If you think nobody could have made Slumdog Millionaire's soundtrack better than A.R.Rehman, think again. Shankar, the self confessed Rehman fan, has given a truly fusion feel to this innovative cover of O Saya. As he says in the intro to the song, "This is my arrangement of A.R. Rahman's "O Saya", from the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. It features my sister, Akshaya, playing cello. The glitchy sound at the beginning was created using cello and izotope's "stutter edit pro" plugin. The only drum I used in this was the ganjira, though I tried various mic placements and EQ's to make it sound really big."
In an age where videos and sales drive the music scene, Shankar has relied completely on the online platform to distribute and sell all his music. And it worked. His YouTube music channel, The Shrutibox, features his fusion compositions and has garnered two million hits. He has collaborated with Mumbai-based classical singer Nirali Kartik and Washington DC-based vocalists, Vidya and Vandana Iyer.
Not content with instrumental fusion, he has also experimented with a Indo-western mash-up featuring Adele'S*** track Rolling in the Deep with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's iconic track O Re Piya.
The 24-year-old clarinetist studied clarinet at New England Conservatory in Massachusetts from sitarist Peter Row, but it was a chance discovery of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia's music, which inspired him to come to Mumbai. Though a student of flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia at the Brindaban Gurukul in Mumbai, he has picked the clarinet over flute. In fact he disclosed in an Interview to an Indian Express that his guru doesn't even know about his fusion experiments.
While his mastery over the clarinet can't be doubted, he can play tabla, guitar, kanjira and an eclectic mix of eastern and western instruments. He magnificently blends the essence of jazz, pop, Indian classical to create seamless fusion.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Abhishek Raaja is a final year Bachelor of Arts student, studying Psychology, Literature, and Media studies, and also an international performer of traditional mridangam music with over 30 concerts to his name.
A student of the A. R. Rahman Institute of Music where he is learning western music too.
“All the rhythmic sounds around me were music to my ears. I could grasp the volume, frequency and rhythm of sounds, especially my dad’s bike when he returned home every night. My entire family is deeply involved with traditional dance and music, music is not only in my blood, I love it too. I have been practicing mridangam since I was in upper kindergarten,” says Ahbishek.
“I am successful only because of the support I got from my people. I am thankful to my sister for her support. I believe that she is the only reason I am what I am today,” adds Abhishek.
Abhishek’s first break came when he won the State level mridangam competition when he played for five continuous hours. He also received an appreciation letter and got to meet the President, Abdul Kalam in 2008.
Apart from Mridangam Abhishek plays more than eight instruments, such as; ghatam, kanjira, pakhwaj, khol, djambe, tabala, and the Flute. He has also taken part in street singing and wants to constantly experiment with music, filming and philanthropy.
On the social front he also wants to do something good for the poor and not concentrate on fame and fortune. Abhishek wants to be an empowering father because he wants to be like his dad, “Nobody is born genius in this world; Fate can never be changed but we can alter it.”
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
The Hindu With Sanjeev the experience of creating music goes beyond the music itself. Sanjeev has his finger in every possible musical pie and believes as long as the music is good, it doesn't matter what kind of music you do
His comfort in the leather jacket, gait that can only be described as a swagger, and bleached hair is all testimony to the early start he had. Sanjeev started learning guitar at eight and although he never thought he could be a full-time musician, it took college and institutional discipline for him to realise he had no choice but to be a full-time musician. “I started doing music professionally but it was obvious that I would not be able to survive the field with what I was doing, so I expanded into production,” narrates Sanjeev in calm, even tones.
Sanjeev was in town for the Coke Studio @ MTV performance which was taking place at the Hard Rock Café in Bangalore. Having had the honour of working with A.R. Rahman, he says, “The best thing about working with A.R., besides the fact that it is A.R. is that he gives you time and freedom to do your own thing. Also as an artist I have found that I challenge myself a lot more and push myself when I'm working with him. Besides he has great musicians and technicians, so you're working with the best the industry can offer and with some incredibly talented people.”
Sanjeev has his hand in every musical pie and which is why he claims that he is still finding himself as an artist. “I do too many things, there is the band, sessions, production and everything together is just confusing. I want to create a balance between my independent work and my commercial work, but I don't know how yet. It would be good if I could find that balance and make it commercially viable. I would love if I could make a career out of my independent work but in the 10 years I have been a full time musician not a single record label has approached me,” says Sanjeev.
The pragmatic musician does not make out mainstream music and the commerce involved to be a wholly evil. “It is actually not a bad thing and in fact it opened me into other genres of music. Even on my album, the music is very varied, with many genres and different styles. As long as the music is good, it doesn't matter what kind of music you do, and I don't regret getting into mainstream music, it has given me exposure and opportunities.”
Sanjeev who has also been a key performer at Coke Studio in its first season in India calls the show a phenomenon that is going to herald a sea of change in music. “This is a presentation of collaborations, where many artists come together and create something new and package traditional music in a contemporary format. It is a great platform for independent and folk music,” he says.
According to Sanjeev as long as he is creating music, his style is going to be there, “I love collaborating with different musicians, working with different people and their styles and making it work, I find it very exciting. There is no dilution, if anything my personal style is enhanced when I collaborate with other musicians.”
With Sanjeev the experience of creating music goes beyond the music itself, “The people I work with make it exciting. I enjoy meeting people and finding out where they come from, their backgrounds, and what inspires them. Music brings us together and there are so many more humane emotions that are shared. When you connect with the people you are working with you create an expression with your music – an expression that has a heart.”
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Abhishek Raaja is a final year Bachelor of Arts student, studying Psychology, Literature, and Media studies, and also an international performer of traditional mridangam music with over 30 concerts to his name.
A student of the A. R. Rahman Institute of Music where he is learning western music too.
“All the rhythmic sounds around me were music to my ears. I could grasp the volume, frequency and rhythm of sounds, especially my dad’s bike when he returned home every night. My entire family is deeply involved with traditional dance and music, music is not only in my blood, I love it too. I have been practicing mridangam since I was in upper kindergarten,” says Ahbishek.
“I am successful only because of the support I got from my people. I am thankful to my sister for her support. I believe that she is the only reason I am what I am today,” adds Abhishek.
Abhishek’s first break came when he won the State level mridangam competition when he played for five continuous hours. He also received an appreciation letter and got to meet the President, Abdul Kalam in 2008.
Apart from Mridangam Abhishek plays more than eight instruments, such as; ghatam, kanjira, pakhwaj, khol, djambe, tabala, and the Flute. He has also taken part in street singing and wants to constantly experiment with music, filming and philanthropy.
On the social front he also wants to do something good for the poor and not concentrate on fame and fortune. Abhishek wants to be an empowering father because he wants to be like his dad, “Nobody is born genius in this world; Fate can never be changed but we can alter it.”
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Singer Ahluwalia collaborates with range of musicians
By Siddhartha Mitter
Globe Correspondent
November 19, 2011
Rez abassi
“I have a sonic image of what I want to sound like, and I want to always move toward that image,’’ says Kiran Ahluwalia.
NEW YORK - In the course of five albums, the singer Kiran Ahluwalia has blended the Indian classical and folk forms that are her specialty into collaborations with Portuguese fado musicians, the Celtic fiddle of Natalie MacMaster, the Inuit throat singing of Tanya Tagaq, and more. For Ahluwalia, such partnerships across genre and culture aren’t an experiment, or a social commentary on our times, or a producer’s cute idea, or a pitch to gain new listeners.
They are a personal necessity.
“The needing of collaboration comes because we ourselves are collaborations of culture,’’ says Ahluwalia. “We’re not pure. I collaborate in the kitchen: I make Japanese soy bean curry, Indian style. I think in English, or in Hindi-or French. Our lives are collaboration, because we don’t belong to one culture.
It’s a fair self-assessment. Ahluwalia was born in India, raised in Toronto, and lives in New York, where she performs on both the world music and jazz circuits. On her newest, most confident album, “Aam Zameen: Common Ground,’’ she has turned her ear to the desert, joining her working band with the great Tuareg bands Tinariwen and Terakaft. Gambian ritti (one-string fiddle) player Juldeh Camara appears as well, as does Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar.
Ahluwalia calls herself a “collaboration junkie,’’ and not just for the guests she brings onto her albums. Her own band, which she brings to Johnny D’s tomorrow night with the addition of Rob Curto on accordion, is itself a study in roots and hybridity.
On one hand, all five regular members have family origins in India or Pakistan, and are comfortable with the ghazals - a hallowed genre of Indo-Persian devotional love songs -and Punjabi folk songs that form the core of Ahluwalia’s material.
On the other hand, while Nitin Mitta on tabla and Kiran Thakrar on harmonium supply the classic accompaniment for Indian vocals, Nikku Nayar on electric bass and Rez Abbasi on electric and acoustic guitars dramatically widen the landscape, creating room for bold new arrangements of traditional songs as well as new compositions.
At a recent CD release show in New York for “Aam Zameen,’’ the band wove together virtuoso tabla drumming with searing guitar work with a jazz-rock bent: Abbasi, the band’s music director and Ahluwalia’s husband, is a jazz guitarist of growing renown.
Ahluwalia, who performs standing instead of in the formal seated pose of Indian playing, offered sassy, self-deprecating stories to introduce each song. At one point, she got the audience to follow her lead in vocalizing a syllable in increasingly complex ways - a building-block of Indian singing that a club audience is rarely invited to attempt.
Beneath the playfulness, of course, rests deep technique. Ahluwalia set aside a career in finance when she decided to return to India and immerse herself in music. Her now-octogenarian ghazal teacher, Vithal Rao, was one of the last court musicians of the Nizam, or ruler, of Hyderabad. Ahluwalia still visits him yearly to advance her training.
Despite five albums and a dozen years of performance and touring, she says she’s still working toward singing the way she wants to sing.
“I have a sonic image of what I want to sound like, and I want to always move toward that image,’’ she says. “I am always working on a very open-throat, unencumbered, effortless kind of singing where I visualize the air just coming out of my pipes.’’
Ahluwalia may see her craft as work in progress, but what she does was enough to seduce the members of Tinariwen when they met her in a Paris studio for a session that Ahluwalia had sought, and that was organized by former Tinariwen producer Justin Adams.
“The way she sings conveys nostalgia,’’ says Tinariwen bassist Eyadou Ag Leche. “It made us all miss our home. We found our musical point of connection, and it all happened very naturally. The way she presented her songs, it was very easy to work with her.’’
The sentiment is mutual. A highlight of “Aam Zameen’’ is a long version of “Mustt Mustt,’’ a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan classic, featuring Tinariwen. “That was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I’ve collaborated a lot,’’ Ahluwalia says.
The connection was quicker and fuller than any she’d had in what can be the forced setting of a studio session among near-strangers. In Paris, the Tuareg musicians improvised lyrics in their language, Tamashek, to Ahluwalia’s Urdu, and she returned the favor.
“No one told them to clap, no one told them to sing, but Eyadou just gets up on the chair and dances, he doesn’t know my words but he’s singing behind me. We do a 20-minute song and after that there are no worries. It’s going to happen.’’
Now, Ahluwalia says, anytime she meets up with Tinariwen, she ends up backstage in a long jam session with their singer Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni. This coming January she will play with them at the famous Festival in the Desert in Mali.
It all validates Ahluwalia’s view that an excess of reverence for one’s own or another’s tradition should never get in the way of crossing borders to make great music. There is such a thing as too much respect, she says.
“I’m a citizen of the world,’’ Ahluwalia says. “Other influences are open for me to take in. I don’t have to stick to Canada or India, I can incorporate any other piece of culture into my character and personality.’’
Unfortunately people only seem to know Dhushan because of 'Kolavari Di, says Abhishek. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Hindi film actor Abhishek Bachchan feels that it is unfair that people associate Tamil star Dhanush, who has an impressive body of work, just with the “Kolaveri di” song.
“He is a very dear friend of mine, Dhanush. Very famous and very prominent actor from Chennai. Off late, unfortunately they only seem to know him because of ‘Kolavari Di’ but, he has done great work down there. He is a wonderful actor,” said the 35-year-old actor.
“Kolaveri Di” has received over 17 million hits on Youtube till now and Abhishek terms it as one of the greatest hits of the year.
“I think it’s outstanding and I think it’s wonderful because it has been made by two very dear friends of mine, Dhanush and his wife Aishwarya. I think it’s a fantastic song. He is a very talented guy and Anirudh, the music director has done a great job. I wish them all the best. It’s one of the greatest songs of the year,” said Abhishek who is awaiting his next release “Players” by director duo Abbas-Mustan.
“Players”, which is releasing Jan 6, also stars Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonam Kapoor.
Abhishek is also working on Rohit Shetty directed “Bol Bachchan” and “Dhoom 3″.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Indian, Pakistani singers to battle it out on 'Sur-kshetra'
IANSDec 21, 2011
Talented singers from India and Pakistan will fight it out on a common platform -- a new reality show "Sur-kshetra" -- where singer-composer Himesh Reshammiya will captain the Indian team and the Pakistan team will be led by hit singer Atif Aslam.
The jury and the host of the show are yet to be finalised, but it will be a mix of talent from both the countries, said a source from Sahara One TV channel, on which it will be aired early next year.
In India, the auditions will take place in six cities -- Lucknow, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Ludhiana and Indore -- and at three cities in Pakistan -- Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
The selected singing talents from both nations will assemble at one place, where the show will be shot. There, they will undergo a further selection process.
Gajendra Singh, founder and managing director, Saaibaba Telefilms is producing the show. After promoting musical talent through the small screen thanks to shows like "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa", "Music Ka Maha Muqabla" and "Voice of India", he is upbeat about the new show.
"Music has always inspired me to explore new avenues. With 'Sur-kshetra', we aim to touch newer heights and create a new musical world. I thank Sahara One, and especially Boney (Kapoor) to have given me such a challenging opportunity and I am really excited about it," Singh said in a press statement.
Boney Kapoor, director, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd said: "'Sur-kshetra' is our mega reality music show. Our channel is growing consistently and is on track to reach the top five with plans drawn ahead to scale even greater heights. And to begin with, what better than a show like 'Sur-kshetra', with the best of singing talents from India and Pakistan, competing against each other."
Auditions will roll out Saturday in Lucknow and Kolkata.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Financial strength of India lures Pakistani talent
TNN |
Dec 17, 2011,
Whoever said 'Love Thy Neighbour' probably had no idea of how seriously our padosis would devote their careers to living by this tenet.
Veena Malik
Actually, neither did we till we looked at all those fair maidens and handsome strangers who'd come to India recently and realised that they all came, fell 'in work', and found an alternative home sweet home in India. Of course, their bank balances have only increased since then.
Sach toh yeh hai ki humare aamne saamne wali countries mein joh talent ke tukde rehte hain, all of them have been smart enough to access the combined commercial potential of the cine and entertainment industries in India. The sound of Pakistani vocals first reverberated across Bollywood and national radio programmes when legends like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan crossed over to find the country going gaga for their Sufi sounds. Now, no one perhaps makes for a stronger example of this than the names from Pakistan's music world, who've found an unparalleled fan following as well as stupendous demand for their music and voices from India.
The same route across the border was soon traced by popular pop bands from Pakistan such as Junoon and Strings (which, by the way, have had their single "Na Jane Kyun" featured as a soundtrack for "Spider-Man 2's" dubbed version). In fact, Junoon's first concert in India in 1997 saw almost 50,000 fans in attendance from across the country. Talk about number power! That's perhaps why newer musicians from Pakistan have found it easier to follow in the footsteps of their enterprising seniors. Atif Aslam, Adnan Sami, Nusrat's nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali have all answered the call of Bollywood in recent years, and revelled in the commercial viability of their decision.
But the taj of Mallika-e-Opportunity right now needs to go to Veena Malik, who has courted both controversy and commerce in India. She first grabbed our attention with her oh-so-nearly-intimate scenes with Ashmit Patel in "Bigg Boss", but since then, Veena's made 'shocking' her middle name. However, she now seems to be finding ways to settle down in the country. Even though she has said in an interview that she's finally buying property in Dubai because she wasn't "allowed" by the Indian government to purchase a house here, she still went ahead and 'adopted' an Indian girl this year, and is now getting ready to find her better half through the reality show "Veena Ka Swayamvar". As part of her interview to us for this edition of DT's 17th Anniversary series, Veena said, "Some time back, I was speaking to a popular host in Pakistan. He made an interesting point. Unhone kaha, jitna paisa aap chaar shows se kama lete ho, utna toh main 15 shows karke kama pata hoon."
And that's the hard (cash) reality of it. Sabka sapna is money money, and that's what is bringing them here with this frequency. We've reserved the dishiest import of all for the last. Actor-singer Ali Zafar's voice, we've experienced, can easily be overshadowed by the cacophony his female fans generate. And that's probably the reason why, since his Bollywood debut in 2010 with "Tere Bin Laden", the actor has already seen two other releases - "Luv Ka The End" and "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" - and is busy working on the next two films, "London, Paris, New York" and the remake of "Chashme Buddoor". And we haven't even begun to talk about the response to his music in India yet.
The point is, like we've said in the past eight editions, the increasing financial strength of the country is attracting talent from all over the world, and according to the laws of physics (and economics), the pull is strongest for those who are nearest to us.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
KOLKATA: As you listened with rapt attention to nearly 20 hands go up and down on their musical instruments, you couldn't believe that you were listening to music created 80 years ago. You were listening to the country's first indigenous orchestra playing a symphony.
The inimitable music was created by Timir Baran, who is popularly called the father of Indian orchestra. Thursday's programme by Arani was a maiden effort by Timir Baran's grand-daughter Ranjani Sarkar to revive the music that stirred souls not only here but in the West as well as early as the 1930s. The programme was supported by the ministry of culture and was a part of its the Rabindranath Tagore sesquicentenary celebrations and The Times of India.
Baran had composed music for some of Tagore's famous creations.
Timir Baran trained under the legendary Baba Alauddin of Maihar. He learnt sarod till 1930. Thereafter, he travelled to the West to play sarod to a foreign audience. It was here that he got introduced to the Western philharmonic orchestra. He was fascinated by it and also realised that he could create an orchestra with Indian musical instruments, with the violin and guitar thrown in. And that is what he did.
It was Ranjani Sarkar, who thought that it would be wrong not to try and revive the genre of her grandfather. She got in touch with one of the best known sarod maestros of our time Tejendra Narayan Majumdar and sought his help. The old pages of music were retrieved and Majumdar started working on it with his own musicians. The result was there for everyone to see on Thursday evening.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
They are the new kids on the block in the Hindi film music industry, but brothers Ajay and Atul Gogvale have been creating award winning soundtracks and background scores for Marathi films since 2004. Their first foray into the Hindi film industry was the Ajay Devgn starrer Singham. Audiences fell in love with their range and depth of sound in the songs ‘Maula Maula’, ‘Singham’ and ‘Saathiya’ and could not wait to hear more. Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra apparently agreed and hired them to create the sound for their version of Agneepath. Using their Marathi flavor as a basis and taking into consideration the new telling of this classic, the brothers say as soon as they heard the script of Agneepath they knew they had to create music that was full of grandeur and that it needed to be larger than life. We got the chance to chat with the composers and we talked of course of the hit ‘Chikni Chameli’, but also many other things music.
Tell us how the music of Agneepath came about.
We were busy with our Marathi films and our very good friend, Mr. Riteish Deshmukh, got to know that Karan Johar was remaking Agneepath and said to him: ‘You should listen to Ajay-Atul’s music’. Karan Johar and our director Karan Malhotra both listened to music from two of our Marathi films (Jogwa and Natarang) and the earthiness and the grandeur in the films and our music, I think that is what made them call us and offer us this film.
What sort of brief did Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra give in terms of the kind of music they wanted for the film?
That exact grandeur and an exact larger-than-life sound, even in the songs, even in background scores. This Agneepath is totally earthy. If you’ve watched the original Agneepath that is totally different – the hero and the villain are very glamorous, but here the villain and hero are very much earthy. The story is very heavy. When we heard the whole script and the whole storyboard we knew what we wanted and what we had to do. Immediately we got the whole picture and the whole idea about what sound and what kind of grandeur we have to create. It was very simple sort of actually, yet challenging too. We love the original Agneepath and have seen that film so many times, we know who these characters are; what their mannerisms are. When we work we follow the character’s mannerism, what is their storyline, what is their thinking process to make our music.
It must be amazing to see your music come to life on screen.
Yes, yes. Even now we are doing the background score for the film and it is looking awesome on screen. I am basically overwhelmed because the people are appreciating all the songs. The first song we composed was ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’. ‘Chikni Chameli’, the item song in Agneepath is so huge and popular. People are appreciating the other 5 songs also and it’s looking awesome on screen.
Let’s talk ‘Chikni Chameli’: the song is actually your hit song ‘Kombdi Palali’ from the Marathi film Jatra translated for this film. How did that all come about?
This thought totally came from our producer Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra. We were composing another song for Agneepath, but the pace and tempo of this song is so high and the point at which this song comes in the movie is after interval and the story needs that fast pace. This song perfectly matches with the screenplay and storyboard at that point. So they came up with the idea that we’ll use one of your already super duper hit songs. We were very happy that our original song was going on an international platform. It’s a next step for our Marathi film industry.
When you first saw Katrina in the song, what were your first thoughts?
We were like ohhhfff…(Laughs) The energy that she has given for this song. I know the back-story of this song: she was rehearsing for eight days and the shooting went on for nine days and she was dancing continually. If you listen to that song, any artist and even if I was dancing to it, would get tired in just two minutes, but it’s a 5-6 minute song. She has taken it to another level. She’s awesome. She’s fabulous.
The reaction from fans has been amazing…
We are really happy. The reaction from our Bollywood celebrities has also been really good. They like the songs too. And I think it’s really good and we are really happy with whatever ‘Chikni Chameli’ is creating.
One of my favorites is ‘O Saiyyan’…
Well, that song was very tricky actually. Tricky in the sense that song is a romantic song and it’s from a heroine’s point of view, but the singer is a male here. And it’s the style of our Sufi music where a male singer sings or can sing from female point of view. The main thing we wanted someone with a true Sufi voice. So we got our very good friend Roop Kumar Rathod. We were already searching for a chance to use his voice and this song was perfect. He has come up with very beautiful vocals.
How do you decide which singer is best for which song?
Well it’s all our imagination. When we compose a song, at that time, the tune itself asks us, ‘I need this voice’. So it’s not like it’s the producer call or it’s not like we want to promote anyone. Not at all. The second we compose the song immediately we hear that song in that singer’s voice.
What is your process of composing songs?
We both sit and compose our songs and then we call our director to listen. I’m happy that till date no tune has ever been rejected. Whatever we came up with first it was approved and everyone liked it.
What do you think of Hindi film music today?
It’s doing good, but one thing I miss and I think everyone is missing, because I’m getting the feedback from overseas and some of our fans are also talking about it, is that in the 90s and before that Hindi film music has got its own sound. You know the cinematic sound, even in background score, even in a song, you know, the grandeur was there. I’m really missing the live instrumental and the typical Indian percussions – tabla, dholak, duff, dhol. Those percussions are missing. I am missing the orchestral part. I’m missing the choir section. I’m missing the strings arrangement. I’m missing brass. Because everything now is created on keyboard, software and plug-ins and everyone is using that. I think that has to be changed. It is not like there are no artists who can create or compose these kinds of sounds. But we are missing the 90s sound, we are missing that grandeur. Like in the master John Williams’ work, the way his background scores sound and even in Bollywood Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D. Burman they created the background score. I think we are missing that.
What do you think you guys bring to the music of films?
It is not like we want to bring or we want to do any special thing. The thing is, and I don’t know if it is a drawback or a plus-point, is that whenever we imagine any song or any background score it always comes as larger-than-life. We can never imagine or we can’t compose anything with just few instruments. Yes, we have done it in some of our films using less instruments, but melody has to be there in any case. People have been talking about that melody is missing; melody is missing and being a music director I think that should not happen. The basic need of any song or any tune is melody. We should not talk about that melody is missing, because if melody is strong you don’t need any kind of other things. Any tune, any superb tune or any melody can sound awesome even on just a piano. So melody is something we should not forget about.
We cannot wait to hear what these talented composers will bring us next but for now we will eagerly await to see their deep layered compositions on screen when Agneepath hits theaters. Starring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor, this new take on the classic opens worldwide on January 26th.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
B-Town beauties share their favourite patriotic song
On Republic Day, Bollywood beauties tell us about their favourite patriotic songs and why it evokes a sense of pride in them. Shazahn Padamsee
My favourite patriotic song is Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo. I love this song sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It always makes me nostalgic and I feel very patriotic every time I listen to it. The track is a constant reminder of the fact that I owe my freedom to our freedom fighters.
Kainaz Motivala Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo by Lata Mangeshkar, who has sung the song beautifully, inevitably brings tears to my eyes. It’s a wonderful song and reminds us that we should pay homage to the soldiers who risk their lives for us every day, while we sit comfortably in our homes.
Soha Ali Khan I love AR Rahman’s version of our national song, Vande Mataram. I think the lyrics are simply great and I feel highly motivated whenever I listen to the song. Over all, the track is a personal inspiration and is undoubtedly my most loved patriotic song.
Geeta Basra My favourite patriotic song is Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo. It touches my soul. At a recent visit to the Wagah border, I saw the entire parade and the retreat ceremony and at that moment, this was the only song which resounded through my mind. It was a very proud moment for me.
Eesha Koppikhar The song, Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyaara Hai from the film Roja, is my absolute favourite patriotic number. The composition is thought provoking and it never fails to rekindle the patriotic spirit. I think the track is simply beautiful and will always continue to be my favourite.
Sameera Reddy Ma Tujhe Salaam/ Vande Mataram by AR Rahman is by far the best patriotic song that I have heard. The composition is a soulful tribute to mother India and it helps me to connect to my roots, apart from infusing a feeling of being proud as an Indian.
Minissha Lamba On Republic Day, one song that cannot be left out is Mere Desh Ki Dharti. Its a beautiful and lively track from the film Upkar. Whenever I listen to the song, it gives me goosebumps. The lyrics evoke a feeling of pride, patriotism and courage.
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Geet Sagar, the winner of the reality show – " X factor", believes that life becomes better if one doesn't plan it. "It is a conscious decision to never make plans in my life. Instead, one should know how to react and respond to unexpected incidents that happen in life.
Your ability to look for ways to make the most of every moment can add zing to a dull and predictable life. I don't plan anything because I find it restricting. There is so much to experience in life, which you can't if you know what will work for you and what won't," he responds.
So is it true that he never expected to win on the show? "No, I didn't. I would only think of giving my best performance. My only aim was to improvise," he says, adding, "I didn't have the courage to even dream of winning the show. Kuch khwaab itne bade hote hain ki unhe dekhne mein bhi darr lagta hai." Was this also to ensure that his anxiety and anticipation did not affect his performance? "Yes. To be honest, I didn't want to live in that 'what if I win or lose' mental zone. It is just very difficult to handle that sort of pressure. Since I was only concentrating on my performance, there was thankfully no room for any such thought patterns regarding the finale. I think I love the fact that I won the show only because I never expected it."
Originally from Gwalior, Geet has not only won `50 lakh and a car but also got the opportunity to sing in Karan Johar's flick. "I'm looking forward to working with Karan. It will be an enriching experience. I consider myself fortunate to have got this chance."
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
British-Indian musician, Biddu, who recently announced that he was done with music, is back to what he does best. After a hiatus of eight years, the 67-year-old will lend a helping hand for Luke Kenny’s yet untitled zombie film. For the upcoming film, the artiste has agreed to experiment with his ’80s hit album, Disco Deewane (1981). “It was out of the blue. Luke contacted me, saying he wanted a song Aao Na Pyar Karein… that Nazia Hassan sang in my album, Disco Deewane,” says Biddu, whose last music album was Diamond Sutra (2004). Always in favour of encouraging fresh talent, the artiste adds, “Since the song belongs to me, Luke asked me if we could do a new version of it and I agreed.”
Best known for his song, Kung Fu Fighting…, Biddu has managed to bring home thousand of pounds each year from royalties from this track alone. The artiste, however, is miffed with the no-royalty system in India. “Money is very little in India. In the west, there is a proper system around royalty. If the song becomes a super hit, everyone makes money except the music people,” he feels.
Comparing our thriving Bollywood music industry to that of the west, Biddu says, “Here only the actors keep minting money, but the people who created the song, get nothing. In the west, every song you compose, the producer, writers, and singer have a percentage that they keep getting for life. People like Paul McCartney earn over 4 million pounds a year on songs they composed in the ’60s from the Beatles days. When I wrote the songs for Dhoom (2004), I got R2 lakh and that’s it. Nothing beyond that.
Why should I work for Rs 3 lakh or Rs 4 lakh only?”
Biddu, who refuses to call this his comeback album, admits that his new project, a modern disco album titled Guilty Pleasures will be out in April. Ask him whether he managed to convince Luke Kenny to pay him his royalty for this track, and he reveals, “Luke offered me a very fair deal, that’s why I did it. They are ready to give a royalty on that soundtrack.”
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Delhi-based Indian Ocean and Bangladesh's James, better known to Indian listeners as the 'Bheegi Bheegi' singer, will collaborate for a musical evening in Delhi for 'Maitree Bandhan', an initiative to forge stronger bonds of friendship with Bangladesh
We aren't very different: Indian Ocean
Amid highs and lows in diplomatic relations, India and its neighbours have never failed to hear - and appreciate - each other's voices. It is this power of music which Delhi-based band Indian Ocean, and Bangladeshi singer, guitarist and composer James, will harness in Delhi on February 27, as part of the Indo-Bangladesh friendship project - Maitree Bandhan. While Indian Ocean is known for unadulterated Indo-rock fusion music, James of "Bheegi Bheegi" ("Gangster") fame is the pioneer of psychedelic rock in Bangladesh.
"We have never worked together, in fact, we haven't even met James before, but we are looking forward to performing together. I've heard that he is very good," says guitarist Susmit Sen. "We might do some kind of jugalbandi on stage. We will be meeting James on the day of the performance and see what all we can do," says Susmit. So, will it be a spontaneous act, rather than rehearsed? "Absolutely. I believe a performance should always be spontaneous. Those who are not spontaneous should never perform live," he says.
Susmit stresses the fact that music doesn't have boundaries, and should not be restricted to any either. "Collaborations open up the scope for musical expression, which I think is most important. Be it Bangladeshi or Pakistani, we all are not very different culturally, still, every artiste is different - in terms of upbringing, landscape and influences - so, it is always exciting to collaborate with artistes from different nations," shares the guitarist, "Every initiative towards peace and friendship is important, and I hope it satisfies the purpose for which it is being done. Beyond that, as a musician, I can't comment. I'm not a politician. But it's always great to meet people from different countries."
(Contributed by Suruchi Sharma)
Music has a unifying power: James
He has sung for Bollywood films like "Life... In A Metro", "Gangster" and "Woh Lamhe". And now, Bangladeshi singer Faruk Mahfuj Anam, better known as James, says that he's excited about performing in Delhi for Maitree Bandhan. "I have been to Delhi only once for a show. Though I was there for a very short while, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. The crowd seriously knows how to enjoy music and I had an amazing time singing," he tells us. On sharing the stage with Indian Ocean, James says, "Their genre of music is different and it will be exciting to be part of the same performance." Music, he feels, is a unifying force. "It is the only thing that keeps cultures alive. I'm glad to be part of such an initiative that gives so much importance to music."
James had started at a time when rock music wasn't very popular. "People didn't get this whole concept of rock music in Bangladesh back then. It took me a good seven-eight years from 1983, when I started singing, to find a foothold in the music scene," he shares. Today, James is also lauded as a pioneer for introducing Bangladeshi music lovers to psychedelic rock. He's also called the nagar baul, literally, the urban mendicant, for straddling elements of folk and rock in his compositions. "Well, it's a name that has stuck. Personally, I don't think it's important to be classified under genres. What works is the fact that my lyrics are simple, earthy and are able to strike a chord with a certain set of listeners, yet, the treatment is very urban, the detailing very rock-ish, that gives my songs that modern vibe. One may get the feeling that this guy sings in films and does rock concerts, but even people from villages listen to my music. That's the unifying power of music," says James.(Contributed by Deblina Chakravorty)
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
Niche The Band performs in Thiruvananthapuram - (Photo: Raymond George)
A.R. Rahman’s name was mentioned in hushed tones across the rows in front when it was announced that Niche The Band would perform next.
And indeed when the students and alumni of A.R. Rahman KM Music Conservatory stepped on to the stage, they brought in a charm that carried the tunes from their lips and instruments to the heart of their listeners in a matter of seconds.
Organised by the International Federation of Indian Dance Moscow, in association with the Dance Guru Performing Arts Thiruvananthapuram, the concert was held as part of a 10-day workshop.
Four singers from four states sang folk songs in their respective languages, beginning with the Malayalam Kuttanad songs to the Punjabi Bhangra, Bengali and Tamil songs.
Eldho, Akshay and Sachin from Kerala, Sahiljeet from Punjab, Abhinav from Tamil Nadu, Rituraj form Bengal and Chinthan from Gujarat sang and played for the audience a mix of folk and fusion.;
____________ Music forms a part of me again It gives Shape to my faceless Expressions...To my Thoughts. {Alochana}
The time now is Sun 20 May, 2012 09:53 | All times are UTC - 5 Hours
Users browsing this topic: 0 Registered, 0 Hidden and 1 Guest Registered Users: None
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
Radio
Wed,28 Sep 2011 
They are the new kids on the block in the Hindi film music industry, but brothers Ajay and Atul Gogvale have been creating award winning soundtracks and background scores for Marathi films since 2004. Their first foray into the Hindi film industry was the Ajay Devgn starrer Singham. Audiences fell in love with their range and depth of sound in the songs ‘Maula Maula’, ‘Singham’ and ‘Saathiya’ and could not wait to hear more. Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra apparently agreed and hired them to create the sound for their version of Agneepath. Using their Marathi flavor as a basis and taking into consideration the new telling of this classic, the brothers say as soon as they heard the script of Agneepath they knew they had to create music that was full of grandeur and that it needed to be larger than life. We got the chance to chat with the composers and we talked of course of the hit ‘Chikni Chameli’, but also many other things music.
That exact grandeur and an exact larger-than-life sound, even in the songs, even in background scores. This Agneepath is totally earthy. If you’ve watched the original Agneepath that is totally different – the hero and the villain are very glamorous, but here the villain and hero are very much earthy. The story is very heavy. When we heard the whole script and the whole storyboard we knew what we wanted and what we had to do. Immediately we got the whole picture and the whole idea about what sound and what kind of grandeur we have to create. It was very simple sort of actually, yet challenging too. We love the original Agneepath and have seen that film so many times, we know who these characters are; what their mannerisms are. When we work we follow the character’s mannerism, what is their storyline, what is their thinking process to make our music.
We were like ohhhfff…(Laughs) The energy that she has given for this song. I know the back-story of this song: she was rehearsing for eight days and the shooting went on for nine days and she was dancing continually. If you listen to that song, any artist and even if I was dancing to it, would get tired in just two minutes, but it’s a 5-6 minute song. She has taken it to another level. She’s awesome. She’s fabulous.
It’s doing good, but one thing I miss and I think everyone is missing, because I’m getting the feedback from overseas and some of our fans are also talking about it, is that in the 90s and before that Hindi film music has got its own sound. You know the cinematic sound, even in background score, even in a song, you know, the grandeur was there. I’m really missing the live instrumental and the typical Indian percussions – tabla, dholak, duff, dhol. Those percussions are missing. I am missing the orchestral part. I’m missing the choir section. I’m missing the strings arrangement. I’m missing brass. Because everything now is created on keyboard, software and plug-ins and everyone is using that. I think that has to be changed. It is not like there are no artists who can create or compose these kinds of sounds. But we are missing the 90s sound, we are missing that grandeur. Like in the master John Williams’ work, the way his background scores sound and even in Bollywood Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D. Burman they created the background score. I think we are missing that.
Thursday, January 26, 2012 
