrogen between notes.

While I’m choosing to end the list here, the number of bizzare instrumentation that musicians, engineers and inventors have pursued number by the hundreds.

There’s the pipe organ sculpted out of ice and the Earth harp which is the world’s largest stringed instrument which has the resonating chamber on one side of a valley and the strings stretched out nearly 1,000 ft to the other side. Feel free to look further and I promise you, you will revel in the magnificent oddities of our minds.

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BEYERDYNAMIC

HISTORY OF THE STUDIO LEGENDS Founded in 1924, as "Elektrotechnische Fabrik Eugen Beyer" in Berlin, the company has radically influenced and promoted audio recording and sound reproduction. Products like the first dynamic headphones DT 48 (1937), the first studio-grade dynamic microphone M 19 (1939) or the tour guide system for museums and factory tours which was presented by beyerdynamic for the first time in 1974 were milestones in this field. But they are just three examples of the many innovations that have made beyerdynamic a leading audio specialist over the years.

Countless musicians, sound engineers, conference participants, interpreters and hi-fi fans have come into contact with beyerdynamic products over the years – either consciously or not, at work or in their leisure time. For the company, they all belong to "Generation Audio", a family of sound enthusiasts and passionate users.

For experienced sound professionals, the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro is an old friend used in countless studios throughout the world.

The series has been designed to cater for listening in a wide variety of environments, thanks to different headphone

The roots of the legendary beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 line go back to 1981. Their outstanding sound and durable design laid the foundation for these headphones’ unprecedented studio and stage career.

Superior build quality

Made in Germany

As with all beyerdynamic professional studio headphones, the studio legends are also handcrafted in Germany. Backed by high-quality materials and meticulous workmanship, this high-end product is a long-term investment.

The PRO classics

beyerdynamic’s DT 770 PRO, DT 880 PRO and DT 990 PRO headphone series has it’s roots in the early 1980s. Since then, millions of audio professionals from all parts of the world have become loyal users of beyerdynamic products.

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construction: DT 770 PRO – Closed back (studio, stage) DT 880 PRO – Semi-open back (reference monitoring, mastering, mixing) DT 990 PRO – Fully open back (critical listening)

Sound you can rely on

The sound of the studio legends is without doubt a benchmark for professional users. It’s secret lies not only in our cuttingedge drivers, which are hand-made in Germany, but also in a very sophisticated bass-reflex system. The membrane can “breathe” in an otherwise closed housing and is therefore extremely quickand precise in its response, accurately replaying frequencies anywhere between 5 to 35,000 Hz. This makes the DT 770 PRO an ideal tool for critical listening and monitoring purposes.

As opposed to many “lifestyle headphones”, beyerdynamic headphones are to last. Only the best materials are used, such as neodymium magnets, a steel headband, anodized aluminum forks, composite housings and soft skin earpads. All of these parts are hand-made in Germany - with incredible attention to detail and quality.

Every part is replaceable

These headphones are designed to perform even under extreme conditions. Its superior build quality has ensured that the DT 770 PRO is the No.1 choice for professional users around the world. However, in the rarest of occasions should something break, nearly every part can be replaced individually thanks to intelligent design and implementation. This is what we’ve promised our customers for more than 30 years, and this is what we deliver.

ADITI SARAWAGI

Indian Artists Doing Well Abroad India is a multi-cultural country and has talent hidden in all its corners and Indians are reaching out across the world and making the whole country proud. There is no dearth of musicians in India or abroad. There are several Indian origin singers, musicians and artists who are making the world dance to their tunes. Let’s take a look at some global success stories.

FREDDIE MERCURY

VIDYA VOX

SIDDHARTHA KHOSLA

When it comes to Indian origin musicians making waves in the world, the first name which comes to mind is Freddie Mercury who was the lead vocalist of the English rock band Queen. Born as Farrokh Bulsara, he was a Parsi hailing from southern Gujarat and he spent most of his childhood in a Panchgani boarding school. He was very well known for his stage performances and the band delivered memorable songs like Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now and the Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Vidya Iyer or as she is more popularly known Vidya Vox, is a very wellknown singer and artiste with a YouTube channel having millions of subscribers. She is an Indian-born American who is trained in Carnatic Classical music and performs with Shankar Tucker on his channel.

She is famous for her mash-ups and sings in English, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and even French.

He is part of the American Indie Rock act Goldspot.

Their music has been featured on popular television shows like ‘The O.C.’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’. The band has also composed music for ‘The Neighbors’ and also for ‘The Royals’.

NICKI MINAJ A very popular American rapper, singer and songwriter, very few people know of Nicki’s Indian roots. Her father was an Indo-Trinidadian whose ancestors came to the Caribbean from India. She has had seven singles simultaneously on the U.S. Billboard hot 100 charts and is one of the most popular pop singers today having received as many as 10 Grammy nominations amongst awards and accolades.

NORAH JONES Pandit Ravi Shankar’s daughter, Geetali Norah Jones Shankar or Norah Jones as she is popularly known is a nine-time Grammy winner. She has been an international star and has been listed in the top artists list of the decade for 20002009 by Billboard.

KIM THAYIL Another Indo-American musician, Kim Thayil is the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden. He was also named the 100th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.

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SHIRLEY SETIA Shirley Setia is an IndoKiwi singer from New Zealand. She became an overnight YouTube star after winning a contest conducted by T-Series. Since then she has collaborated with artists from US, UK, India and Canada. Her videos have notched up more than 30 million views and is one of New Zealans’s biggest international artists. She has recently shifted to Mumbai to pursue playback singing in the Indian film industry.

JONITA GANDHI A playback singer in Bollywood, Jonita Gandhi is an Indo-Canadian singer who has original songs, mash ups and covers to her credit. She sings in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi as well. Having millions of subscribers on her YouTube channel, she is very popular over social media as well.

MANISH RAVAL Not only are Indian origin singers making waves abroad, Indo-American music supervisor Manish Raval is very well known for his work in American series’ Girls, New Girl and Community and he has also won the Music Supervisor of the Year Award in 2012 for his work in ‘Girls’.

KULLY BHAMRA A British Indian music producer and artist, Kully Bhamra has composed music for popular American TV shows like 90210, Modern Family, Will & Grace, Frasier, Every Body Hates Chris, Sex and The City, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Americas Next Top Model. His music was even featured in the Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine.

KAM FRANTIC Kam Frantic is a British Indian composer, arranger, music producer and sound engineer. He has been working in this field for 25 years and owns a music production studio in the UK-Frantic Studios. He has composed the theme music for the BBC comedy series ‘Citizen Khan’.

Music connects one and all and no matter the origin, talent always shines through and makes its own place in the world and these artists prove just that inspiring many others to make their name in the music industry as well.

In Conversation with

VANDANA VISHWAS We chat with the talented singer Vandana Vishwas on her latest album Parallels, her view on the Indie scene in India, and more.

Tell us about the concept behind your latest album Parallels

with so many categories, so that definitely gives the artists something to look forward too

The process of Parallels has been going on since many years.

I even released my second album Monologue in between hat phase. You know what happened when in went to Toronto, which is like a mini world. you will get to hear music of all kinds, from various worlds and genres and that too all authentic. When I heard all those, I realised and felt that our Indian Classical music does resemble it and stands out differently as well at the same time. And since then I have wanted to work with different genres and styles of Music. I had many ideas flowing by then finally I came down to one concept which is One composition will be treated in two different genre styles. So, Parallels comprises of 5 pairs of ten unique ‘Parallel’ songs that revolve around collaboration of Indian music with different genres of mainstream and World music. So, the soul is India Classical Music in each of the songs.

Also, Schools should introduce preliminary education on Indian Classical Music depends on which part of India you are in. People still don’t know there are two styles of music- North Indian and South Indian. So right from the beginning, basics should be thought and introduced as a part of the syllabus and I am sure people will love it, because our India Culture is beautiful.

How do you perceive Independent music in India to be?

I think, in India, media is a way to influence the audience so it becomes medias responsibility to let people know that Art is Art, doesn’t matter if it’s Bollywood Music or independent music, if you like it, one must promote and listen to it. So, the Independent music is not that strong here in the country, if you go to see Radio stations do not even play independent music nor do they promote independent artists regularly.

Also, because Independent artists have low budget but their hard work is definitely more, film music has more budget, more hands to work with. Definitely there need to be more platforms that should promote Independent Music, especially Radio and TV. Reality shows- fame is timely. Once the season is done, there will be another winner. So, you have to be able to carve your own niche at the end of the day.

What would you like to see as a change in the Indie scene?

I think Bollywood Film Music is dominating and I don’t blame the audience because they are enjoying what they are served They’re not aware, they need to be made aware that film music is not Indian music… When you travel the world, people want to listen o classical Indian authentic music, ghazals and Sufi not Bollywood music. If I listen to a Chinese Musician, I want to hear the Chinese traditional culture and not its westernized form.

Saying that, of course there are many platforms now that are giving a chance like Hungama, Gaana Savan. But I just think Radio stations need to be more proactive and willing to support Independent Music.

There should be specific awards too for independent music, that will definitely give the musicians a push. Like in Toronto, there is a separate Award Function for Independent music

How did it feel to be receiving a Silver medal at the Global Music Awards 2016?

It was a great feeling. Being acknowledged for your talent and hard work always means a lot.

Hailing from Lucknow India, how did you manage to create a musical space for you in Toronto? Was it hard?

I never thought all this. I practice music for my soul, as my passion. Even when I moved to Toronto, I never thought I need to network or impress anybody. Because I knew I was true to my talent and passion and my music would find its own way. I do what I like, if people love it, well that’s an added cherry on the cake then.

How do you manage to sing in different languages?

What were the barriers you initially faced?

I have been born and bought up in a cosmopolitan environment. So, I tend to understand the accent of many languages. When I have to sing in a different language, I make sure I get it translated and understand so I can express and emote while singing. The most challenging till now has been Manipuri, very tough to get the right accent. N and G, most words start with, so to get that right and especially while singing is little difficult, but I love challenges.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.

Next Project, I have on my mind, I have started working on it and I will keep updating as and when, right now my focus is Parallels.

If you could collaborate with one artist from India, who would it be and why?

This is very tough to decide. I’d not differentiate between artists, because I know it’s not possible. I myself am a composer and understand everyone has their own style and character. So, what’s important is that whoever I collaborate with, I want to be able to enjoy the journey and learn and exchange notes.

Can’t take one name- When it comes to compositions, I love Vishal-Shekhars compositions, Shankar Ehsaan Roy’s, Vishal Bhardwaj, A. R Rahman…. The list is endless.

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Yamaha MX 49 & 61 Great for stage, studio and everywhere in between parts for each performance. The keyboard features 128 notes of polyphony, so you won't have to worry about notes cutting off even with the densest sequences from your DAW.

The MX series synthesizers feature carefully selected sounds taken from the Yamaha MOTIF XS. That powerful sonic palette is packed into sleek packages (available in 49- and 61-note versions) that fit today's on-the-go life style. But the MX Series aren't just synthesizers; they are designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software. By adding extensive audio and MIDI USB connectivity, advanced DAW and VST controller features and a suite of powerful music production software, the MX integrate hardware reliability with controller flexibility to give you the best of both worlds at a ground breaking level of affordability.

128 performances & 16-multi-timbral parts for each performance.

Bi-directional USB Audio/MID interfacing But the MX doesn't just control software DAWs and VSTs; it's an audio interface. One thing about this series of keyboards is the fact that one can record its internal sounds directly to the computer. There's no need to go the analog route, therefore you get the highest sound quality possible. You can control internal sounds, DAW parameters and VST instruments via the knobs and buttons of your MX. This hands-on control is truly impressive.

The keyboard comes with a complete suite of music production software. Included in your package is Steinberg Cubase AI which features 48 audio tracks and 64 MIDI tracks, notation and builtin VST effects, allowing you to do complete productions. In addition the keyboard comes with compelling VSTs to get you started, namely, Steinberg Prologue and the Yamaha YC-3B organ emulator.

Bottom Line Rewrites the rules for what you can expect from a do-it-all gig keyboard at an entry-level price. An outstanding value.

The Yamaha MX49 and Yamaha MX61 each feature 128 performances, all editable. There's a total of 16-multi-timbral The

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Indulgence

In conversation with Aurelio, the magic and brains behind Auroville’s music therapy and research centre Svaram Tell us about yourself and how Svaram came about Having travelled for many years all over the world and staying with indigenous cultures in search of the origin of music making of humanity and after decades ofresearch into sound and consciousness, a primal socio-economic need for survival and employment of the rural youth in neighbouring villages sprouted the seed of Svaram, which, besides serving this immediate need, wanted to create musical instruments that are easy to approach and open a simple entry into the magic of sound explorations and music for everyone.

Why Auroville and India?

India harbours one of the most ancient and elaborate traditions of not only music making but of a metaphysical and philosophical understanding of music as the vibrational world and its role in existence and in an evolving humanity.

Auroville is an international campus of a new integral approach to life and a kind of laboratory of human

evolution, bringing together the best of 'the East and the West' (the ancient spiritual and modern scientific) in a creative synthesis and progressive exploration and is a rewarding place to experiment with the place of adeepening aural awareness and the role of music in education and health, peace and freedom for the emergence of a harmonious global civilisation.

How does sonic healing exactly work and why must people consider thisover other forms of treatment?

The work with Sound Healing is an expression of a new paradigm and holistic approach towards health and wellbeing, and is not based on symptomatic treatments for specific ailments. The organism is seen as a totality of the physical, emotional, energetic, mental, sociological, environmental and spiritual layers and dimensions ofour existence and each condition of “dis-ease” and ailment

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is an indicator of a general or specific imbalance and disharmony in the system. The organism and thebeing are stimulated through the exposure to selected harmonising frequencies togenerate and reactivate homeo-dynamic self healing powers and an overall awareness of one's ailing condition or cause of symptoms. Even while marked effects of lowering or stimulating pulse rate, blood pressure, deep relaxation andstimulation or sedating effects through rhythmic entrainment is proven, a direct scientific causeeffect relationship between an application and cure would be limiting the work into a narrow allopathic framework of trying to fix parts without taking the whole context of the patients situation into consideration. So while there are proven direct effects of specific sound and vibrational applications, it is the totality of thephenomena, the setting, the contact, the situation, the analyses, the experience, theassimilation and integration which can bring the patient into a growing awareness ofthe circumstances and causes of the disharmony and its possible rebalance from its root

to the full potential of the symptom, illness or crises for personal growth and transformation.

How different is Sound Healing from Music Therapy ?

MT is an established academic discipline and needs 5 years of certified studies and has an international standard and code through the World Federation of Music Therapy http:// www.wfmt.info/which has also a chapter in South Asia the and is clinically practised in countries all over the world. In India we see the first beginnings of available trainings in a few institutions as for example the Delhi Music Therapy Trust. Sound Healing is not yet a formally recognised practise but on the other hand possibly represents one of the original and most ancient method of healing as documented and practised by the shamans – musician - healer – priests ofindigenous cultures all over the world. In the last 2 decades Photo credits: Svaram, Auroville

SRIRAM RAVISHANKAR pioneers of the work, often inspired by ancient practises of vibrational/ sonic healing have forged a new ground and also formed international networks like the Sound Healers Association. It is possible now in the markedly emerging and growing field also to study in courses in England, Germany, USA and also now in India (see the one year training for Integral Sound Healing offered by Svaram) the scientific, pragmatic background andpossible application of this revived healing modality. While MT in its culture specific modalities is focused on the Client – Patient relational context and its psychotherapeutic implications, both in receptive and interactive settings. Sound Healing is based on the principles of resonance and entrainment through the directapplication, transmission and the effect of vibrations (in their sonic expression oftone, tempo and pattern) on the organism, either through the use of specially resonant instruments like gongs, singing bowls, bells, string resonators, didgeridoos, or also through electro-mechanical and electronical devises in the field of vibrio-acoustics and hemi-synch, binaural brain wave stimulations, with a plethora of new products on the market.

More on the traditions and modernity at Svaram.

Having been exposed to many traditional cultures and their music ethnographies Aurelio looked into the diversity and richness of Indian folk instruments, many ofthem disappearing in this rapid race of change and urbanisation, before setting outdeveloping some of the simple archetypal

instruments of the Svaram range, likeLithopones, Xylophones, Glockenspiel, Ocarinas, Overtone Flute and primal percussions. These explorations also revealed that the western equal temperedtuning system of the piano has been found only a few hundred years ago and andthe international pitch of A 440 only been standardised after the second world war, is only one of many possibilities of tonal arrangements and that there have been original systems in place for millennia in India, China, Arabic Music and other cultures like the unique Gamelan of South East Asia.

At the same time contact with a young generation of sound pilgrims and travellers from around the globe brought exposure to the sophisticated use of the knowledge ofthe full range of frequencies in techno, trance and dance hall genres to createspecial physical effects on the listener. So experiences of the ancient shamanistic trance techniques in combination with the science of psychoacoustics, binaural

beats , entrainment, resonance inform the ever evolving work of Svaram's explorations of sound and its physical, emotional, cognitive, social andenvironmental impact.

Tell us a little about the research and explorations you are currently into.

Presently we are exploring and prototyping outdoor instruments for the use in institutions working with the limitations and challenges of climate and environmental impact on material and finishings. An exciting area is the work with mathematically precise tuning modalities and the phenomena of pulsations and their effect on brainwaves and physicality. This is a whole new field partly inspired by avant-garde music and touches the edge of musicality, now not only in the electronic media but possibly also with pure acoustic instruments like plate bells, resonators, tubular bells bringing out the synaestetic phenomena of 'the touch of sound”, the sensory perception and experience of soundwaves on our organism The recently launched training program SVARAM launched in January, the first one year course on Integral Sound Healing with a seminar and International guest lecturer by Joshua Leeds, the author of “ThePower of Sound”. There were 35 participants form around the world and we arefollowing up now with the next modules focusing on creativity, musical improvisation, sound awareness, science of hearing, therapeutic contact, instrument building, cymatics, and the applications of sound in a healing context

What's next for Svaram?

SVARAM has been running for 14 years now, emerging form a social impact community enterprise, and now is working on and planning the creation of a Campus for the Crafts, Arts and Science of Sound which shall bring together the artisan fine crafts with educational interactive exhibitions, experience museum, research centre, studios, ateliers and a school for Sound Healing. Land has been allocated within the Auroville Galaxy plan and collaborations, partners and investors are sought for this next logical development phase of bringing Svaram in its full scope and global relevance as a unique hub for the explorations of a sound new world of harmony and peace.

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Dekaa, a rapper, Music Producer, Entrepreneur and also a skilled cinematographer and video editor spoke to us about his journey as a musician, how he multitasks, and more.

His primary focus is music, and he has had opportunities to work with artists around the globe and has built professional relationships with some of the giants in the international Industry such as Garry Husband, Scott Kinsey, Ricardo Vogt, Marcelo Woloski and Ranjit Barot and with some artists of national repute, such as Louiz Banks, Su Real, Rhythm Shaw, Mohini Dey, Franco Vaz, Taufiq Qureshi and Gino Banks. As a musician he has performed across the nation in various festivals like NH7, Dambuk Orange festival, and #BASSCAMP to name a few and has

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had the privilege to share the stage along side music legends like Eric Martin, Yngwie Malmsteen.

Tell us about your start in the music scene Professionally I got into the music scene nine years back, 2008. When I released a regional album in Assam, where I was exposed to the ‘real music scene’. Following that in 2010, I released my second album Classroom which was a dedication to my best friend Ranveer Das who passed away earlier that year. But then, soon I realised that there's

so much to learn in the world of music. So I withdrew myself and started focusing on how I can learn to craft my own art better and learn more about all the elements that are involved to express myself better as an artist, which involved music videos production, Marketing, Networking, etc.The next seven years I spent exploring these elements that make up the music industry.

How do you multi task being a rapper, producer and an entrepreneur?

It all comes down to being organised and being disciplined.

But I have one strict rule with myself that is if I make a film/video I don't like to get too involved with music and and that goes with business too. I take it one step at a time. I believe we as human beings are gifted to do so much, so why limit your true potential?

What's your take on the current Independent music scene in India?

I believe it's growing at a rapid pace and the audience is maturing gradually . By the time the youth from my generation get a chance to showcase what they have to offer, I think the industry will be at a place to leverage the talent forward.

these are the same people who are an integral part of the system. I used to hear everybody talk about things, like, “Bollywood is lacking quality execution”. You put in the work and give an alternative to that, rather than just talk about it. There will be like mined people who will connect with your ideas and help you grow. The vision of JAB is to connect with those like minded people who come from different background but share a similar passion (when it come to their art) and provide a brand/Platform though which they can express their final products. Our motto is : Practice, Perform, Inspire.

What are the current projects you are working on?

Starting end of 2016 I have started to focus on developing more content showcasing the Northeast because that's what defines me as an individual. I always wanted to represent my own in a way that connects with the next generation.

In the music headspace, I'm working on an Assamese rap track with Su real which is set to be releasing towards the end of march. In terms of film, I'm personally working on a travel web series and some more content with like minded creators.

Your best performances till date?

I'll answer it in the best way I can. In my 2016 winter northeast tour, I performed in various venues such as NH7 Shillong, Orange Festival, Mizoram Music Festival etc.

I’m fan of music first and then a creator, I don’t like to create These are few of the highlights. But the one that stuck to me barriers between different genes. I listen to every kind of personally was when we were closing for Eric Martin from music and I learn from all of them whatever I can. My music the legendary band Mr.Big and the next thing I know was defines me as an artist. Storytelling is important for me. that Eric Martin was on stage dancing and filming my whole That is who I am as a person. And most importantly I don't show. It meant a lot to me personally because growing up in think as a musician, I see the whole film/music before it is northeast, these guys were like gods to us. Definitely won't even created and I think that's what brings in my flavour forget that. to the game. The music that I try to create has a lot of folk origin. My influences are mostly from Rap music which is Future projects to look out for. again the folk music of African descent living in America. I like to give the audience something to think about after they I’m creating all the time. A lot of new interesting content is coming out this year starting with my big single with Su listen or watch one of my pieces.

Real. Who ever is interested can follow my website (www. dekaaworld.com) for the updates.

Tell us a little bit about your community Just

How do you perceive your music to be different from your peers?

Another Being.

Just Another Being was founded in 2015, when I was frustrated with the fact that majority of people were just talking about WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD (context with the music business) but really don’t do anything about it, and

Your message to upcoming artists like you.

Keep it real and keep it honest. No money, no equipment, nobody can stop you from doing what you do. If you want it.

Make it, fight for it.

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ADITI SARAWAGI

Top Female

Jazz artists Jazz music has been around since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originated in New Orleans in USA amongst the African American community there and since then has gained popularity around the world. It is one of the most recognized forms of music and has emerged as an independent musical style. It is often hailed as "one of America's original art forms". Jazz music has its own charm and its own set of followers.

Women have contributed to the field of jazz music from the age-old times and there are some brilliant female jazz artists who have inspired jazz musicians across the era.

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most popular female jazz singer in the United States and was often referred to as "The First Lady of Song". She has won 13 Grammy awards in her lifetime and has sold more than 40 million albums. She was well known for her wide-ranging voice and the variety of genres she dabbled in, be it ballads, sweet jazz or any other genre. She has worked with the greatest jazz artists of all time including Count Basie and to Frank Sinatra and has performed at all the top venues in the world. Her first hit was in 1938- ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ which she had also co-written. ‘I Found My Yellow Basket’ was her second hit also recorded in the same year. In her 50-plus year career, she has recorded over 200 albums and around 2,000 songs.

Nina Simone (1933-2003) Nina Simone was known as the ‘High Priestess of Soul’ and was one of the most amazing artists of the twentieth century, almost an icon of America music. Her career spanned over four decades and her first hit was the 1959 classic hit, ‘I Loves You Porgy’.

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Another famous song would be ‘A Single Woman’. She had a unique trademark style and was widely recognized. She has sold more than 1 million CD’s which makes her a global bestseller.

is available on a huge seven-volume series-The Complete Dinah Washington.

Her most popular song with which she entered the mainstream market was ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’.

Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) A jazz vocalist with a beautiful voice, Sarah Vaughan used to perform with big bands in the early phase of her career and later she became a solo artist. Her famous songs include ‘Send in the Clowns’ and ‘Broken-Hearted Melody’. She is known for including bebop into her singing and ‘Lover Man’ is a well-known melody. She was given the nickname ‘Sassy’ and was also called ‘The Divine One’. In the late 1940’s, her popular recordings included ‘If You Could See Me Now’ and ‘It's Magic’. She was recognized as an extremely gifted singer and performer.

Dinah Washington (1924-1963) Dinah Washington was one of the most beloved singers of the midtwentieth century. She had a distinctive vocal style which included R&B, blues, jazz and even middle of the road pop. She had a gritty, high pitched voice. Her music

Billie Holiday (1915-1959) Billie Holiday was known as a phenomenal singer in the 1950’s. She had a soulful, unique voice and was a superstar of her time. Her songs are still well known today and are remembered as fondly as they were in the 1950’s. She is known as one of the greatest jazz voices of all time. In 1935, she recorded her biggest hits including ‘What a Little Moonlight Can Do’ and ‘Miss Brown to You’ which brought her fame and recognition. She recorded more than 100 songs in her lifetime and is most remembered for her emotive voice and touching sons which are remembered even today.

One cannot possibly forget the contribution of other jazz stalwarts like Carmen McRae, Peggy Lee, Etta James and Lena Horne amongst other great jazz singers. Among the new age artists, when it comes to jazz music, Amy Winehouse comes to mind along with Norah Jones and Diana Krall.

SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y

Own Grown Music to Home Grown Movies

The indigenous the regional and the folkish tunes of our nation is largely varied and impeccably detailed according to the genres of purpose. The lyric varies largely-it is occasionally exuberant, in terms of celebration of moods and colours of the seasons of the outer world or the inner walls of one’s inner being. And, at the same time it can swoop down low to the melancholies and poignancies of a deep seated anguish and pain.

If one wishes to draw, a parallel between these indigenous songs, and the mainstream crop of music today, there would be a striking resemblance in terms of the character and the organics of the songs. Because, time and again, men have resorted to weeping and celebrating to the same set of basic emotions, no matter what.

Here are the exemplary evidences of Bollywood going glocal with regional music.

“Jugni”

“Ambarsariya”

Embraced by the youth, almost as an anthem, Jugni had been the dope for many across the length and breadth of the subcontinent. Jugni, has evolved largely from a Punjabi narrative, which meanders many different worlds including the spiritual, the romantic and the absurd. The subtlety and the treatment of the song largely depend on the intent of the writer and the mood of the film where it has been used. And, hence we have all different impressions and interpretations of the song in modern day renditions ranging from the utmost feministic to the downright, love-bite blues.

The typical cry of a young lady, asking the boy from Amritsar not to pluck flowers that have not yet blossomed is a hybrid case of topical influences. The tune and lyrics are from different sources, but they blend in the sensuous voice of the gifted Sona Mahapatra. Though, many have termed the song sexist and largely biased and narrow-minded, the song stands as a largely impactful chartbuster with its uncanny but relatable circumstantial lyrics.

“Kesariya Balam” Used in the movie Dor, Kesariya Balam is the most iconic Rajasthani folk song that has stayed in vogue no matter what.

Sung in the film Lekin by Lata Mangeshkar, Kesariya Balam was the most sought after thematic lyrics for a travelling foot to India for ever in time. The folk song is originally sung in the Maand style of the deserts. It is interesting to note that this style of singing, is a breed of its own kind, just as the Ghazals are standalone beauties. Hence, this piece of musical ingenuity is as grand and exclusive as the beautiful terrains of the northwest.

“Genda Phool” “Nimbooda Nimbooda” The zingy number from the yester-year super hit film, is originally a Rajasthani gypsy song.

"Chappa chappa charkha chale” This peppy tune from the cult classic Maachis, is actually a Punjabi folk song that, bereaves the pain of the good old days through the raw stock memories of a humble soul, lost in the wilderness of the time. Peppered with the juicy combo of Gulzar and Vishal Bharadwaj, that the song reaches to a pious altar of timelessness.

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STAR OF THE MONTH

SHRAEY KHANNA

Having roots in dance, what made you get into singing too?

When I was a kid, I saw someone doing Moonwalk on Indian show "BoogieWoogie", I practiced that move and in 3-4 days I could do moonwalk . One day accidently I saw MJ on some Music channel, it was then that I realised that there is a legendary pop star named Michael Jackson. MJ has been my first and biggest inspiration. It was my dream to be a stage performer, complete entertainer like him. In the 90's, access to information wasn’t easy at all so I never could understand that he is at that stature as he is an amazing singer and dancer. I was not a born singer so I thought I would never be able to achieve it. So, began my journey as a dancer / choreographer, Won reality show IDS on Star Plus and after winning the show got the opportunity to Choreograph MJ style to Yo Yo Honey Singh . Honey paji is a one man army, He sings, he composes music ,he writes and so talking and listening to his inspiring life stories , I was charged up again and decided to learn music and be someone who can sing , compose , write and dance and try to be a better Entertainer like MJ and Honey Paji.

You are compared to MJ as being a good dancer and a singer. How does that feel? Was he your inspiration?

Well, I don’t think I am being compared to MJ Sir. He is a legend and I am just following his path. I am not even 1% of what he is. My friends and well-wishers like it when I do Mj style and that has always encouraged me to try to combine Music and Dance together. On the other hand, it is always a blue moon feeling when you start achieving something you dreamt of moreover walking on the path of someone like MJ is difficult and challenging too. He is my inspiration and because of him I am trying to change the performance trend in the current scenario.

Tell us about your non-alcoholic party anthem Hath Mei Daru Nahi is India's first Non-Alcoholic Party Anthem , it is aimed at creating a party mood without a mention of alcohol, drugs, girls or cars.

This song is actually taken from my life’s experiences.

Every time I go to a party, my friends make fun of me because they see a glass of juice in my hand, rather than a glass of wine. I recently got to know about one class 12 student from my neighbourhood, who was in a rehab centre for a year to get over drug addiction. I don't know why, but gradually drinking or smoking has become a status symbol or maybe it makes them look cool (that's what the youth thinks). So, I thought why not make a song with no alcohol, no drugs, no girls, no cars and make it sound cool. ‘Hath mei daru nahi juice ka

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glass, banda hun main sidha sadha itni si baat’, this was the first line that came to my mind. I wanted to talk about everything that the youth feels and is experiencing so I started visiting clubs and public places to observe things. I also joined dating app Tinder, to see how real or fake relationships have become. So it took me a lot of time to write the whole song and then composing music for this wasn’t that easy as I wanted it to sound different. I was keen on getting the best mixing engineer for it and finally found the right person for it ‘James Krausse’. He has worked for Beyonce , Justin Bieber and many more international artists.

My brother 'Neeraj Hinduja’ is the director of the video who had spent a lot of time planning the video.

We shot it for 5 days in Leh and it wasn’t easy shooting there as it took us 2 days to acclimatize to the atmosphere. But as we all know, where there is will there is a way.

So we got all our end product after all the hard work of the team

What were the barriers you faced while getting trained by yourself as a singer?

As I am not a born/trained singer so it wasn’t that easy for me to go ahead with singing career. Then before I could go to a composer and ask him to compose a song for me, I decided to learn how to compose music, understand the technicalities so that I don’t sound a completely naive , and I would have a clear picture of what kind of song / music I want.

So I learnt music production, listened to a single song 1000 times to understand how it would have been composed and also continued with my singing classes under Smt.Shilpi Ratnesh. It’s still not easy as I am still taking my training classes to do better.

How do you think you can make a change in this dynamic industry?

Well I have just started off and I am learning from every musician and singer that is there in the scene. Everyone is so talented and everyone is unique. My only aim is to combine Music and Dance together and give the audience a new, different music and visual.

It is always your presentation in

the video and on the stage which makes the viewers watch again and again as it was with MJ. So my aim is to bring the difference by combining all the things together and come out to be a 360 degree artist and performer. I am hoping this will be loved by everyone as it’s only how you entertain people.

Tell us about your upcoming projects I am working on dance numbers and would be releasing them really soon. Also trying to change the music videos the way they are being shot in India. So hopefully if everything would be sorted my next video would be very different.

Recently I released a hilarious video - a fusion of Yoga and modern dance - shows the group pull off some terrific and neverseen-before dance moves with the voice of Baba Ramdev giving out tips on health interspersed in it.

Yoga is about flexibility, fitness, and fortitude. No one ever said, “Yoga is fun!” We’ve all been bombarded with the importance of practicing it for long-term health benefits, but most of us give up after some time. Mostly, because it isn’t fun. However, this dance group called INVINCIBLE led by Shraey Khanna changes all that!

The combination of dance steps to the Yoga asanas, makes you sit up and take notice.

Being a singer, a dancer, a writer and a music composer I just want to make something which entertains public. The video ‘Yoga se Hoga’ released has dance having instructions of Baba Ramdev in a more funny and interactive way.

After releasing my song ‘Haath mie daru nahi’ I started working on this dance video.

I am glad that people loved it and sharing it everywhere in future I am I will be releasing more such videos with my own music.

Any artist you would like to collaborate with and why?

As I said my music career has just begun and I am still learning from everyone, so collaboration with great artist would be like a dream come true. It is my dream to collaborate with Honey Paji and Chris brown one day.

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Being a singer, a dancer, a writer and a music composer I just want to make something which entertains public.

Music or Dance?

Dansic Best performance ever?

When I performed MJ style for the first time in 2007 Stage you would like to perform in?

IIFA Your favourite music composer?

Honey Singh , AR Rahman Mainstream or Indie music?

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SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y Beat boxing has essentially become a synergy of mouth, lips, tongue, and voice to produce impeccably realistic music for the ears, that is hard to differentiate from the real sound of music of the desired instruments.

For India, beat boxing has brought alongwith it, immense possibilities of explorations in the most frugal sense. The young and passionate musicians of India, may not afford to buy the costly musical gears, but can afford to live their dreams with a little effort- hitting YouTube tutorials and learning on the go from there. And with the likes of Vineet Vincent and Voctronica, the craze for this new age alternate music is actually turning itself to a revolution.

Much like the self trained dancers of the YouTube generation, beat boxing is largely a bye product of the power of internet.

But, it started largely through underground experiments and exercises into foraying in the alternative. In the 1990s the solo beat boxers from London were signing albums with big labels at a really tender age of their career. Then Make the Music 2000, made beat boxing mainstream. It was largely the techniques used in the album that resulted in an unprecedented growth in interest for the medium. It featured voice scratchings and packed in a lot of surprises like a bonus track after 60 seconds of silence.

It was however, largely an off the grid experiment, that was standing against the waves of the popular music of the times.

But then, artists like Justin Timberlake or even more creative persons like Bjork used beat boxing straight up as the core for her music. Beat boxing was slowly getting into a vogue by then.

TV music channels were harping in newer and bolder experiments in the field of beat boxing. This meant that layered studio beat boxing and more polished and professional sounding tracks were making it to the world wide market. In the year of 2001 was released the very first beatboxing compilation DVD, the raw album had a very basic nomenclature of just Beatboxing Vol.1. In the very next year Beatboxer Entertainment was formed, aiming at focusing

purely on the propagation of the new art form.

From there on, it propelled real fast as beatboxing got featured in the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2004.

Suddenly the craze and euphoria surrounding beat boxing bombarded throughout the world. Kids got so excited that they held amateur jam sessions to figure out their talents in the field. The alleys and the ghettos where once the rap artists would thrive, now became the lab house to a completely new kind of music. But, these however were largely scattered and often got los in random smoked up afternoon discussions.

With the advent of the internet and the democratization of the video making and distribution the indie music scene erupted and now the entire world got curious of this new trade. People started searching for more exciting videos on the internet and contributed towards generating even more creative projects.

The community of the go getters gave rise to the amazing work scape of beat boxers through which, even to this day, newer and more innovative beat boxers are evolving. Today websites like humanbeatbox.com by Tye Tye are dedicated towards creation of tutorials for the emerging beat boxers.

Many celebrated YouTube channels have dedicated playlists of hundreds of tutorials on different styles and flavors.

In the West the Beat boxing convention is the order of the day, in our country college students are largely eyeing at national beat boxing championships. From what had been largely an underground movement of experiments and explorations has curiously today grown up into one of the sought after facilities of college students. After Vineeth (the college kid from Bangalore) who attempted the world record for the largest human beat boxing with over 2000 people. The students of Bangalore and others around got largely intrigued by the awesome new trade to stardom, and today the internet is flooded with beat boxing videos by students across different colleges of the country.

It's amazing to see, how much one can achieve by just "raising his voice"!

WHAT BEATS THE DRUMS? ACTIONS OR WORDS? Beat boxing has obviously been the lazy man's best friend, for using your 'voice as an instrument' has its own perks like freedom from carrying bulky drumkits and mighty consoles meant for turn table effects.

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