Click on each song name to listen to it.

With some imaginative touches like Karthik’s whistling and Jaishankar Iyer’s melodica rendition over a breezy Spanish template, composer duo Aravind-Shankar’s Edho Edho charms right from the word go. Pradeep Vijay and Kalyani Nair carry the vocals part with equal sincerity, and you have a winner on your hands. The composers pretty much tread a tried and tested path in the other song Sutiga Choodaku  though, barring a surprise “seetha kalyaana” segment in the second interlude. Hariharan and Saindhavi’s rendition does enhance the overall experience quite a bit. Aravind-Shankar then pass the baton to Anup Reubens who starts off with Oh Priya Priya, a song whose high point is the fact that Nithya Menen accompanies Adnan Sami in the singing. Otherwise it is a pretty middling track riddled with clichéd melodic elements. There is no quality as such to speak of about Lachhamma, the techno elements are actually overboard in places. Nevertheless the song works on the foot tap-inducement front, like such songs are supposed to. Given the techno elements in the original though, a club mix is a redundancy. Chinnadhana is where the composer really contributes something of value, a zingy arrangement and vocals to boot. A bit less of vocal processing would have been perfect.

Enjoyable score from Aravind-Shankar and Anup Reubens, Ishq.

Music Aloud Rating – 7/10

Top Recos: Edho Edho, Chinnadhana, Sutiga Choodaku

You can listen to the soundtrack here. The first three songs also have music videos featuring the artists, which you can watch by clicking on the song title.

With a nursery rhyme-ish lilt about the tune and a piano-led unplugged arrangement from Shantanu Moitra that matches the simplicity of the song, Roopkathara is winner all the way, impressing in both male and female versions – sung respectively by Rupankar Bagchi and Shreya Ghoshal. The scale change at the end is a particularly nice touch. Bola Baron too is built around a similar ditty, but with a rock flavor. And some excellent employment of the veena. Anindya Chattopadhyay does his job well behind the mic, with the composer playing chorus.  Brishti Biday, thanks to the sweet rendition by Shreya Ghoshal and the breezy metropolitan feel, is also quite soothing – even as the said feel evokes faint memories of songs from Life In A Metro in places.

Moitra smartly ensconces Shreya’s classical-based rendition (raag bihag-based?) in the predominantly rock-flavored Take Me Home, the rock part of the vocals being handled by Bonnie Chakraborty. Chhaya Bhitu Chhaya sounds like something Moitra might have made for his epic work Parineeta. Even here the charm is intact, Hamsika Iyer only adding to it with her spotless singing. And finally there is Shadow Tales, the composer making controlled use of Suraj Jagan’s voice to splendid effect, accompanied commendably by Monali Thakur. Lovely listen again, acoustic guitars never fail.

A fine piece of work from Shantanu Moitra, Aparajita Tumi. Even if you don’t understand Bengali, this soundtrack is a must-listen! First the Dewarists song and now this, Moitra is in sparkling form right now. Waiting for him to end his Bollywood break with more such brilliance.

Music Aloud Rating: 8.5/10

Top Recos: Roopkathara, Chhaya Bhitu Chhaya, Bola Baron, Shadow Tales

I know it is a bit late to be coming out with this list, but since I have been getting multiple suggestions to compile a list of singers I decided to go about it anyway. So here you go: the top 10 playback singers of Bollywood in the year 2011 – male and female. Hope to make this too an annual affair from here on. The choice of songs has been more on quality – both of the rendition, and of the song – than on the number of songs. And considering just this year of course, with no bias towards the artist’s general repute. For each singer I have also provided the link to one fav song of his/hers from the year.

Top Male Singers

1. Mohit Chauhan – One word: Rockstar. The man who owes his first inning in Bollywood to ARR who gave him that lovely song in Rang De Basanti, was of late being extremely typecast with the regular melody tracks. And once again ARR appeared to deliver him salvation, casting him as the voice of Ranbir Kapoor for the movie. The choice worked big time, Mohit delivering the songs with finesse and giving us the soundtrack of the year. But apart from Rockstar the singer had other songs too, in Tanu Weds Manu (Yun Hi), Aarakshan (Achcha Lagta Hai), Chillar Party (Chatte Batte) to name a few. Hence he is our top singer of the year. Fav Song: Jo Bhi Main (Rockstar)

2. Vishal Dadlani – As composer Vishal had a so-so 2011, just the one standout soundtrack being Ra One, but as playback singer this was quite a productive year for the man – in at least four soundtracks the best song was delivered by Vishal. There was Aitbaar (No One Killed Jessica), Aadat Hai Woh from Patiala House, Ek Junoon in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and a handful of other songs, including that ultra whacky Dheaon Dheaon where the singer was almost unrecognizable! Good enough for the number 2 spot. Fav song: Aitbaar

3. Roop Kumar Rathod - Roop Kumar has been extremely choosy when it comes to Bollywood songs.  As a result he has had an almost 100% strike rate in terms of quality. This year too he sang just two songs (I have not considered the brilliant O Saiyya from Agneepath due to release date) – Piya for Tanu Weds Manu and Saaware in Shor In The City, but both of them were mindblowingly awesome. Ergo, he is our singer no. 3 for 2011. Fav song: Piya

4. Papon – The Assamese singer with his “dhaai kilo ka voice” made his Bollywood debut this year in Dum Maaro Dum, and then went on to sing two more songs for MPKK in Soundtrack. Excellent consistency he has displayed so far, and his pop album, though I am yet to hear it, is apparently a musical treat. So here is looking forward to much more from Papon in 2012. Fav song: Jiyein Kyun (Dum Maaro Dum)

5. Mohan – Agnee’s frontman had made his Bollywood debut in 2010, singing two wonderful songs for SEL and Amit Trivedi, last year he followed it up with two more top quality songs – Shor (Shor In The City) and Saaye Saaye (I AM). Neither got noticed much, which was unfortunate, but we noticed, and that is the reason Mohan is no. 5 on our list. Fav song: Shor (Shor In The City)

6. KK – KK had quite a few songs in 2011. Not everything worked, but due to sheer numbers he had a fair share of good songs across genres to make it to no. 6 on our list. Some prominent ones were Bhojhal S3 and Issi Baat Pe (I AM), O Mama (7 Khoon Maaf), Yaadon Ki Album (My Friend Pinto) etc. Fav song: Bhojhal Se (I AM)

7. Kirti Sagathia – Kirti too had a good 2011, getting some prominent songs in soundtracks like Delhi Belly and Shaitaan, songs that utilized his classical background quite well. Hence, no. 7. Fav song: O Yaara (Shaitan)

8. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - In 2010 he floored us with just that one song in Ishqiya. 2011 didn’t yield a song as impactful as that, but Teri Meri (Bodyguard) and Isq Risk (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan) were fairly entertaining with the singer displaying his trademark soulfulness in the renditions. Fav song: Isq Risk (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan)

9. Shahid Mallya – Another prominent debutant from the year, Shahid sang some good numbers in Yamla Pagla Deewana, Mausam and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. There is a slight risk of getting stuck in the genre given the voice and style, but hope he gets more variety in 2012. Fav song: Rabba Main To Mar Gaya (Mausam)

10. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan - Not many songs Shafqat got to sing in 2011, and even among the ones he sang very few did justice to the kind of singing prowess he has. Nevertheless he becomes our last entry on the Male Playback singers list, coz I quite liked his Dildara and Chhayee Hai Tanhayee. Fav song: Chhayee Hai Tanhayee (Love Breakups Zindagi)

Top Female Singers

1. Shreya Ghoshal – It was just a matter of deciding between Shreya and Sunidhi as to who should be given the top spot, both had such diverse spread of music last year! In the end I chose Shreya coz of the slight lead in terms of classical-based songs. From the beautiful Kaun Si Dor from Aarakshan to Ooh La La from Dirty Picture to Saibo in Shor In The City to Mehki Mehki from The Game, the lady was on fire in 2011. Even in other languages she gave some brilliant songs but that is not for this post. Fav Song: Saibo (Shor In The City)

2. Sunidhi Chauhan – So like I said above, even Sunidhi had a lovely set of songs added to her repertoire in 2011, Tu (My Friend Pinto), Ishq Sufiyana (The Dirty Picture) and Mannu Bhaiyya (Tanu Weds Manu) being my favs. Just because Shreya edged her out by a slight lead, she occupies the second spot on our list. Fav song: Tu (My Friend Pinto)

3. Rekha Bhardwaj – Mrs. Vishal Bhardwaj had four songs, Darling (7KM) and I Love To Love You (Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster) had the singer take on a flippant avatar, while in Yeshu (7KM) and Saye Saye (I AM) Rekha was at her sublime best – Saye Saye being the prize catch. And the primary reason for her being the no. 3 entry. Fav song: Saaye (I AM)

4. Suman Shridhar – One of the most unique voices I have heard in recent times, the singer made waves with the only two songs she rendered in Bollywood this year, both coming in the same movie, Shaitan, both highly imaginative remixes from Mikey McCleary. She did sing a couple more for his album The Bartender, but the reason she is no. 4 on this list are Khoya Khoya Chaand and Hawa Hawaii. Fav song: Khoya Khoya Chaand (Shaitan)

5. Aditi Singh Sharma – A lady whose career graph has been on a steady high since her debut in 2009 with Dev D, 2011 was definitely her best year so far, the singer getting to sing some major chartbusters. Dilli Dilli, Dheaon Dheaon, Choomantar and Kaun Hai Ajnabi were the best among the lot. Hoping that 2012 sees her continue on that upward trend. Fav song: Dilli Dilli (No One Killed Jessica)

6. Harshdeep Kaur – Just one prominent song the young sufi exponent sang last year, but a gem of a song. A song where Harshdeep brought out the playful side of Heer way way better than Nargis Fakhri did on screen. And that song is enough for us to put her at No. 6. Fav song: Katiya Karun

7. Shilpa Rao – Though the biggest achievement of the singer in 2011 happened outside of Bollywood, in the form of the album Rewind – Nine Lost Memories from her band The Band Called Nine comprised of Neelesh Misra and Amartya Rahut, Shilpa had quite a rewarding stint at Bollywood too. Uh Oh from Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and Jazba from Ladies vs Ricky Bahl were quite engaging, Shilpa doing an uncharacteristically lively rendition in both cases. But the clincher was Yeh Pal for Amit Trivedi, a composer with whom she has always had memorable songs. Hence our Fav song: Yeh Pal (No One Killed Jessica)

8. Nandini Srikar – Like Harshdeep, Nandini too is on this list for just one song – the best song of Ra One, the classical-rock fusion song Bhare Naina whose high point was undoubtedly the impeccable rendition. Hope to hear more of her in 2012 and ahead. Fav song: Bhare Naina (Ra One)

9. Usha Uthup – After a long hiatus the pop legend returned to the Bollywood scene this year. Two songs – the energy-packed Darling from 7 Khoon Maaf and the sinister Hai Ye Maya which was the saving grace of the Don 2 soundtrack. Quite a comeback, no? Age has done little to the power of that voice, it was adequately proven with these songs. According to wiki she has one lined up for 2012, here’s wishing her more in the coming years. Fav song: Darling (7 Khoon Maaf)

10. Hamsika Iyer – Chhammak Chhallo might have been one of the biggest hits of 2011 and all that, but I hated it. For most part, that is. The only part I marginally liked in it was the brief Tamil portion, that too mostly owing to the singer – Hamsika Iyer. Apart from that cameo she had just one other song last year, a beauty from Amole Gupte for Stanley Ka Dabba called Jhoola Jhool. Listen to that and you will agree with me she is one of the most under-rated singers in the industry today. Fav song: Jhoola Jhool (Stanley Ka Dabba)

And that will be all. Your comments are most welcome.

It was some time in 2005 that I got first introduced to this song Giriraja Sutha (named Giriraj Sudha by the artists on their CD et al) by my good friend and partner at Music Aloud, Praveen VR. The song turned out to be a landmark song in my life for multiple reasons. That was probably the time I really started paying attention to the genre of fusion music, a major share of the office bandwidth was utilized in subsequent days in a mad rush to procure songs by various fusion bands. And that was the time Shankar Mahadevan, to me, got promoted to a pedestal above other contemporary film singers, this rendition of his (and other fusion songs of his I heard later on) totally floored me. And most importantly, that was the time I got introduced to the guitar God named John McLaughlin, and the fusion band Remember Shakti comprised, apart from him and Shankar M, of Zakir Hussain, U Srinivas and Selvaganesh Vinaykram. Hundreds of fusion songs I have heard since then, but this band has always remained special. I was lucky enough to catch them live when they came to Bangalore in 2006. One of the best concerts I have attended to date.

So coming to the point this post was supposed to be about, in February this year I shall be graced with that fortune yet again, when the band is making another of its concert tours in 5 different cities in India. Below is the schedule of the tour (source: johnmclaughlin.com). The tickets can be booked via bookmyshow. So if you love fusion music, mark off your calendars and make plans – this is one concert you DO NOT want to miss. They do not tour very often, for one thing.

• 5th February Ganesh Kala Kreeda Manch, Pune
• 7th February Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Mumbai
• 9th February Palace ground– Mekri Circle, Kaveri Junction, Bangalore
• 10th February Lalit Palace Ground– Hyderabad
• 11th February Music Academy Hall– M G ROAD, Chennai
• 12th February King George School, Dadar, Mumbai

And below are two songs from the band, to guide you in your decision making.

46 years, since A S Dileep Kumar was born. And 20 years, since he changed the way we perceive film music, with that score for Mani Ratnam – a combo which subsequently gifted some out-of-the-world music to us. Anyone who follows ARR’s music would undoubtedly agree that the sound of ARR’s music has changed over the years, in fact there are many who sorely miss the 90s music of ARR (yours truly included). But that is no reason to conclude that ARR has lost his touch, the man quite adequately proved that with that cracker of a soundtrack this year for Rockstar. Sadly though this writeup comes at a time when another soundtrack of his has released, which wouldn’t count among his best works courtesy the dubbed lyrics. Hardly a matter of concern though actually, given that there is always the Tamil original to fall back to. Therefore,  not letting that worry me on this wonderful day, here is wishing the maestro a lot more years of celebration and of lovely music. And as a birthday tribute, here is a compilation of my 30 fav instrumental tracks from Rahman (one of the few themes I could think of where the list could be a restricted to a fairly reasonable number of songs! ). Enjoy!

So here are the top 25 Bollywood songs of the year. As I said in the roundup before, it was quite tough to bring it down to 25, lot of favs having to be cut out and all that. In any case, below is the end product. In the format: Song Title (Movie) – Composer(s)|Singer(s)|Lyricist(s). Click on the title to watch the song.

1 Kun Faya Kun (Rockstar) – A R Rahman|Javed Ali, A R Rahman, Mohit Chauhan|Irshad Kamil

2 Rangrez (Tanu Weds Manu) – Krsna|Wadali Brothers|Rajshekhar

3 Jo Bhi Main (Rockstar) – A R Rahman|Mohit Chauhan|Irshad Kamil

4 Saibo (Shor In The City) – Sachin Jigar|Shreya Ghoshal, Tochi Raina|Sameer, Priya Panchal

5 Aitbaar (No One Killed Jessica) – Amit Trivedi|Mame Khan, Vishal Dadlani|Amitabh Bhattacharya

6 Tere Liye (7 Khoon Maaf) – Vishal Bhardwaj|Suresh Wadkar|Gulzar

7 Kaun Si Dor (Aarakshan) – Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Prasoon Joshi|Pt. Channulal Mishra, Shreya Ghoshal|Prasoon Joshi

8 Bhare Naina (RA.One) – Vishal Shekhar|Nandini Srikar, Vishal, Shekhar|Panchhi Jalonvi

9 Piya (Tanu Weds Manu) – Krsna|Roop Kumar Rathod|Rajshekhar

10 Dilli (No One Killed Jessica) – Amit Trivedi|Aditi Singh Sharma, Shriram Iyer, Tochi Raina|Amitabh Bhattacharya

11 Tumba Tumba (Patiala House) – Shankar Ehsaan Loy|Hans Raj Hans|Anvita Dutt Guptan

12 Saigal Blues (Delhi Belly) – Ram Sampath|Chetan Shashital|Chetan Shashital, Ram Sampath

13 Baatein Shuru (Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge) – Raghu Dixit|Joi Barua, Shefali Alvarez|Anvita Dutt Guptan

14 Tu (My Friend Pinto) – Hitesh Sonik|Sunidhi Chauhan|Amitabh Bhattacharya

15 Nanhi Si Jaan (Stanley Ka Dabba) – Hitesh Sonik|Shankar Mahadevan|Amol Gupte

16 Isq Risk (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan) – Sohail Sen|Rahat Fateh Ali Khan|Irshad Kamil

17 Jiyein Kyun (Dum Maaro Dum) – Pritam|Papon|Jaideep Sahni

18 Nasha (Shaitan) – Prashant Pillai|Prashant Pillai, Bindu Nambiar|Sanjeev Sharma

19 Saaware/Teri Justajoo (Shor In The City) – Harpreet Singh|Roop Kumar Rathod|Sameer, Priya Panchal

20 Soundtrack Theme (Soundtrack) – Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale|Instrumental

21 Khaabon Ke Parindey (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) – Shankar Ehsaan Loy|Alyssa Mendonsa, Mohit Chauhan|Javed Akhtar

22 Bhojhal Se (I AM) – Rajiv Bhalla|KK|Amitabh Varma

23 Awaaz (F.A.L.T.U.) – Sachin Jigar|Jigar Saraiya|Sameer

24 Chhayee Hai Tanhayee (Love Breakups Zindagi) – Salim Sulaiman|Shafqat Amanat Ali, Salim Merchant, Shruti Pathak|Javed Akhtar

25 Darling (7 Khoon Maaf) – Vishal Bhardwaj|Usha Uthup, Rekha Bhardwaj|Gulzar

And another five that just missed making it to the top 25.

26 Katiya Karun (Rockstar) – A R Rahman|Harshdeep Kaur|Irshad Kamil

27 Tere Siva (Delhi Belly) -  Ram Sampath|Ram Sampath, Tarannum Malik|Amitabh Bhattacharya

28 Dildara (RA.One) – Vishal Shekhar, Ben E King|Shafqat Amanat Ali|Kumaar, Ben E King

29 Haal-e-Dil (Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap) – Vishal Shekhar|Amitabh Bachchan|Swanand Kirkire, Anvita Dutt Guptan

30 Poore Se Zara (Mausam) – Pritam|Rashid Khan|Irshad Kamil

Finally a list of my fav film songs outside of Bollywood. Like last year, almost entirely composed of songs from the South. And since I happened to listen to a lot of Malayalam songs this year and a lot of them happened to be good, I have raised the number to 30, to have a fair representation from other languages too. And this is from the songs I managed to hear this year, so please excuse any major miss.

1 Santhikkaatha (180 – Tamil) – Sharreth|Unni Menon, Chithra, S Sowmya

2 Chembaavu (Salt N Pepper – Malayalam) – Bijibal|Pushpavathi

3 Theeye Theeye (Chaappa Kurishu – Malayalam) – Rex Vijayan|Saju Sreenivas, Sayanora Philip

4 Sara Sara (Vaagai Sooda Vaa – Tamil) – M Ghibran|Chinmayi

5 Bahu Manaratha (Memories In March – Bengali) – Debojyoti Mishra|Subhamita Bannerjee

6 Male Bandaga (Aidondla Aidu – Kannada) – Ouseppachan|Sithara

7 Nee Akaleyaano (City of God – Malayalam) – Prashant Pillai|V Sreekumar, Sayanora Philip, Preeti Pillai

8 Thekko Thekkorikkal (Vellaripraavinte Changaathi – Malayalam) – Mohan Sithara|Poornashree

9 Paattil Ee Paattil (Pranayam – Malayalam) – M Jayachandran|Shreya Ghoshal

10 Naatu Vazhiyile (Rathi Nirvedham – Malayalam) – M Jayachandran|Nikhil Raj

11 Pirai Thedum (Mayakkam Enna – Tamil) – G V Prakash Kumar|Saindhavi, G V Prakash Kumar

12 Chandra Choodha (Karmayogi – Malayalam) -  Navaneeth Sundar, Purandaradasa|Anoop Shankar

13 Nee Korinaal (180 – Tamil) – Sharreth|Karthik, Swetha Mohan

14 Chinni Chinni (Urumi – Malayalam) – Deepak Dev|Manjari

15 Aavani Thumbi (Snehaveedu – Malayalam) – Ilayaraja|Shreya Ghoshal

16 Chirakengu (The Train – Malayalam) – Srinivas|Alka Ajith

17 Kuthikkira Kuthikkira (Azhagarsaamiyin Kuthirai – Tamil) – Ilayaraja|Ilayaraja

18 Pranaya Nila (Tejabhai & Family – Malayalam) – Deepak Dev|Shaan Rahman

19 Ennamo Edho (Ko – Tamil) – Harris Jayaraj|Alaap Raju, Prashanthini, Sricharan, Emcee Jesz

20 Anjana Anjana (Vandhan Vendraan – Tamil) – Thaman|Alaap Raju

21 Mazhaneer Thullikal (Beautiful – Malayalam) – Ratheesh Vega|Unni Menon

22 Oore Oore (Aravan – Tamil) – Karthik|Krishnaraj, Mukesh, Periya Karuppu Thevar, Rita, Priya

23 Aah Ko Chaahiye (Makaramanju – Malayalam) – Ramesh Narayan|Hariharan, Sujatha

24 Senga Soola Kara (Vaagai Sooda Vaa – Tamil) – M Ghibran|Anitha

25 Aaraanney (Urumi – Malayalam) – Deepak Dev|Job Kurian, Rita

26 Makka Madeenathil (Adaminte Makan Abu – Malayalam) – Ramesh Narayan|Shankar Mahadevan, Ramesh Narayan

27 Ee Puzhayum (Indian Rupee – Malayalam) – Shahabaz Aman|Vijay Yesudas

28 Payasa (Aidondla Aidu – Kannada) – Abhijit Shylanath, Jyothis Balakrishna|Nithya Menen

29 Aaru Tharum (Makeup Man – Malayalam) – Vidyasagar|Madhu Balakrishnan

30 Vaanam (Vaanam – Tamil) – Yuvan Shankar Raja|Yuvan Shankar Raja

My sincerest apologies for not being able to sort out the best from the non-film category due to time crunch. But search youtube for Dewarists, MTV Unplugged, Shankar Tucker, Rewind – Nine Lost Memories by Band Called Nine, and Ganaraj Adhiraj. There are some excellent songs to be heard!

Well that’s that. To 2012 then! Happy New Year, all!

(Posted on behalf of Little Big Noise)

World-renowned percussionist, Bickram Ghosh, Assamese folk/indie singer, Papon and Scottish singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni – three musicians from three diverse backgrounds – will come together for ‘Troikala’, in search of an exploratory musical synergy in folk music that transcends borders. Curated and organized by British Council in association with Folktronic, ‘Troikala’ will see the three musicians work together from December 2011 to May 2012 to produce an album and a concert tour in India and the UK to showcase their collaborative efforts.

“This concept allows us to explore our talent to create a unique sound. Rachel Sermanni and Papon are great artists and when the three of us get together, we plan to introduce interesting musical concepts by merging each of our unique perspectives, which will come together as one awesome sound in the end,” says Bickram Ghosh.

“We will be experimenting with each other’s folk sensibilities, and I may introduce some electronic elements and Hindustani classical instruments into the collaboration. This collaboration, owing to our similarities within folk music, will definitely lead to something interesting. You can expect something unexpected,” says Papon.

Troikala concert in India

Time: 6.30 pm

Entry: Rs. 150

Bickram Ghosh is dubbed as a new-age percussion star, ranked amongst the great tabla players of India. Son of the great tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Bickram has also learnt the nuances of Carnatic percussion and he has carved a niche for himself in his diverse avatars as classical musician and avant garde artiste and composer. He has over 70 recordings as soloist, composer and collaborator, and has played on a number of Grammy nominated albums as well.

Papon is an Assamese singer, composer, programmer and producer. Born to popular local musicians Archana Mahanta and Khagen Mahanta, he was introduced to music early on in his childhood and his initial training was in Indian classical, devotional and folk music from Assam. His current music covers genres like ambient electronic, acoustic folk and new-age Indian classical music and includes influences of pentatonic Mongoloid notes, local river song influences, Indian classical music and ghazals and new-age electronica.

Rachel Sermanni is a 19-year-old Scottish singer-songwriter from a small village in the Highlands, called Carrbridge. Her work conjures a kaleidoscopic reverie of sights and sounds, from smoky, old-school jazz clubs to Glaswegian indie-pop and pastoral folk-tinged choirs and natural affinity with any audience belies her young age. Rachel is currently putting the glue work to her debut EP which will be out January next year.

About British Council

British Council supports the music industry in India through Soundpad. Over the last four years British Council has been working successfully with the music sector, using a range of approaches to link theUKs music industry to the rapidly growing independent Indian music scene. As a result there have been a wide range of British acts visiting India and vice versa, interesting collaborations and albums such as John Leckie’s project with Swarathma, Advaita, Indigo Children and Advaita and even industry conferences like Un-Convention.

http://soundpad.britishcouncil.org.in/

About Folktronic

A sub brand of DAY 1, Sony Music’s Independent music initiative, Folktronic is a platform that brings to the fore front the culture of Indian folk music to the youth/world in a contemporary format. Derived from the genre Folktronica, the venture aspires to develop artists & repertoire with collaboration opportunities between folk and new-age artists. From LIVE, A&R management to digital, Folktronic takes a 360 degree approach to represent Indian music on a global stage.

You can listen to the songs here.

Vellaripraavinte Changaathi is apparently a story that was filmised in the 70s, but couldn’t be completed, and is being made again by the then director’s son in the same settings. How true the director has made the movie to the age shall have to be seen, but the soundtrack presented by Mohan Sithara leaves one in no doubt of that fact. The three-song soundtrack is totally yesteryear in its feel. Pathinezhinte Poonkarayil has Shreya Ghoshal and Kabeer crooning a soulful romantic melody (and Shreya alone in an alternate version), while the Oppana piece Naanam Chaalicha is rendered by Manjari and Priya Aji. And the kiddie song Thekko Thekkorikkal has Poornashree (who sang the composer’s Annaarakkanna in Bhramaram) in the lead. So yes, the soundtrack is a wonderful trip to the 60s from the composer. The flip side? Every song reminds strongly of some old song or the other from a similar genre. Of course, one might argue that songs from that era are rarely made without drawing inspiration from some track. But the same Mohan Sithara also made Annaarakkanna which, while sounding retro, was very original stuff. Here though, there is very little Mohan Sithara that you can detect anywhere, it is mostly either Baburaj or Raghavan Master or some other veteran.

Nitpickings aside though, it is always a pleasure to listen to retro-based songs. And for that reason, Vellaripraavinte Changaathi is a must-listen.

Music Aloud Rating: 7/10

Top Recos: All three are recommended, but my fav is Thekko Thekkorikkal which reminded me of this classic children’s song.

- Ajay Parasuraman

Apologies for the really long break I decided to take. Hope to be more regular from now on. Maintaining the balance between Carnatic and Hindustani Ragas, my fourth edition of the “Identity of a Raga” series comes from the North.

One of those Raags to which you can listen no matter what time of the day it is or what mood you are in (atleast for me) happens to be Kedar. I write this post as I listen to a sublime rendition by Kishori Amonkar. I find it difficult to put in words what I’m going through exactly. Her voice seems to transcend all petty feelings and takes you to another spiritual level altogether. I sincerely hope I do some justice to this beautiful Raag.

Let’s start the proceedings with a little theoretical input from my side.

Kedar is part of the Kalyan Thaat, and is mainly sung during the evenings.  (Please check my earlier post on Raag classifications in Hindustani music). The Aarohan and Avarohan of Kedar are as follows:

Aarohan: S M, G P, M D, N S
Avarohan: S N D P m P D P M, R S

where ‘M’ represents the Suddha Madhyama and ‘m’ represents the Teevra Madhyama. The vyadi or jeeva swara is the Suddha madhyama.

The Carnatic equivalent of Kedar is Hamir Kalyani which is a janya of the 65th Melakarta Ragam ‘Kalyani’. Although the Aarohan for Hamir Kalyani is the same as that of Kedar’s, the Avarohan differs slightly.

Aarohan: S M, G P, M D, N S
Avarohan: S N D P m G, M R, S

There is a Ragam in Carnatic music called Kedaram which has absolutely nothing to do with Kedar whatsoever. So, kindly don’t mix up the two in your head. The notes for Kedaram are as follows, but forget as you read them!

Aarohan: S M G M P N S
Avarohan: S N P M G R, S

Kedar exemplifies Love. Hence, it is sort of ironic that it should get its name from Lord Shiva, the Lord of Destruction.

The beauty of this raag lies in its simple yet meandering nature of the (swara) usages that mostly revolves around the Suddha madhyama which is the vyaadi or jeeva swara for Kedar. Some of the popular phrases in this Raag include:

G, m, R, S
G, m, D, P
M, G P, m
M, S R S
D P m P
m P D N
N, D, P, m, P
m G, M R
m P D P M, R
m D P M, R

Something that I noticed as I was singing Hamir Kalyani was this: You can use R S N D P in your alaap/vilambit in accordance with the syntax that Kedar requires. However, that phrase is mostly used in Kalyani, so it generally isn’t used while singing Kedar/Hamir Kalyani. Instead, one hears N R S N D P (M D P m R etc from then on, say) or S R S N D P or even M R S N D P (as, in Kalyani, G R S N would be the right way to sing). Please note that although some of the usages follow the correct syntax, they need not necessarily bring out the bhaav of the Raag.

Also, while ascending, P D N S is not allowed, although M P D N S is! This is a very common mistake committed by amateur performers who are just learning the nuances of this Raag. While descending, the phrase P m G R S isn’t allowed. The correct prayoga is always P m R S.

Here are some of the Hindustani compositions in this raag:

1. Nanda Nanda – A popular bandish in Kedar
2. Jaane De Mohe by Pandit Jasraj. If you listen to the pattern of swaras that Jasraj ji sings in this piece, you will see that my description of the Raag fits quite well

3. This audio is what made it easier for me to decide what Raag to write on!

Here are some of the more popular Carnatic compositions:

1. Purahara Nandana by Dikshitar
2. Parimala Ranganatham by Dikshitar

3. One of the stanzas (paasuram) in Thiruppavai composed by Andal, ‘Thoomani Maadathu’
4. Maanamuleda by Tyagaraja

A huge number of Bollywood songs from the 60s and 70s were composed in this Raag.So, here’s a list of some of the songs that tingle your senses no matter how many times you listen to them:

1. This first song was the regular prayer song for Tuesday mornings at our school (a decade back, nearly!).
Hum Ko Man Ki by Vani Jayaram from the movie Guddi. Wonderful song to listen to that takes you back to those wonderful years.

2. Kisi Ki Yaad by Rafi from the movie Jahanara

3. Mil ja re by Lata ji. from the movie Benazir

4. Another good example of Kedar being used to its full extent. Bekas Pe Karam Kijiye from the movie Mughal-e-Azam sung by Lata ji

A couple from the Carnatic equivalent just to give a perspective:

1. From the classic Raja score for Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan.

2. From Rahman, for Mani’s wife Suhasini Mani Ratnam. Sung by the inimitable Hariharan

3. One from Malayalam

And finally one Kedaar piece from across the border, a song by the band Noori for the Pakistani music show Coke Studio.

So, that, I think, concludes this post on Kedar. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did coming up with this piece. Most of the times, I must admit, I lost myself in the Raag completely. So, if you find any part of it being discontinuous, it isn’t my fault!

If you have any queries/suggestions/brickbats, feel free to mail me: [email protected]

Thank you for your time and patience!

Being a music arranger/producer can be a pretty thankless job, at least from the spotlight perspective. People tend to laud the composer for a piece while in many cases it might have been the arranger responsible for making the music praise-worthy. And one of the pioneers in this business is Ranjit Barot, a man who has been in the Hindi film industry from the time of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. But thanks to his exceptional percussion skills (“one of the leading edges in drumming”, John McLaughlin called him) Barot hasn’t quite had the misfortune of remaining in the sidelines, at least to people who follow fusion and world music. From McL to Wayne Krantz to Billy Cobham on the international scene and Zakir Hussain to L Subramaniam to Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on the Indian scene, Barot has collaborated with pretty much everyone on the who’s who list of fusion music. And now with the advent of MTV Unplugged with Barot at the helm, the man is slowly gaining the attention of Bollywood followers as well. So enough intro I guess.  Presenting our interview with Mr. Barot. Big thank you to the man for being generous with his replies.

We know that your tryst with percussion began at a very early age. But your site does not speak of who your teachers were. Could you tell us that?

I have never had a formal teacher, actually, being self-taught. Well, I started playing in school bands and such, basically ‘teaching’ myself as I went along. In those days ( we’re talking 1970′s ), you listened to tapes, vinyl, whatever you could get your hands on, and you went to see as many gigs as you could. You created a DIY academy where you are part student and part teacher to yourself. Some of the drummers I liked then were Steve Sequiera. He played with Louis Banks for a bit and I heard him in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar that Alyque Padamsee had put up. That was fantastic production,  and had a live band on stage with the actors playing all the songs and score. Brilliant. Also, Jerry D’ Moss. A killing drummer who’s now in Hamburg, driving cabs I heard. What a waste. He was the finest drummer around.,So you exposed yourself in as many ways as you could, and I suppose all the drummers you heard on tape and saw live, were all your teachers in some way. I got into Indian percussion much later on. I think I needed my drumming foundation to be solid before I got into anything else, although Indian music was in my house all along, my mother being the legendary dancer, Sitara Devi. I did become a student of the greatest of masters, Ustad Allarakha, when I was about 14, although I didn’t pursue my tabla studies too far. I was consumed by drums and he gave me his blessings to follow my heart, while instilling in me a deep sense for complex Indian poly rhythms. I currently draw inspiration from Sridhar Parthsarathy, a great mridangam player who plays with me often. He’s impacted quite a few western drum set players, all for the better. For me the teaching has come more in the way of an approach on the drums, rather than a literal translation of Indian rhythms on to the drum set.

You got into Bollywood quite early on, in the 80s. How did that come about?

I got into films initially to stay out of college. It’s a long story, but let’s say my teachers during my first year science term weren’t convinced that I could split the atom. After much TV style drama, my mother and I came to an agreement that if I could show that my ‘infatuation’ with the drums wasn’t a passing phase and I could actually make a living doing it, then I didn’t need to get my a** back into college. The late Kalyan ji, of Kalyan ji / Anand ji fame, used to come over and have chai with my mother after his evening walk. On one such evening, when I was about 16, he heard me practicing and asked to meet me. On entering my room and seeing me on my own, he remarked, ” I thought there was more than one person playing in here”. He then invited me to my first recording session for a film called Professor Pyarelal. Funny, as I ended up playing a lot with Pyarelal of Laxmikant / Pyarelal fame. And so it began.

You have had a long fruitful relationship with ARR. How did you meet? How has it been working with the man?

I met ARR when he was still Dilip. He used to come to Bombay to do adverts and we shared the same studio. He also used my equipment while he was in town as it was pretty much the same setup he had in Chennai. We then met at an award ceremony and he called me down to work on the song Humma. Since then, I’ve worked on quite a few films with him, the last one being Rockstar. Playing that music at the live promotional gig was a blast.We’ve had a great working relationship, and more importantly, we remain very close friends with a deep love and mutual respect for one another. Even when it comes to our gear and sonic space, we share the same expectations. I have a my own great set-up in Mumbai, Nirvana Studio, which is my base, and the only other composer who regularly uses it is ARR. Its a great arrangement – I work days, he works nights:) Sometimes I’m part of the night shift along with him too.

John McLaughlin is another man you have of late been quite associated with, being part of his 4th Dimension tour et al. Tell us about the experience of working with one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time.

I first met John ji at Ustad Zakir Hussain’s commemorative concert to his father on February 3rd, 2007. We had an impromptu jam and he cast me as the drummer on his album, ‘Floating Point’. There’s always been a desire to take that relationship forward. We then met in Raleigh, North Carolina in November last year as part of the New Universe Music Festival where both of us were performing. I remember walking back to the hotel with John ji, and he turned to me and said, ‘Sir, we have to play together, you know’. To which I replied, ‘Sir, you have my number, and acceptance, anytime you want’. He then called me early this year and I was part of The 4th Dimension Summer tour 2011. I’m off at the end of the month to record a new 4th Dimension album which will be followed by a 2012 Fall tour.I feel extremely blessed to be associated with both the masters, John McLaughlin and Ustad Zakir Hussain. I consider them both mentors, not only as far as music is concerned, but also role model human beings.

Bada Boom. Your debut full-fledged album. Your long-cherished dream, if I may call it that. And fittingly featuring a fabulous lineup of artists. So how long did you prepare for this one? And how did you go about it?

I think the desire to put something out was kindled while recording ‘Floating Point’ with John ji. It then turned into, and I quote a title of the first Mahavishnu Orchestra album, an Inner Mounting Flame which could only feed on the highest creative output I was capable of. I got through the next couple of years putting to bed all the commercial commitments I had undertaken. By late 2009, I started seriously composing and recording various artists all over the world. Once I’d receive their parts via the Internet, I would further tweak the arrangements to incorporate some shadow of an idea I was able to glean from their performances. Bada Boom was completed towards Sept-Oct of 2010, (when I was neck deep in the Commonwealth Games music score production!) and released late 2010. I’m very fortunate to have all those incredible musicians on it, and I’m very proud of it as well.

Coming to current matters, tell us about MTV Unplugged. How has the experience been? How much of a challenge was it, given the legacy that the brand Unplugged carries with it?

Let me state right at the onset that I have never been swayed by current trends, nor challenged by ‘legacies’. We as a nation react very differently to music and music plays a large part of our social consciousness. Unplugged is an international format belonging to MTV where popular artists perform their hits in an acoustic format. No electronics, amps or speakers. acoustic instruments only.This allows, in my opinion, a more intimate setting for the artist, aided largely by the fact that there is a live audience present. Now when I say acoustic, I don’t necessarily mean soft. If you’ve seen some Unplugged artists perform on the international version, it can get loud. We are a groove committed nation. Every aspect of our social life has rhythm embedded in it. Weddings, religious festivals, etc. You put a dhol in the mix, on stage, and you’ve got some serious celebration going on. So, I went into the series with an open mind, knowing that, as with everything else, India thinks differently. This is not to say that there were no quiet moments. There were plenty of those too. I think it was a great mix of artists, a killer house band that made my life very easy, a great channel that allowed me complete creative freedom and a production house that brought high standards of visual entertainment to the table. I have to say, at the end, that it was one of my most enjoyable experiences. It put me in touch with all these wonderful artists and singers who I may never had a chance to work with in the normal scheme of things. The spin that MTV has put on this show is allowing independent non-film music to be included into the show. As we all know, when you say ‘hit’ music in India, it’s predominantly film music, as it is the largest selling and the most listened to music in our country. If we were to limit the show to just that format, then I think it would have limited us and the artists to some degree. Including Indie music allowed us to explore non film artists, as well as bring on some folk artists and instrumentalists. This move has also given Indie music a huge platform. So, all in all, I’m very happy with the show and I’m truly grateful to have been a part of it. More power to MTV.

Can we expect a next season for Unplugged? If you really look at the lineup from season 1, the only outfit that really qualifies as not-so-established from the Indie scene is Advaita. Do you think Unplugged should focus more on that segment?

I’m not sure what MTV’s plans are for the next round. I suppose there should be a follow up since the response to this season has been extremely positive. As I mentioned, Indie music got a boost with Unplugged and, yes, I think this is an area that needs all the support it can get, so fingers crossed that this trend continues.

Would you like to tell us about other current projects in progress/future projects in line?

Right now, I’m rehearsing and preparing for the Chivas Studio shows in Delhi and Mumbai.  I’m off at the end of the month to record a new 4th Dimension album with John ji, which will be followed by our tour in the Fall of 2012. There’s a tour of India with Ustad Zakir Hussain through Dec 2011 and Jan 2012. I’m also currently working on an album with Carnatic electric mandolin maestro U. Shrinivas ji. So, I’m fairly busy for a while.

Tell us more about Chivas Studio. What kind of music can we look forward to? There is apparently fashion, gourmet et al. The music will not be sidelined, hopefully? And is it just in Mumbai and Delhi or can we expect it in other cities as well?

Chivas studio, as I’m sure you’re aware, is a property where Chivas brings together many creative people to collaborate and present something new and unique. In this case, it is by way of theatre, painting and photography. It’s proving to be so much fun working with Rohan and all the artists involved. The music is the driving force, so no, it won’t be sidelined. There’s a concert in Delhi and then in Bombay. I hope they take it to more cities, but I suppose that’s a decision that the people at Chivas will have to take.

You have collaborated with almost every big name in the music world in the close to three decades that you have been around. But is there anything still left on that wish list?

Not really. I’m at a point where I want to study Indian classical music in all seriousness. It’s such a deep art form and one lifetime is not enough. I suppose one makes a wish list when one is a master and chooses to work with another master. I’m still a student, so…

Apart from being a percussionist, you have donned the hats of a composer, arranger, and producer. How do the three roles differ?

I think it’s like 3 sides of a triangle. Being a composer, arranger or producer has individual aspects to their execution but all have a meeting point at the end. One has to keep track of the other as one is working on a project. They are separate, yet connected. Makes sense?

If we were to ask you to choose your favorite role from the above four, which one would that be?

Ah, that is a difficult question, though when push comes to shove, playing for a live, well informed audience holds a special place in my heart. It is the most joy to share your music with people, one on one.