He has been in the business of making wonderful music for over 15 years now, first as part of Instant Karma, and then as part of the legendary Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, even earning a national award for best composer in the process. We proudly present to you our interview of guitarist-composer Ehsaan Noorani, where he speaks of his musical journey.

Let us start at the beginning. So when did you pick up the guitar for the first time? I remember hearing once about rapper Ravi “Rags” Khote being your school senior, you jamming with him in school et al.

I got interested in guitar while at school towards the 8th or 9th grade Rags was in the school band and the guitar was a common meeting ground for us . we sit and discuss guitar and music in general
Your first step to a collaborative effort was the formation of Instant Karma with Loy. Could you tell a bit about that? About how you hit upon the idea of coming out with remixes, a concept pretty much unheard of at that time?

Well Bally Sagoo had done the first Bollywood flashback or whatever it was called, Farhad Wadia thought that re-recording these songs and making new versions of them would be interesting, sort of bringing the songs to the 90’s . The Dance Masti albums were not re mixes so to say but were new contemporary versions of the songs.
Would it be right to say that Instant Karma sort of led to the formation of SEL, considering among the singers you employed in your Dance Masti album the most popular was Shankar Mahadevan with his classic Saamne Yeh Kaun Aaya?

Well Mukul Anand’s Dus was already recorded before the 1st Dance Masti album released so it has nothing to do with SEL. But yes we were all working together and Shankar was the first choice.

How do you go about composing a song? Curious to know, given that there are three minds from diverse backgrounds at work, trying to converge upon a tune. And do you have a regular percussionist on-board? Given Shankar Mahadevan is an established percussionist as well, does he do percussions too, at least once a while?

We sit and jam and come up with ideas it is an interesting exchange of musical ideas and a learning experience for the 3 of us everytime we sit to compose a song . We use percussionists as and when required and do not have any fixed percussionist so to say. Shankar’s sense of rhythm makes him adept on percussion but he is not a professional percussionist so to say.

Your music for Rock On primarily followed a riff-based classic rock template. Have heard that you were part of a rock band while in the US. Did Magik’s music in any manner echo your rock band days?

Well the story of Rock On would reflect on any musician’s life especially if you played rock n roll or in a band, some are lucky to make it a career others have to give up on it due to external pressures.
The Indian rock scene is currently burgeoning, with a lot of new singers coming out with bands of their own, some even going on to make it really big. A process that I would say was helped on its way by Rock On too. Your thoughts? Have you noticed any promising bands?

The Indian rock scene is developing in a big way irrespective of Rock On. But yes, the film did encourage a lot of kids to take up an instrument and that is a good sign. There are some good bands like Avial , Taksha , Motherjane , Them Clones etc.
Continuing on the above note, I remember reading on Milliblog some time back about your plans to start something called “SEL Sounds” to promote new talent in the country. Is the plan still on?

Well SEL Songs does exist we need to get it rolling soon.

Shankar Mahadevan is pretty active on the fusion scene, with Remember Shakti, Mynta etc. Even Loy was part of the fusion ensemble called Shraddha alongside Shankar, Mandolin Srinivas and Sivamani. Are you engaged in any such group outside of SEL? And have you considered revisiting the private album scene as SEL?

We have a band called Faces in The Dark which is a bluesy funk band and have recently formed a band called ” Fuzzy Duck ” which is a blues rock band . Well the non-film album with SEL will happen when it is fated to
What kind of music did you grow up listening to? Who were your child hood idols? Did they endure the test of times?

I grew up listening to primarily Hindi Music on the radio . My father listened to a lot of Latin music like Los Parguayos and instrumental stuff like Mantovani and Paul Mauriat . I later heard the Ventures and The Shadows . Then I was exposed to lot of music my sister would listen to like Santana , The Beatles , Carpenters , Abba etc Then of course Deep Purple got me into rock and then I progressed in music listening choices from rock to blues to fusion etc.
How much of the guitar portion of SEL’s music do you handle? The playing part I mean.

I do all the guitar parts for SEL except like in an upcoming film some Spanish and Bossa style guitar was required which is not really my style so we hired some guitarists to play that .
We have heard that you are into collecting guitars. Can you tell us more about this hobby?

Well it is a hobby that enhances my profession I have a bunch of guitars and am the brand ambassador for Fender guitars for India. My signature model Fender will be launching soon.
And finally, what music would we find in your ipod?

Ah am currently listening to Kings of Leon , Robben Ford , Michael Landau , John Mayer and then there is tons of stuff which is on the ipod but will fill up an entire page !!!!

A trained classical singer from Kolkata, she made her Bollywood debut with Rajesh Roshan’s Moksha. But her song that really got heads turning was Kabhi Neem Neem from Yuva, and she subsequently went on to become a regular feature in ARR scores, recording some memorable songs with him like Pal Pal Hai Bhaari (Swades), Tu Bin Bataye (RDB), Hum Hai Is Pal (Kisna) and also scores of other Tamil and Hindi songs. We present to you Music Aloud’s interview with playback singer Madhushree.

You were born Sujata Bhattacharya. Why the name change?

I wanted to be different and not get mixed up with other Sujata’s of the industry, and therefore took on this name.

Tell us about your musical upbringing.

From childhood i have been thought to be a singer. I come from a musical family and so started learning music from my parents. Only my father wanted me to be a classical singer and was not happy for me being a playback singer until he heard my song “Hum Hain Is Pal Yahan”

Though you debuted with Rajesh Roshan, the person who really made you a regular affair was A R Rahman. Tell us how you landed a chance to work with him.

When i came in Bollywood, there were not so many platforms for newcomers as today. So you had to get good connections to be heard by the right person. I made an album and sent to most of the industry music connections. And Javed Akhtar Saheb heard the album and directed me to Rajesh Roshan. But my doors really opened when A R Rahman and Mani Ratnam gave the chance to sing for Rani Mukherjee in 3 versions Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, Kabhi Neem Neem from Yuva. I met him through voice-over maestro Brij Bhushanji, who took me to ARR when he was recording for Lagaan in 4D/Worli. I waited till 2 o clock in the morning and then i met him, after which we recorded classical bandishein and from then he started calling me for recordings, continuing till today.

How has the experience of working with ARR been?

Recording with ARR is more than a recording experience. He is such a humble and good human being, that you easily feel home. and because of this you as an artist can deliver more than ever.

With ARR you also debuted down South. How difficult was it to get hold of Tamil? Do you speak Tamil now?

Yes he gave me the chance in Tamil too, but other music directors picked it up. I haven’t reached so far as to speak Tamil, but I’m learning Tamil form a good teacher, Prema

Though in Tamil you now work with an array of music directors, your Bollywood lineup is still majorly comprised of songs from ARR. Is it like you have been selective in your projects? Is there going to be a change in the trend soon?

In Bollywood I have in fact sung for other music directors too, like Rajesh Roshan, Shankar Ehsaan Loy etc…The trend will definitely change. I have an item number in Rajnikant’s Robot and Champak Jain of Venus told me that this would change my image in Bollywood.

Tell us about your debut album Lagan Lagi. The album didn’t quite get its due we felt, in spite of having some wonderful songs. Was it the marketing? Or the classical genre?

When making Lagi Lagan, we had a focus in mind and I got more than expected. Private albums in Bollywood generally don’t do well, but this album did get me some name in the industry.

Any more private albums in the pipeline?

Yes, I have more than 5 albums lined up…

What are your current/upcoming projects?

There are too many to speak about it and I would rather let it be a surprise ..

What kind of music do you generally follow?

I listen any good music.. From Classical to Hindi pop… From Western Classical to Hip Hop.

She made her debut with Dhoka in SEL’s Johnny Gaddaar, and has since then been a regular feature in almost all of SEL’s compositions. In between she also sang for Amit Trivedi’s Dev D, but that big break kept eluding her. And that happened earlier this month, with Amit Trivedi’s Aisha. And while her Lehrein has been creating lehrein all around, we decided to do an interview of singer Anusha Mani, and here it is!

Could you tell us about your background?
My background in music has been Carnatic classical since its been a family influence… I’ve been singing since childhood but never thought of taking it up professionally.

What were your musical activities prior to entering Bollywood?
Musical activities were college competitions cultural events etc. just like how any other singer would do for fun

Shankar Ehsaan Loy have been your mainstay in Bollywood so far, their scores forming the majority of your repertoire. So how did you get to work for the trio?
Working with SEL has been a dream come true.. i did an album with Amit Trivedi many years ago which i played to Shankar and I got the privilege to sing for him in Johnny Gaddar.. There was no looking back since then…. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for making this happen…

You also happened to sing a song in the pathbreaking soundtrack that was Dev D. Tell us about it.
The song in Dev D was actually a song from my album with Amit we had done years back… Anurag Kashyap heard the song and loved it and wanted it for his film…

How would you compare the experiences of working with SEL and Amit Trivedi, considering they are the two composers you have worked with the most?
There’s no comparison between musicians because everyone has a different style of working… I ve known Amit for a very long time so the comfort level was different… SEL are great fun to work with cause they give you the creative space to play with the song but also give inputs which makes it easier to sing the song…

So how has life changed after Lehrein, one of the best songs of Aisha and presumably your biggest break yet?
Life hasn’t changed after Aisha but yes a lot of people are loving the song and it feels great when your work gets appreciated.. And yes its a great song and Amit Trivedi has yet again proved that he’s different and versatile and has a sound of his own!! Am really glad and feel blessed am getting to work with great musicians in the beginning of my career.. Of course many more great ones to follow too.

You seem to be rather selective in Bollywood. Is it that the concerts have been keeping you busy?
I haven’t been selective at all.. Am actually doing everything that comes my way. I want to work with everyone from the fraternity.. I’ve also been busy doing a lot of ad work.

A lot of singers are going the private album way. Any such plans?
No plans for an album so far.. May be sometime later when original music gets better recognition in india..

What are your upcoming projects?
I believe in going with the flow… Going with the tide.. In terms of projects there is a song from a Farhan Akhtar film called Game with Abhishek Bachchan in it… Its a duet with Shankar Mahadevan. Music by SEL.

Who are your idols? Any music director you long to work for?
I’d like to work with everyone around.. Of course A R Rahman is on top of the list.. I love the work of a lot of people including Vishal Bharadwaj, Vishal Shekhar, M M Kreem, Pritam. I idolize Shankar Mahadevan to a huge extent .. He’s been my inspiration to improve and get better. Sharing the stage with him has been the best gift ?God could’ve given me!!

Pic courtesy: Varun Thotathil

“Naveen has given the flute a new identity, creating extraordinary music with his unique genius.” – A R Rahman’s quote for the cover of Naveen’s debut fusion album called Fluid. Rahman couldn’t have summed up in better words the man who has represented a paramount part of his music, from Roja to Raavan, and is even as I write this, with him as part of his World tour somewhere in Europe. Not many know however, that Naveen has been in the industry much before Rahman came in, and over the nearly three decades he has been around, has played for almost every major composer from South to North, and even outside of India. Kal Ho Na Ho’s instrumental theme, Zara Zara from RHTDM, Talvin Singh’s Butterfly (Veena) – if you happen to like any of these tracks there isn’t a chance you would miss Naveen’s woodwind magic in each of them. So here is a nice way to engage your lazy Sunday afternoon as we take you through Naveen’s musical journey in an exclusive interview. For best results play some of Naveen’s classics in the background. We would advise you not to miss the videos at the end, especially the last two.

You have been in the film industry since 1983. But not much is known about your career

before the point when Roja’s music took everyone by storm. Can you tell us a bit about your

works till then? How did you happen to join hands with A R Rahman for Roja?

Mr.Ilayaraja introduced me in his film Thaavani Kanavugal. With him I played for many hits like Raasathi Unnai and the movie My Dear Kuttichaathan. I made use of Chinese flute for the background music of My Dear Kuttichaathan. Also played for a flute-oriented film called Sirivennela. I composed music for 7 Telugu films and 35 devotional albums. Being a free-lance musician I used to work in those days with the Telugu music director Mr. Ramesh Naidu. It was there that I met A R Rahman. He then invited me to play for him. I am proud to say that I have been working with him from his commercials stage.

Lets talk about your 2 private albums, Fluid and Cafe Fluid. Both of them had a lot of classical

influence to them. For instance Mohanam or Fantasyflute is a pure ad-lib sort of a track. So

how much of the albums were pre-composed and how much of them were sort of like live

jamming sessions?

Actually my working style when composing is slightly different. I draw inspiration from simple things. And try to sound more natural. Giving it a little storyboard and then putting tune. Being a self taught musician I am influenced by different kinds of music, so I am able to express myself easy with the music I compose.

How has the response been so far to Cafe Fluid? What do you think of the direction in

which fusion music, more specifically classical fusion, is headed?

Cafe Fluid is doing wonderfully. It has found a place in the music charts and I am very happy for it. Nowadays people are more open taking in different forms of music and interacting with it. Its great that we are able to understand the beauty of music. Music has no langauge, so whatever comes from the heart with pure elements will definitely be accepted, whether it is classical or world. Specially in case of music like classical, people like it because that is their tradition. So its fun to make such music.

A lot of your compatriots, like Sivamani, Louiz Banks, Mandolin Srinivas etc are part of a lot

of fusion ensembles. Are you part of any such group? Or are the film assignments keeping

you too busy for all that?

I am performing with the title Fluid in public. Have done a couple of shows locally, Jaipur and Delhi. Also being a free-lance musician I have also played with Mr. Sivamani, Louiz Banks, Sultan ji, Mandolin Srinivas etc. We have done a show with Mr. John McLaughlin. I have also performed in places like Blue Frog Mumbai. But I am mainly into sessions with composers, working in main stream Bollywood and commercials.

Tell us about the experience of performing live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

It was a wonderful opportunity to be playing along with them. With our music (ARR’s compositions), and the Symphony playing with a lots of dynamics and different variations being introduced by them it sounded so..ultimate! I was so thrilled to play, felt a sort of happiness equivalent to coming back home.

You have worked with almost every leading composer in India over your long career, though,

your best contributions almost always happen for ARR. How would you compare the

experience of working with ARR and with others?

I am so well branded as ARR’s musician that whatever I play gets likened to ARR’s tunes. Of course I always try to give my best output with every one. All my work with Pritam, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Sajid-Wajid, Salim Sulaiman and others have been very good. Dhoom,Veer Zaara, Taare Zameen Par, Rab Ne Banaa Di Jodi, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi..lots..
Not many people know that I have also sung seconds for about 20 songs in Tamil, for ARR, MM Keeravani and Deva. Songs like Kaadhal Sadugudu from Mani Sir’s Alaipaayuthey and Deva’s Salam Gulamu from Hello.

Flute is an instrument which is highly expressive and capable of portraying a complete range

of emotions. How much of the same depends on the skill/technique and how much on the

instrument itself?

It needs a personal touch for any instrument, the way you play. An instrument is an instrument at the end of it. Unless you try to put ur heart on it it will never sound its best. This requires a lot of practice, and belief in God and his works.

Following from the above question, from the vast array of flutes that you use, which is

your favourite and why?

I like the bamboo flute the most, because that is the one I have had from the beginning. It was presented to me by my dad Sri. Dharma Chari. And whenever I have a very sorrowful or very happy time in life I play it and get comfort from it.

What was the inspiration behind “The Naveen Flute”? Are you working on more sounds/flute

structures?

Once in studio while I was doing riyaz I noticed a sort of vibrating sounds, some kind of reverb. I found that it is coming from a guitar. So I thought why not introduce a string by the side of the flute. Thats how it started. I also invented a glass flute and an overtone flute. A lot more are coming up.

Could you tell us a bit about the current/upcoming projects you are engaged in?

Right now I am travelling with ARR for his world tour. Heading to Europe this week. Have done a couple of sessions for Pritam n SEL. Other than that I am doing a devotional album. And also my 3rd flute album. I am in fact looking forward to Hollywood, and have been getting a few offers.

Which are your favourites from tracks you have played for?

Some of my favourite tracks are Bombay Theme, Meenaxi movie album, Veer Zaara, Kal Ho Naa Ho title track, Harris Jayaraj’s Zara Zara from Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein and Jab We Met

Just out of curiosity, is there any ARR project that you have had to miss?

Actually I have missed some of his projects, though very few. My last work was for Raavan, Khilli Re. I moved to Mumbai 7 years back, so whenever I go to Chennai I record projects for him if thats manageable, or at times when there is urgent requirement. For movies like Couples Retreat I played from Mumbai and he recorded me sitting in L.A. Having said that I am sure he doesn’t miss me. Whether I play for him or not he will complete his projects with full satisfaction.

Born in a German musical family, he became an established flautist-cum-saxophonist at a very young age. A record playing a Ravi Shankar performance, combined with his search for spirituality, led him to India at the age of 18. To spend a fair number of years learning Sitar under Ustad Usman Khan and spiritual lessons under the great Osho. Today, he is one of the best-selling World Music artists around the world. We present to you Music Aloud’s interview of Prem Joshua.

Starting off with a question on something I’ve often wondered about, is Prem Joshua your real name? How did a German happen to have a very Indian-sounding name?

We are conditioned in such a way that the name we received from our parents is considered our “real” name. But we were babies at that time, nobody asked us if we like that name, now we are older, we are completely different persons, why should we always stick to the same name? We change! If you want so, “Joshua” is my “real” name and I added “Prem” in front and dropped my family name. I think this world needs more “Prem”, love! And this name reminds me of the essence of love.

At the age of 18 you migrated to India, to learn Indian clasical music. Quite a daring feat for someone that young! Could you tell us a bit about the experience here?

Yes, that was quite daring – but India had such a pull over me! I had no choice, the call was so strong! Life is full of mysteries! Believe me it was not easy. One might want to argue about past lives and reincarnation but I strongly had the feeling that I was coming back home. Learning classical Indian music felt like I was continuing something I had started in some other life.

You have come out with over 10 albums over the 2 decades that you have been in the industry (my personal fave being Water Down the Ganges!). But your last original album came in 2007. Why no album since then?

I recorded and released about 17 albums worldwide. 12 of them are released in India with Music Today. My last release in India in 2009 was Prem Joshua & Band – In Concert, a live album with interpretations of some older songs plus some new tracks. At the end of this year I will be releasing a brand new studio album that I recorded with my band. The reason for the longer gap between my last studio recording and the new one is due to the fact that we were touring so much and giving many concerts all over the world.

Your 2010 calendar is packed with concerts. Considering your music is so deeply rooted in Indian classical music, whats your opinion on the attitude that people from various countries have towards Indian classical music?

My music is rooted in Indian classical music but I do fusion, it is also rooted in rock, jazz, funk, and it has Middle Eastern and African influences. But of course the Indian element is the strongest, sitar, bamboo flute and tabla are the trademark of my sound.
The world is changing fast, it seems that nowadays more western people listen to Indian classical music than Indians do. Today Indians in general listen to Bollywood, full stop! OK, I am exaggerating as some Indians still listen to Prem Joshua, hahaha!

Who are the classical music veterans you have collaborated with? Anyone whom you long to work with and haven’t been able to as yet?

I have not collaborated with any classical veterans so far and I don’t long to collaborate with them. I love what they do because I love good Indian classical music. But I passionately do something else! Fusion to me is an art form! It needs tremendous sensibility and respect! You cannot just mix anything and call it fusion, it will be only hotch potch. To create intelligent fusion music you have to be really at home in both musical worlds! You have to be respectful to the cultures that you fuse and at the same time you have to have courage for the new. I am collaborating with young and excellent Indian musicians who bring some fresh air into the world music scene.

Do you follow Indian film music? What is your opinion about the same? Any favourite composers/artists you have?

Music as such has a tremendous power. It is an international language. It is a channel to our soul, to our truth. Every human being has a connection with music in some form. But of course this channel can be used for other things, can be exploited for only commercial reasons.
Older Indian film music was very connected with folk traditions. But now Indian film music is more or less commercial western music with lyrics in Hindi or other other Indian languages. Most contemporary Indian film music composers have simply learned how to translate western pop music into a noisy Indian version. To me there is rarely a good and original song. Most modern Indian film music is just re-using a certain formula that has only one aim: commercial success, there is hardly any artistic musical content left!

What kind of music do you generally listen to? Who are your favorite musicians?

I listen to any kind of music, Indian classical, western classical, fusion, jazz, heavy metal, trance, African, South American…. there is only one condition: I have to be moved, my soul wants to be stirred, it has to go under my skin! I can listen to classical sitar by Nikhil Banerjee and go straight to Mozart, followed by Miles Davis, then Led Zeppelin, then Lata Mangeshkar, then Mongolian folk music, no problem! And then I switch of all music and just listen to a nightingale singing into the deep dark night, ah, what melody! Ah, what silence!

Indian classical music is going though a transition, most of the masters are ageing, do you think the future of this tradition is in safe hands?

Yes, there are many extremely talented young players, Indian classical music is in good hands. To me the question is less about the lack of classical musicians but more the lack of Indians being interested in classical music.

Indian music has so far broken into international fusion and lounge scenes so far, do you think there will be takers of Indian Music in a pop format?

As far as I understand your question, you mean will there be an Indian born star in the international pop music? Sure, why not? It is just a matter of time. But to me it brings up another question: what is so great about being Indian? Why Indians are so identified with being Indian? What is so great about being Indian, German, Chinese, American, any national identification? Nothing! Why do we love to identify with small boundaries, limitations and conditionings when we can just be free human beings living together in a great beautiful world? The days of nations are over! It is just a matter of time! The concept is out-dated. Let’s grow up! World fusion music does its small contribution towards a better world by bringing traditions and cultures together rather than separating people and nations.

You can listen to Prem Joshua’s out-of-the-world music and read more about him and his band here.

An established ghazal singer, she debuted in Bollywood with Sandesh Shandilya’s Uff Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai. But her big break had to wait till A R Rahman gave her the title song of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa. We bring you Runa Rizvi as she talks to Music Aloud about her career, ARR, and her upcoming projects.

You are quite lucky I would say, to have both of your parents as established singers. So I am guessing your musical training must have all happened in-house? Could you take us through a bit of that? Your musical upbringing?

Yes. I feel absolutely grateful to God to have placed me in a musical home with great understanding parents who never imposed anything on us but let us choose our own journey through music & life. My father Ustad Rajkumar Rizvi – a Ghazal Maestro (known as the Mehndi Hassan of India) and mother Smt Indrani Rizvi a PhD in music both have been great pillars of strength in making me realize my dream and my passion for music. My father hails from Kalavant Gharana aka Seniya Gharana (the Gharana of Tansen) and my mother is originally from Kolkata – a Bengali beauty born and raised in Delhi in a family with Army & Defense Background . In short I am a deadly combination of Rajasthani Muslim Father and a Bengali Brahman Mother. My father started my training when I was 6 and he says he knew I had the zest in my voice when he first heard me sing the first Sa . Both my parents have been strict about my and my younger sisters’ Riyaz right from our childhood. I remember as kids our training included rigorous practice of classical raags and bandish, ghazal gayaki, thumri and folk. It was later in my teens that I started experimenting more with different genres of music and when you are trained in classical it’s much easier or rather interesting to adopt different genres with equal elan. I took some jazz lessons while on tours with dad to the US for his workshops and performances and later formed a small band where we would have jam sessions with jazz musicians and I would sing some sufi, ghazal, folk and jazz too. Till today when on stage or while teaching my father is first my GURU then my father . He is the teacher who shows me the path and mother is the strength that pushes me forward.

Though you started your singing in Bollywood with Uff Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai, the song where people really noticed you was the title song of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. So how did you land up that dream offer, of working with A R Rahman?

Yes my debut was Uff Kya Jadoo Mohobbat Hai from Rajshri Productions and I think that was the most important and learning experiences of my first step in the music world. Its definitely close to my heart as it was my introduction to a recording microphone and the technicalities that a playback singer needs to learn. I must add here that it was quite a challenging experience but everybody right from the producer, the thoughtful Mr. Rajat Barjatya to my music director Sandesh Shandilya ji were very co-operative. I remember asking Sunidhi (who sang the title track in the movie then) when I met her at the studio, a few tips about singing correctly with the right throw on the recording mic and she was very helpful and supportive and assured me saying that no matter how long to takes to sing a song don’t forget you have sung it in the end with a lot of hard work. Later I worked with other artists too like Leslie Lewis, Bappi da etc. but then got busy assisting father in his music school and conducting workshops with him. One day a dear friend of my family heard me at a get together and recommended my name to Rahman sir as he was also Looking for a Punjabi folk voice for a project called Provoked by Jagmohan Mundra . So technically Provoked was my first work with Rahman sir . I did backing vocals, Alaaps and a few couplets for that movie.

How was the experience of working with Rahman? Especially since the song was something not quite along your regular line of semiclassical songs?
This is a myth I want to break in the industry – a classical /semi-classical singer can only sing that particular genre. I love hip hop, R&B, blues, jazz, country etc and when I sing those I don’t think anyone would be able to point out that I am from a Classical background. So I am here to sing all genres I can and the deal is I want to make it sound mine when I do it.
About Rahman Sir – I can fall short of words writing about Sir and his humility. I met him the first time In Chennai at his studio around 2.00 am in the morning. He is indeed the simplest guy I’ve met. I clearly remember having a very bad throat that day as I was all nervous and excited to see him. But the moment he walked into the studio he made sure I was at ease and asked me to sing something I was comfortable in I sang a sufi punjabi no. Then I requested him that I would like to sing a Western song too. He heard me out and just said OK Take. And we finished the recording through the night. After a few months I get a call again from Chennai and before I knew it I was sitting with Abbas Tyrewala and Rahman sir learning Jaane Tu in the studio (This time it was 3.00 am). When I sang the song it was all just a simple loop and Sir was on the keyboard guiding me through. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the song later! He is truly a musical genius. Jaane Tu is an achievement of my life. The one thing I completely admire about Sir which I also follow in my life is – His Music is his God. God bless him.
I once asked him about the inspiration behind his music that makes him stand out of the ordinary. He just said, “Every song I create is like my first song”. Thats the passion he has for music. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to have worked with him and have learnt to become a better musician and more than that a better person.

The last Bollywood song you sang was for Bapi-Tutul in Agyaat, early last year. Why no songs after that? Did the temptation of ghazals prove too strong?
Before Agyaat I did a title track for Ram Gopal VErma’s Contract and also sang a beautiful blues no for the very innovative Bapi Tutul in a movie named Katputli. I recently did the main IPL song (Saare Jahna Se Accha) by Set max. Ghazal gayaki is something which will always be in me as a strong point and something I am really proud about as its a part of my Musical heritage. Not many young artists attempt to take up ghazals as it has a lot of intricate variations and needs a very balanced gayaki andaaz. But having said that, I do change my style as per my performances, for some groups I only perform Ghazals and Sufi style whereas in some concerts I do a complete Bollywood, or sometimes jam to a jazz session. Of course singing in a particular genre is great if you are comfortable in it and it brings out the best in you but I think its high time we looked at a wider prospective of versatile singing. Why not reach out for more, if you have it in you.

What are your current projects? Any private album in the offing?
I am working on a project with Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sir and another one with Shyam Benegal ji along with a few other projects. Recently I have been collaborating with international artists like Prem Joshua and Bandish Projekt. I am also a part of a classical fusion band VIBGYOR with some brilliant classical artists like Vijay Ghate, Rakesh Chaurasia, Sridhar ji & Ratish Tagde. And yes I am working on my album as a singer/songwriter/composer. My desire is to get all the shades of Runa into it.

I remember reviewing Suhel Khan’s ghazal album called Jazbah early last year. Though it was a good piece of work, I doubt many people heard it. As an established classical singer, what is your take on this? Do you think there is still a fair bit of following for ghazals and other classical/semiclassical genres?
First of all may I request you to just address me as a singer and not a classical singer. Thats too high a reputation which I don’t think I have reached. About ghazals I think ghazals and semi classical form is a fading art which we should preserve and protect for our future generations. Of course this genre has a limited and a very dedicated fan following but its the youth that need to get involved and interested into this beautifully soulful form of music. The literal meaning of Ghazal is to converse with the beloved. So something that talks about love and pain and soul in a form of poetic couplets can be pretty intriguing if one understands the sensitivity of the melody along with the words. I guess its more about being sensitive or more affectionate about life in general & that only follows with age and experience. If you notice an Iktara or Mora Saiya or a Sajdaa does a greater job than a pop no because as Indians we still believe in soul and melody. So I believe followers of any genre would definitely love to listen to melodious music with meaningful poetic renditions, though not essentially in the ghazal format.

Who are your idols? Is there any artist you long to work with?
My first idols are of course my GURU – my parents. Also I am grateful to God that I have had the privilege to share the stage with many great Legends like Ustad Mehndi Hassan Khansaab, Sri Hari Prasad Chaurasia ji, Jagjit Singh ji & Ghulam Ali Ji. The two legends I wanted to work with were Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khansaheb and the one and only Michael Jackson. They have been such an inspiration. In future I wish to perform and work with AR.Rahman sir, Shankar Mahadevan, Sivamani, Ilaya Raja, MM Kreem, Shlomo( U.K Beat Box artist), Amit Trivedi, Akon and Mariah Carey.

He arrived on the Bollywood music scene with Aamir, an album that received rave reviews from critics with its imaginative tunes. If anyone had failed to notice him then, he ensured even their attention the next time, by following Aamir up with a brilliant 18-song soundtrack called Dev D! And the man hasn’t looked back ever since. We present to you Amit Trivedi, the next big thing in the Bollywood music industry! Read on as he talks of his upcoming projects, Emosanal Atyachar, his idol A R Rahman, and more. Before the start of the interview, we express our sincerest gratitude to Amit’s ex-bandmate and composer Amartya Rahut, without whose help this interview would never have happened.

We have heard about OM from your bandmate Amartya, so won’t bother with questions on

that. But was OM the first musical ensemble you were part of?

Yes, OM was my first musical ensemble. I started with live shows for stage and theatre,then moved on to advertising with Amartya.

Dev D.. Your biggest and best project to date.. 18 tracks spread across an array of genres.

How long did it take you to make such a big album? And what were the sort of preparations

you did for the same?

It took me more than a year to complete that album. There were no preparations as such. I just went with the flow of the script and Anurag Sir’s brief.

One of the major success factors of your music has been the lyrics by Amitabh

Bhattacharya. And your association with Amitabh has started from your OM days itself if I am

not wrong. Please tell us about that. How has the experience been with Amitabh?

Yes my association with Amitabh goes long back starting with OM. It is a pleasure working with him as he grasps the thought of the song very well. He is gifted as a writer and we share a comfortable working rapport.

I have read multiple articles touting you as the next A R Rahman. Apart from the quality and

diversity of your compositions that is suggestive of such a comparison, another similarity I

have noticed is the way both of you have been building a pool of new singers to be used in

most of your projects. Like you have Neuman Pinto, Joi Barua, Tochi Raina etc. Your

thoughts on that? Why have none of the conventional established singers featured in your

music so far? And how did you get about building this brigade?

It hasn’t been a deliberate attempt to work only with new singers, but I like to experiment and that’s why I try out new voices. If I like a voice and that suits the song, then I go ahead and use that. Having said that, I have worked with established singers like Mohit Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Benny Dayal and Javed Ali in an upcoming project.

Your take on A R Rahman, whom you have admitted in the past as being a big fan of? Have

you met him personally? Incidently Dev D came out at the same time as Delhi 6 hit the

stands. How was the experience of being pitted against a giant of our times?

I really don’t know how to react to that. I am a huge fan of AR Rahman and I have idolized him for the longest time. He is the reason why I am here, so when people compare me with him or pit my music against his I feel honored but at the back of my mind is always the thought that I have a long way to go before I can even come close to him. He is way too ahead of everyone else and he is one of a kind. Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him in person.

Wake Up Sid was one of those rare occasions when the background score for a Bollywood

movie got officially released as a separate soundtrack. Tell us about your work for Wake Up

Sid. Did you interact with SEL while doing the score, or was it done independently?

Wake up Sid was a fun and light hearted film to work on. I did not interact with SEL while doing the background score for this film. I have done it on my own. The male version of Ik Taara did become a huge hit and people have appreciated that song. And that probably was the deciding factor for having it released separately. Besides it is actually a song that was part of the background score.

We happen to know of two of your upcoming works in the immediate horizon, Aisha, whose

promos are already on TV, and one Agnee’s Mohan had told us about – Onir’s I Am. Could

you tell us a bit about the music of these two movies? And what else do you have in the

pipeline? We hear about an international project coming from Anurag Kashyap-Danny Boyle

and featuring biggies like Aamir Khan and SRK?

Aisha is a very youthful film. The music was done keeping that in mind. There is also a romantic track as the film is essentially a love story. Onir’s I Am is slightly more serious and deals with reality hence the song has been made accordingly. There is one track for I Am. Other than these I also have Udaan, directed by Vikram Motwane. It’s a film very close to my heart. Then next is Chillar Party, a kiddies film directed by Vikas Bahl and Nitesh Tiwari, No One Killed Jessica Lal directed by Rajkumar Gupta of Aamir fame. At the moment I have no update on Anurag Sir’s international film and so I can’t comment on that.

Your latest release Udaan also has some excellent tracks. How has the response been so

far?

The response has been very encouraging and people have liked the soundtrack.

Every artist would have a dream project, so to say. Do you have any such project that you

long to execute? Or was that already done with Dev D?

Hmmm…frankly I haven’t thought about it as yet.

Your start was from the private album scene. After OM you worked for Junoon, Ramanasia

etc before making it big. Any plans of doing a revisit to the old hunting ground?

Not in the near future.

An interview with Amit Trivedi cannot be complete without a question on Emosanal

Atyachar. Although it is difficult to pick the best song from Dev.D, this was certainly the

most popular and the most radical. Tell us how the idea of using a brass band came about.

Also tell us more about your experience while composing the song, working with the elusive

and interestingly named Rangila and Rasila.

. The entire concept of doing a song as such was Anurag Sir’s. Even the term emosanal attyachar was his. We had a blast recording the song as we had actually called a wedding band to play for us. And this indeed was a unique experience as it’s not every day that one gets to record with a wedding band. Also band masters Rangila and Rasila are none other than Amitabh and myself. At the time we didn’t want to reveal that as we thought band master Rangila and Rasila seem more authentic and also to generate curiosity around the song.

Hindi film industry has seen a number of music directors but few have left their mark on the industry like R.D. Burman. The man who ruled the industry for almost three decades brought groove to the hindi film music introducing a lot of western themes to the music.

Today, when the world celebrates his 71^st birth anniversary, we join in by remembering the talent of this musical prodigy.

R.D. Burman’s talent was seen in hindi movies much before he officially started composing for them. The tune of the song “Sar Jo Tera Charaye” was composed by him as a child. He also played Harmonica in the song “Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara”.

RDB started his music career with Mehmood’s “Chote Nawaab” and then continued assisting his father on a few projects. However, his first independent hit movie was “Teesri Manzil” and then there was no looking back. In his career spanning almost three decades, Pancham Da gave music to 331 movies in 6 languages.

Few know that Pancham Da collaborated with a number of western musicians. Of his many English albums, “Pantera” – the album he produced with Jose flores – is the most well-known. Although not one of his best works, it proves the versatility of this musical genius.

The popularity that RDB’s music enjoyed in the 60’s and 70’s however subsided in the late 80s and 90s. He would have jumped back in the game after the soothing music of 1942: A Love Story. Unfortunately, he passed away on 4^th of January 1994 just weeks before the release of the movie.

Nevertheless, the legacy of Pancham Da continues with a number of DJs who keep remixing his classics. It just proves the timelessness of his music.

“The horn from hell” – that’s how a critic expressed his views on this instrument. Time magazine has listed it in its “10 most annoying sounds” list. As you have guessed correctly we are talking about the Vuvuzela. It is going to remain an indelible memory of this year’s edition of FIFA World Cup.

No one is sure about how Vuvuzela originated even though a musician called Freddie Maake claims that he invented the horn in the 70’s. Also the Nazareth Baptist Church came out with a demand to ban the horns at the stadiums as they consider it as their own and part of their rituals. The church uses a metal version whereas the Vuvuzelas seen in the stadium are made of plastic. The origins of the Vuvuzela can be traced back to the “Kudu” horn which was used to summon distant villagers to attend community gathering.

A Vuvuzela generates a pitch of B flat below C. An anonymous musician has written a concerto in B flat for Vuvuzela, more details are here. Here is a video wherein a Vuvuzela orchestra member demonstrates the proper usage the instrument.

The possibility of Vuvuzela becoming a regular instrument seems to be very remote. But it has definitely caught on the imagination or rather gathered the ire of the millions of soccer fans around the globe. So much so that Youtube recently introduced a new button to its videos. The button, denoted by a soccer ball icon, on clicking introduces the now-familiar vuvuzela drone to any video that you are watching. Not that I have seen it improve anything I watched as yet! The sound of an individual Vuvuzela has been compared to that produced by a flatulent elephant through its posterior. But the collective sounds of the Vuvuzelas resemble the hum of a million bees. Its incessant beehive buzz is posing serious headaches to the broadcasting companies covering the tournament. Accusations of ear damage and even viral infections have been made against the instrument. But the South Africans seemed to be unfazed and are blowing their own hellish trumpet.

Below is the concerto I had spoken of earlier. Though musically there isn’t a lot to it, it does sound way better than how the instrument sounds over a World Cup match!

Swarathma Album

Folk fusion has taken a new meaning with Swarathma, a Bangalore based band, who rocked the night of 3rd june, at Hard Rock Café, Bengaluru. With their quite unique sound, incorporating elements of contemporary rock and traditional music, Swarathma’s show that night at HRC went a long way in capturing the hearts of Bengaluru’s music following public. The highlight of the show was the release of the music video “Pyaasi” featuring Shubha Mudgal on vocals and Suhail Yusuf Khan of Advaita fame on sarangi, a social message to highlight the water scarcity problem affecting the country’s different regions.

The song “EE-bhoomi”, sung in Kannada is already famous in the music circles for its amazing ensemble of music, as well as being one where the crowd can sing along. Accompanied by a thumping bass line and a drum beat to go with, this one song was the cherry on the cake for the awesome night’s performance. However, having listened to the other songs in the album tells you one thing: This is not a one-trick pony(speaking of ponies, the kutchi ghodi is a feature u can’t miss in a swarathma performance ). Songs like ‘Jaana Kahan hai mujhe’ is a sentimental reflection on the dilemmas we have in life, while the rendition of ‘Sur Mera’ left one speechless with its slow kickup and intelligent fusion of indigenous percussion with the strings and the drums.

Originally formed in Mysore in 2002, Swarathma currently features Vasu Dixit on vocals, Sanjeev Nayak on violin, Varun Murali on lead guitar, Jishnu Dasgupta on bass, Pavan Kumar on percussion and backing vocals and Montry Manuel on drums. The band members come from various musical backgrounds, thus contributing to the rich texture in their music. Their passion for music is evident from their backgrounds, with some of the band members sacrificing high flying corporate careers to pursue their passion for music. Vasu Dixit took a 2 year sabbatical from the band to pursue a masters in film and video communication from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, while Jishnu Dasgupta was already popular in B-school circles as the bassist for Bodhi Tree, the band from XLRI, and composer of songs like ‘GMD’, ‘XL ki kudiyan’ etc.

The versatility of Pavan Kumar adds a lot of prowess to the band’s music. Adept at conjuring magic from various percussion instruments like Kanjira, Djembe, Ghatam and Dholak, Pavan also performed as the lead vocalist in one of their songs. Montry Manuel’s flowing drumbeats are dependable and the keen devotee of Pink Floyd and Safri Duo always never fails to miss a beat. The drum solo at the end of the HRC show was testimony to that fact. Varun’s climb to fame in a short time is an inspiration to all budding guitarists. The fact that he started playing only 5 years before was quite incredible, and amazing.

Sanjeev Nayak’s virtuoso violin performance incorporates elements of Carnatic music into the band’s music. A self professed admirer of L Subramaniam and L Shankar’s violin performances, the quiet confidence with which the violinist holds the stage is a lesson for all budding musicians. Vasu Dixit hails from a family with a musical background, with his mother and elder brother Raghu Dixit already in the music circles. A passionate photographer and filmmaker, Vasu’s versatile vocal range and sensitive lyrics form the soul of swarathma. Other than their self titled album released under the Virgin Records label, Vasu Dixit has recently written music for a Kannada film.

Going into HRC made me sure of one thing: We can expect more great things from this band, if the show was a sign of things to come!! A show never to be missed if u have the good fortune to be in the same city

Personal favourite song: EE bhoomi!!

Swarathma website: http://swarathma.com

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