The February 2014 Issue

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 07 Issue 02 - February 2014

thescoremag

@highonscore

www.skore.in

` 50/-

India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

cover story

Inside MUSEE MUSICAL PRESENTS

MADHAV CHARI INDIA’S GREATEST JAZZ MUSICIAN

Self-Taught and Self-Made

Trade Tricks with

John Crick Director of International Student Recruitment, SAE

Star of the month

Nucleya The King of Quirk

Yamaha Powers BAND OF THE MONTH

Reggae Rajahs On Their 5 Years of Reign

Also Inside: How to buy a digital piano. Key points and common pitfalls.

the edit PAD H Strategy and Planning Ajay Prabhakar Director, Business Development Pragash VM Editorial Advisor Nikila Srinivasan Associate Editor Kanika Mishra Head - Marketing & Operations Sneha Ramesh Head - Sales & Events Sai Adithya Creative Director George Vedamanickam Lead Designer Nipun Garodia Social Media Coordinator Vishakh Iyer WebMaster Daanish Millwalla

OurWWW

ello!

This month marks 4 years of my journey with Score Media Pvt. Ltd., and although it has been a tough ride, it has been simply fantastic! The real challenge was to boot strap and run a media company exclusively for Music. And yet, here we are, bringing you the best news about the Indian Music Scene through our Magazine and website. I would like to thank all the Advertisers, Sponsors and patrons for their wonderful support. We hope to bring great issues every month. Stay musically connected!

The Jan issue of The Score Magazine featuring Farhan Akhtar was very well received. We crossed 2 lakh views online. We had a great time interviewing Farhan, and he had good things to say about us.

For this issue, we have one of the greatest singers of modern Indian cinema, Krishnakumar Kunnath (KK), on the cover. February is celebrated as the month of love and we thought KK would be the perfect fit, considering the various popular romantic numbers he has sung across different languages.

In another development, I am pleased to introduce Siddharth Vipin as the Honorary Editor of our magazine. He is one of the fastest rising Music Directors in the Industry. He will be doing an exclusive segment – “In Studio” – with us, in which Siddharth will share some in-depth knowledge on music studios.

You can also read the Magazine online at issuu.com/score.

Happy reading!

PRAGASH V M

Co-Founder & Director Business Development

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DISCLAIMER: Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and illustrations. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publication and accordingly no liability is assumed by the publisher thereof. Advertising copy and artworks are the sole responsibility of the advertisers. http://www.motherteresafoundation.org.in The Score Magazine is proud to support the Mother Teresa Foundation and urge our readers to join us in giving back a fraction of what we have been given.

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i nside Band of the Month POWERED BY YAMAHA

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Often touted the most original voice of the country, KK is a selftaught musical marvel. Here’s to almost 25 years of his travails through the industry.

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Reggae Rajahs: Five years since they started, this Army of Rajahs has built quite the footing for itself. Here’s a little sneak-peek of their journey so far.

Cut Time: The Comic Segment

cover story krishnakumar kunnath

STAR OF THE MONTH Nucleya

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Why do musicians do what they do? What keeps them going when the going gets tough? Find out in our all-new comic segment.

Quirks & Queries

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Nindy Kaur’s been ruling the pop scene of late…while being the most ideal wife and daughter-in-law one can ask for! How does she balance the two? Find out in this segment.

Fest Focus

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He’s Indian EDM royalty. Meet Udyan Sagar AKA Nucleya, the man who brought Dubstep to the country’s living rooms.

IN StudIO with SidDharth Vipin 30

Here’s our take on the hottest musical festivals in the country, for the months of January –February.

Carnatic Segment

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Nostalgic reviews of some of the finest musicians of the Marghazi Masam by our in-house Carnatic expert.

Indie Reviews

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What’s hot? What’s not? What works? What sucks? Find out right here, as we bring to you our picks from the Indian Indie scene!

A lovely rendezvous with one of the most promising upcoming music composers, and a special little announcement to top it up; here’s hoping this makes for happy reading.

[KK] Krishnakumar Kunnath

It takes courage to quit a stable hotel management job after a brief eight-month stint. It takes talent and a fair measure of guts to transition from being a commerce graduate with no music degree to a celebrated playback artist. It takes God’s own blessing to stay strong and thriving, in an industry as competitive as ours, for close to two and a half decades. Here’s shedding some light on the life and times of the man known to the country as KK.

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You started your career as a marketing executive in the hotel industry and then moved to Mumbai to be a singer. What made you change your mind?

First of all, I never planned on doing a job in the marketing industry. I had a commerce degree, so I was doing a job. I never intended to enter the hotel industry as well. I never changed my mind. It was just a job. I was going to get married soon, so I was doing it. If not in the hotel business, I might have been doing it elsewhere. After getting married and becoming more stable in life, I switched to singing.

Which are the most difficult songs that you’ve sung till date, and which ones have been the most enjoyable for you?

Quite a few, actually; I enjoyed Tadap Tadap Ke, Awaarapan, Alvida, Aankhon Mein Teri, Khuda Jaane…so many. These are the ones people liked, as well. I really liked singing them.

There are a couple others that weren’t as popular. Some of them even had a very classical feel to them. Then there are, unfortunately, the songs that don’t get played…but some of the songs I’ve mentioned are among my favourites.

You were a part of Coke Studio, and that of MTV Unplugged Season 3.

How have both the experiences been, for you?

Both of them are attractive in their own ways. Coke Studio was somewhere I just went and jammed with a couple of people. It was a very impromptu thing. What I’ve done with MTV is completely unplugged. So it’s a remote thing…more of a one on one thing. It’s acoustic, so it has more feeling to it.

What do you like doing in your free time?

I am basically a very lazy guy. I will just laze around at home and spend empty hours like that with my family. If not that, then I love going for long drives.

Just taking my car and going out, disconnected. It charges me up.

For you, what is the best thing about giving live performances? Which of your gigs did you thoroughly enjoy performing at?

Actually, I have never had a bad performance. Thank God for that. It is the energy of the audience that drives me on stage. The audience responding well to your performance…that’s what makes it enjoyable. It is altogether another high, performing live.

What do you think has been your source of inspiration throughout your career?

Well, more than inspiration, it is about what you feel inside; when you decide what you want to do with your life – that is indeed the best of moments. After having been in a job for a few months, the very moment that I realized that was not what I wanted to do was definitely the happiest moment of my life.

A barrage of award shows has been cropping up in recent years. Having been a recipient of one such award at the very onset of your musical career, do you believe that these awards are a good way to motivate an artist?

I haven’t received many awards, you know, and it hasn’t bothered me much. It may be the general perception, but in truth it does not make much of a difference. It hasn’t affected my career or my singing or even my longevity in the industry. Yes, of course, you feel happy when you get one, but that shouldn’t drive your talent. You should always try to better yourself, and that should be what keeps you going.

What are some concerns that you have regarding the current generation of musicians, and how do you think they can overcome the same?

I think the kind of songs they are introduced to are lighter and more fun. Honestly speaking, I have heard quite a few of these songs and they are good. But over time these singers will sing different kinds of songs. As someone who has been in the industry awhile, I would say that the versatility in their voice will only come over a period of time.

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How different is singing for a movie from singing for an album?

An album is longish. You spend hours on end just commercializing it. As for playback singing, it happens in the studio; you go there, you write it down, listen to the music, sing with other people around, and it is done…so the two are hugely different. For albums, you have to understand every word and beat when you sing, or it sounds superficial.

Piracy, the ugly truth, has been affecting the industry in a devastating manner. What is your take on the war against piracy?

Well, I’m of the opinion that we should put a stop to piracy, since a lot of people work hard to create a song. It is unfair to them, since they lose out on their fair share of the revenue that they’d get from album sales. I feel there should be somebody to watch over this kind of behaviour and stop it. Some technology, I feel, should be developed to keep a check on such activities.

Are you associated with any group or organization that campaigns against piracy?

No, I’m not associated with any such group, but I strongly feel that it is wrong. Personally, I am not a fan; it shouldn’t be done.

This is something that has to come through awareness and understanding.

Which quote by another musician do you connect with the most and why?

I connect with many things. I have the worst memory, but offhand so many people pen down beautiful thoughts which are so pertinent. I am pretty sure they get these thoughts owing to some phase of their lives. These are the kind of thoughts that move you; and at times, move you to the extent of doing something.

The other day I was reading something that moved me so much that I had to do something about it. But off-hand there is no particular quote.

You started singing for Bollywood after doing 3500-odd jingles. How smooth was that transition?

Famous Jingles It just happened on its own. I did not try

too much, to be honest. I was quite happy Monte Carlo, TVS doing jingles like that, and eventually Scooty, Amul, Bollywood just happened…but even Britannia, Pepsi’s before that, I had done a couple of lines Yeh Dil Maange in a song. One day I just got a call asking More if I would like to do a song and I said, “Yeah, sure”. I sang, and it felt good…and just like that I was singing more songs. I feel that was just God’s wish.

We’re really interested in knowing how you came to be known as KK. I’ve been called that since my school days in Delhi. Even in

college, my friends all called me KK and it just stuck. I tried changing it to my first name but wasn’t successful. Anyway when you go down South every second or third person is called Krishnakumar, so KK just caught on.

What advice would you like to give to the young, aspiring singers?

Well, I would say: go for it with all your heart and soul if you feel you have it in you. Go out and make a change. Try new things and be creative, because that is what will bring out your talent.

So yes, just believe in yourself.

What would your favourite – and least favourite – musical genres be?

I like listening to soft rock. I am not much into rap, though. It’s all right that people these days like it, but I prefer something with melody - that keeps me hooked.

Who, would you say, are some of your favourite artists – both from the olden days and out of the current pool of musicians?

We’d be very interested in knowing which song is ruling KK’s playlist these days…

There is one song I have been listening to on loop lately Billy Joel’s Vienna.

Is there a specific quirk to you that your fans don’t yet know about? Would you mind sharing it with us?

I find it very hard to walk barefoot. I need to be wearing chappals at all times. That is the first thing I take care of when I am out. I always need them by my side. Even my wife tells me about that.

Appeared in the song Josh of India during the Cricket World Cup of 1999.

Sang 3,500 jingles in different languages before his Bollywood debut.

Released an Album titled Pal and received the Star Screen Award for Best Solo Album for the same.

Born on

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Kishore Kumar, Billy Joel, Bryan Adams, Sting

From the olden days, Kishore Da would be my favourite.

His understanding of the lyric, of what he sang, was undoubtedly amazing. From the current set of singers, I like Arijit Singh and Benny Dayal. They sound really good.

August 23rd, 1968 Greatly influenced by Kishore Kumar and music producer RD Burman.

Musical Influences

Considers Leslie Lewis his mentor, as he gave him his first break to sing a jingle.

Mahak Rajgarhia KK’s 10 best Bollywood songs Tadap Tadap from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Tu Aashiqui Hai from Jhankaar Beats Tu Hi meri Shab Hai from Gangster Ajab Si from Om Shanti Om Sach Keh Raha Hai Deewana from Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein O Meri Jaan from Life in a Metro Dil Kyun Yeh Mera from Kites Khuda Jaane from Bachna Ae Haseeno Awaarapan Banjaarapan from Jism Abhi Abhi Duet from Jism 2

Best songs for Kollywood Uyirin Uyire from Kaakha Kaakha Strawberry Kannae from Minsara Kanavi Ninaithu Ninaithu from 12 G Rainbow Colony En Vennilave from Aaadukalam Mudhal Naal from Unnale Unnale

Television appearances KK was invited as a jury member for the talent hunt show Fame Gurukul. He doesn’t, though, believe in reality shows being a medium to discover talent.

KK sang a qawwali, Chadta Suraj, along with Sabri Brothers, and a recomposed version of Tu Aashiqui Hai from Jhankar Beats for MTV’s Coke Studio.

His son Nakul sang Masti alongside him for his latest album, Humsafar.

Appeared in Sureeli Baat on Aaj Tak. Is doing MTV Unplugged Season 3.

Had a brief stint as a Marketing Executive in Hotel Management for a period of 8 months after obtaining a degree in Commerce from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University.

Was introduced as AR Rahman’s playback singer in College Styley and Hello Dr. from Kathir’s Kadhal Desam.

Has sung more than 500 songs in Hindi and over 200 others in Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

Debuted in Bollywood with Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil from Hum Dil Chuke Sanam (1999).

However, he had sung a small portion of the song Chod Aaye hum for Gulzar’s Maachis.

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Music -fuelled Productivity

Life Hack?

Almost everyone I know tends to have a certain thing they indulge in to deal with the inevitable work that entails living and breathing. The commonality resorted to is often music as one attempts to tackle a mundane chore, or visit a completely new arena of mathematics, or excavate the tomb of King Tutankhamen: be it a Gregorian chant or a pop song by the in-season heartthrobs. While it is almost tempting to affirm the question of music having a positive influence on work without any further ado, we must, at least partly, follow the trusty scientific method. Does music really boost one’s productivity? What type of music aids? Are we all subject to the influence of music? Let’s delve deeper into this taken-for-granted phenomenon.

First off, let’s see why we oft choose music. Dopamine, the “pleasure chemical” is a neurotransmitter released when stimulation occurs. Dopamine is usually related to fear, sex, and all that is pleasurable. When one listens to music, the area called the nucleus accumbens activates, which releases dopamine from the VTA (Ventral Tegmental Area). This pathway is called the ‘Reward System’. Enough neuroscience for now, but that is a very superficial explanation of the affinity towards music, especially when working. In other words, music has the ability to do what four-cheese lasagna combined with Russell Peters and a scary movie does. The mind is positively oriented; hence work seems less daunting and more feasible, whatever the task.

In a study conducted by Teresa Lesliuk, a professor of Music Therapy at the University of Miami, it was found that IT specialists who listened to music while working tended to complete their work at a faster rate as well as produce more creative ideas due to an improvement in mood.

Fox and Embrey, 1972, conducted research in this arena as well and found that background music indeed aided in dealing with repetitive tasks. Blood and Ferriss, 1993,

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collaborated and reported on the effects of background music on productivity and concluded, “While background music did not affect productivity relative to no music, those hearing background music achieved greater productivity when music was in the major mode.”

Research shows that cognitively demanding tasks may require a quiet environment, but in preparation for such tasks, music aids in calming the mind and creating a tension-free orientation. In a 2010 study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, adults aged 18 to 30 were asked to recall a series of sounds presented in a particular order. The performance of participants was inhibited when music was played while they carried out the task as compared to when they completed the task in a quiet environment. The researcher who carried out the study concluded

“Playing music you like can lift your mood and increase your arousal - if you listen to it before getting down to work. But it serves as a distraction from cognitively demanding tasks.”

Christina Stephenson

Interestingly, many surgeons in the operation theater report that they listen to music before a complicated procedure so as to prepare themselves and block other distractions and regain concentration. Dr. Amit Sood of the Mayo Clinic states, “It takes at least 15 minutes of music to regain concentration”. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that surgeons carrying out a task in the laboratory worked more accurately when music that they liked was playing. Psychologists working with trauma patients and such avoid the risk of burnout by listening to music to keep their productivity high.

Most research has come to the conclusion that music without lyrics augments the most creativity and cognitive stimulation. Classical or instrumental music have proven to have the most positive impact when it comes to boosting productivity in cognitively demanding work. When lyrics are involved, the brain’s language centers are activated which may interfere with tasks that make use of the language centers as well.

There is no straightforward conclusion, but our attempts to follow the scientific method result in the following:

Music, in general, propagates positive moods and aids completion of tasks. Music without lyrics is the most helpful for those tasks that demand more of your cognitive skills. Music also acts as a buffer against serious work related tension and helps balance one’s personality.

Music may not be the go-to productivity hack for some, but its effect is clear. Unfortunately, India has remained stagnant in this area of research and implementation. We suffer from a pervasive mindset that is as follows: Work. Output. Success. Repeat. Efficiency is missing from the equation, hence we do not see many studies conducted in the Indian setting of music aiding the productivity of our doctors and engineers and everything in between. However, there are still those who throw the curve. Let’s hear what they have to say.

“Music helps me work. I get to sing and dance while doing mundane things. I’m fairly easily distracted so I feel that music could take my attention from other distractions and help me focus on my work. I’m only distracted by the music and not anything else so I perform a lot better.” ~ Shivani Gupta, Psychology major “When it comes to schoolwork, music distracts me, but if I need a good workout or I’m tapping into my creative side, I need music.” ~ Sincy Thomas, Singer

“For me, music calms me down and helps me focus, but when it comes to tasks where I need intense concentration, I get too carried away by the music. Maybe because I’m a dreamer.”

-- Anna Tharyan, Teacher “My final semester of college, I took a calculus course, and it was something that I didn’t understand. Listening to music while doing calculus really gave me motivation to understand.

I think the reason is because music is something that I understand more than anything else. Associating something I don’t understand with something that I do understand gets me in a motivated mindset!” ~ Zach Leffew, Musician “Music improves my mood so I can actually do things I need to do such as household chores or other mundane tasks.” ~ Pelumi Adefope, Political Science student “Music helps me to get my thoughts together and get into the right mode. I generally listen to a song or two before I start work and take a music break every twenty minutes or so, or when my concentration starts to flag.” ~Niyati Venkatesan, Physics Major “I cannot focus around people, I cannot focus with the TV on, but somehow, magically, music gives my thoughts a better direction. I don’t always have an ideal work environment, I’m surrounded by people who don’t always understand that when I work I need zero distractions surround me, or else I get all hulklike. At times like that, music helps block out the distractions of chattering people completely. In addition, my line of work is often creative. The music I listen to stimulates creativity.” ~ Gazala Anver, Journalist “I use music to do math. If I don’t have music on, there are a million other things going through my head and I can’t concentrate.” ~ Cathy Johnson, Singer

References: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/jobs/how-musiccan-improve-worker-productivity-workstation.html?_r=0 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-musicalself/201005/music-and-productivity-5-ideas-usingmusic-boost-performance http://ideas.time.com/2012/09/12/does-listening-tomusic-while-working-make-youless-productive/ http://www.musicworksforyou.com/ news-and-charts/news/203-music-couldincrease-workplace-productivity-and-cutsickies-by-millions

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Cut Time

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Nindy Kaur Being wife to Manjeet Ral (RDB) has its perks, you may say.

After our refreshing interview with Nindy Kaur - our home girl we think it might just be the other way around.

It’s an honor and a shock to be one of the first urban Punjabi female singers to make such a great impact on the current music scene. I’m always trying to just make better and better music by fusing Punjabi and urban music. I’m a pure desi by heart and love punjabi boli.

I been doing this for a while and to gain almost 600k fans is a huge achievement for me.

I’m glad to be setting a path for other great upcoming females across the globe. Work hard and be different. Don’t make the same old thing everyone else is.

I have a long list of favorites with whom I want to collaborate. But it’s all about who is available and willing. I have my eye on Rihanna, Sean Paul, LMFAO… who knows!

I’m a huge fashion person! Being a desi punjabi girl, with family values and self respect, I always wear appropriate clothing. I think sometimes female artists go crazy. I feel like showing too much skin is not the answer to looking elegant and sexy. I believe it can be achieved while being covered up.

I have seen many female artists from the UK, USA & Canada who just can’t speak Punjabi or pronounce the words properly. It’s because they started off as R’N’B singers but then decided to sing in Punjabi. I feel you should first learn to speak Punjabi properly and then be guided to sing it by pronouncing the words properly.

When I make a track or work on an idea for a song, the first thing for me is the words. I wouldn’t try to sing in English because that’s not what I’m good at. I speak Punjabi very well and am more confident singing in it. Mixing it with some modern beats and fusion style, that is my combo. I love using dhols or alogozay into my music as a hint of Punjab mixed with the modern urban beats.

I always get put in the RDB bubble because I always have my husband with me. Manj stays with me in videos because I prefer to be seen on camera with my husband as I have a lot of respect for him. It’s okay, though, as long as I’m with my husband. But it does have its down side. People will never see me as a solo artist even though I have released solo songs from the beginning. 2 seater, bbm, gal mitro etc. My solo career is still going strong and I’m still making solo songs.

5 years from now, I’d probably be sitting at home with my son, relaxing; some great investments in lots of property and with my own business open. It sounds harsh but this music industry won’t last forever and I feel, as a female, you should do what you can while you can. My main aim of doing this now is to secure my sons future, to make his life easier and to fund his education.

My parents never let us buy Punjabi tapes and listen to bhangra music. We were told to do paath, go to the Gurudwara and just help with the family business. Now they laugh at it when it’s mentioned, but they are happy that my career is with my husband and that we support each other.

In general, we get scrutinized for being females and not being at home to be with family. I look after my son myself, cook & clean the house myself, support my husband and carry out all my family duties for my in laws. So people get blown away by that.

I keep my dignity and self respect by not wearing silly revealing clothes and making decent music videos with only my husband. All in all, it’s NOT been that hard in a male industry because I don’t make a fool of myself.

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I’ve always loved music, and used to buy tapes undercover. I’d listen to them at night, under bed sheets, on my walkman.

Artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Eminem and all the old school punjabi artists like Surinder Kaur, Kuldeep Manak are my favorites. I’m currently listening to a lot of Rihanna and Lady Gaga - I just love her new song. It’s on repeat.

Anand Jayaram

I look up to Manjeet as my guru.

He really guided me in this industry and helped me with recording and making music.

It was something inside me always, but he really brought it out of me. If anything, I would call him my back bone in the industry.

I would love to do other genres but I guess I will always make music in the genre that I know; which is Punjabi. If an offer was brought to me and it felt right, I would love to explore.

I’m always up for Bollywood projects. I’m currently finishing a few more right now. One of the new ones I’ve done is in Tiger Shroff’s debut movie, Heropanti by Nadiawala Productions, directed by our friend Sabbir Khan.

Besides this, there is a lot more in the pipeline.

Three Records (her record label) is RDB. It is just like working with family. All of my business is dealt with by Manj. He coordinates with Suraj to make sure the release time and PR are all done on time and coordinated right.

My advice for aspiring artists is: Work hard. Learn to read, write, and pronounce the language correctly before trying to sing it. You can achieve your dreams, just be positive and firm and strong about what you want.

I love cooking and I have an OCD – I’m a super clean freak! I have 4 showers a day and my house is spotless.

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Jan 8th to 12th, 2014

IIT Madras, Chennai

The Good and the Bad: The good thing about Saarang ’14 was the EDM, viz. Dualist Inquiry, Nucleya and Lost Stories X Anish Sood, along with Architects. The sets were all amazing.

There wasn’t much crowd for Grimus and Architects. To see those sets wasted on a waning, unresponsive audience? Tragic.

The Boring and the Mad: Given that this was a college fest, the crowd is supposed to have been MUCH more energetic than it was. People barely turned up, and when they did, they infused a sense of boredom.

The mad part was the stage acts that really kicked everyone up, and the surprise winner of Decibels, which was a band formed just two months ago. Their female vocalist nailed all the notes.

The Win and the Fail:

l a v i t s fe FOCUS

lf for As India braces itse , music-lovers the onset of spring bid ace themselves to across the nation br s of h pomp. The month it w r te in w to u ie ad sbord e rife with a smorga ar ry ua br Fe yar Janu ent, se from. In this segm oo ch to s al iv st fe of hat’s e what’s hot and w th u yo to g in br e w d most prominent an not for four of the ad on to trip out! awaited of these. Re

The biggest win would definitely be the line up and the artists who were killing it. The production was A-grade.

The fail was the underlying vibe throughout the Saarang ’14 events. If only, IF ONLY, it was just a teensy bit more infectious.

The fresh and the stale: Saarang ’14 had everything fresh in it. Everything, from the events to the organization to the people, was fresh and spiced up.

To be honest, nothing there can be labeled stale.

Jan 31st to Feb 2nd, 2014 Corporate Leisure City, Gonighattapura, Off Varthur, Sarjapura, Bangalore The Good and the Bad: The fact that Shankar Mahadevan is the new ambassador for Storm could only be a good thing. Because, you know…you can’t possibly go wrong with that man.

We would have been stoked about the fact that Storm shifted base to Bangalore this year if not for the traffic. Having to leave five hours in advance and sweating through carefully appliqued make-up during traffic jams: definitely bad.

The Boring and the Mad: While we ADORE Raghu Dixit, the fact that he’s been all over the scene lately ensured that pretty much everyone at Storm who had been to any other concert had a bit of a bored expression on their face. The folk collaboration was a pleasant surprise, though.

If Rohit Barker can’t drive a crowd mad, well.. Nikhil Chinappa can. And to witness the both of them together on one stage.. not a person in the crowd wasn’t going downright mental.

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The Win and the Fail: The variety of artists and genres, the performances of the international artists, and the quality of the collaborations all earn big thumbs ups.

All clear this way, no fails to report.

The fresh and the stale: Susheela Raman’s voice on Coke Studio is a series of goose bumps. Susheela Raman’s voice live is downright hypnotism.

Enough said, really. We’re stalking her across the globe, from here on.

Storm tends to bring the same artists in, year after year. Some people actually look forward to that, so we’re not sure if that’s a bad thing at all, but well, that’s your dose of stale right there.

Vijith Quadros/Nilankur Dutta/Kanika Mishra

Feb 13th to 16th, 2014

Jaisalmer

The Good and the Bad

The Win and The Fail

Ragasthan is set bang in the heart of the Thar Desert. Fifty artists, three stages.

Think Burning Man, only here in India, and with more EDM. Good? GOOD? KILLER. Well, it’s in the middle of the desert for one thing, so while you are admiring the unforgiving yet beautiful landscape and the…humpy-ness…of your camel’s hump, you might also catch sunstroke in the morning and a chill at night.

The Boring and The Mad The boring: Some artists might just hit play on their pre-recorded playlists and take a nap under a sand dune. I’m not saying that it will happen for sure, but that’s the standard risk you run every time you go to such a concert.

Remote controlled Planes flying over vast barren landscapes. Paragliding. Hot-Air Balloons. All these things are rumored to be in the itinerary. Doesn’t get madder than this.

Feb 15th to 16th, 2014

Prateek Kuhad is playing. As are Menwhopause.

There are going to be lilting, enchanting love ballads for the romantically inclined. And consistent Rock and Roll acts for those who want to stab the romantically inclined. Just the sheer number of artists means you will most likely find something that fits into your niche. WINS GALORE! A season’s pass at 8k is definitely on the steep side. And even if the festival delivers the entirety of its dazzling promises, this is not one for the weak wallet-ed. Fail much.

The Fresh and The Stale With seasoned veterans, there will be a bunch of fresh acts and lesser-known artists.

Awesome ones too, at that, like Spud In the Box, Ganesh Talkies and The Lightyears Explode.

Well, your food might be stale. And sandy.

That is, if you do not eat at the restaurants and bars these guys have promised to set up.

Mehboob Studio, Mumbai

The Good and the Bad Did you know that Tedeschi-Trucks and Jimmy Vaughan are headlining this year?

Did you know that between them they have, like, seven Grammys? Did you know that Derek Trucks has been playing the blues since he was nine? Did you know Doyle Bramhall II is going to be jamming with Trucks? This is not just good, but an explosion of awesomeness of earthshattering proportions.

There’s nothing really bad about it. Um. Well, it’s happening in Mumbai, so all of you who are not in Mumbai will have to come here, which might be a little sucky for you.

The Boring and The Mad Blackstratblues played last year too. So, that’s kinda boring, right? No? Well, they’re pretty awesome anyway, and Warren Mendonsa plays ethereally. There is nothing boring about this. There, I said it.

What’s mad is Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar’s voice when she’s lost herself in the music. It is ridiculous how beautiful it is. Soulmate is perhaps the best Indian blues band in existence, and it is actually insane how an Indian band from Shillong can make you feel like you’re a black man in Memphis in 1922.

The Win and The Fail Soulmate is releasing their third album at MBF2014. So if you’re there, you’ll be hearing one of our greatest bands playing material that is completely new. That’s a historic win.

There’s only one fail here, and that’s me failing completely to retain any sense of journalistic objectivity. Also, I might try sneaking on-stage and licking Jimmy Vaughan’s guitar. If that happens, it might be a fail, but it’ll also be hilarious.

The Fresh and The Stale Zac Harmon and Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials make their India debut with this festival. Prepare yourself for blues fresh from the Mississippi and Chicago.

The stale: Nothing. Please can I go now?

*We were unable to finish this piece because our writer had a nervous breakdown and now goes by the name Blind Kiwi Georgia, since he has only said things like “That thang ain’t no good” and “I cain’t sang no more.”*

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Band of the Month

Reggae

Rajahs

Photo credit: Rootz Island

Reggae Rajahs

Back when they started out, Reggae was a genre that was only just beginning to be embraced by the Indian audience. Not deterred by the lack of dominance that their genre of choice had on the Indian music scene, these boys not only successfully “arrived” (including opening for Snoop Lion last year), but also brought down a horde of artists to tour the country and spread the love. Here’s wishing our band of the month, Reggae Rajahs, a very happy fifth anniversary in the form of this exclusive interview. (Peace out).

Mohammad Abood AKA

Zorawar Shukla AKA

Raghav Dang AKA

DJ MoCity

General Zooz

Diggy Dang

Influences: Bob Marley, Damian Marley, Anthony B, Alborosie, Don Carlos, Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer, Buju Banton, Steel Pulse, Capleton, Luciano, Mr Vegas, Ninja Man, Super Cat, Sugar Minott, Cocoa Tea, Gregory Isaacs, John Holt, Jacob Miller, Junior Kelly, Sizzla, Turbulence, Vybz Kartel, Yellowman, Gentleman, Tippa Irie, Black Uhuru, Alpha Blondy, Manu Chao, Sublime

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Manisha Bhat How did the three of you come together and form the Reggae Rajahs? How did it all start?

Well, it started when two of us had just moved back to India. We were studying abroad, living abroad. Five years ago, on Bob Marley’s birthday, a friend hosted a Reggae Night - that was when we all first met. We then decided to promote Reggae, because it was not really present at the moment. And then we started hosting Reggae nights and making a scene, really.

Not many people were into Reggae when you started off. How do you think that’s changed after you came into the picture?

In the past five years, there’s been a lot of growth in the underground music scene, and in music other than Bollywood. People appreciate Reggae Rajahs now. Indian audiences are now aware of what’s going on. Change happened, and younger people are now getting into it.

…That makes us wonder, was it initially hard for you to get people to listen to your music?

Initially it was very hard, because no one really understood this music.

Reggae is slow-paced; it’s not really dance music. But it can be very energetic. Dancehall and Soca are very similar to Bollywood music, like Punjabi music.

Reggae Vs. Dancehall:

has influenced our lives a lot. It’s cautious, uplifting music. It’s for the soul…the lyrics are about the everyday struggles that people face. The music is like a part of our minds.

Within a span of three years after starting the band, y’all toured Europe and the US of A. How was the experience altogether? Would you say people are more receptive of Reggae there, compared to India?

Going to Europe and the US of A was something that helped us learn a lot about the scene abroad. And then when we come back here we had a benchmark that we had to maintain. It was more like a learning space but we also came back motivated. It’s also a great experience to be among various artists, it’s fun.

When we play our music there, people really appreciate it…we get a good response, whereas here in India people are still new to it, and the response we get is quite low. That also makes it quite hard for us to come up with good stuff. So yes, there’s a lot of difference.

How different is playing in a club compared to playing at a full-fledged music festival?

I think music festivals are quite enjoyable; every other person is doing their own thing. There are larger crowds in the outdoors than the limited audience you find in clubs. The difference between playing at a festival and in a club is the crowd. In a club Dancehall is high octane, high there are people who really wanted to come there, whereas at tempo kind of music. It is a festival people are just there to enjoy music. The last time we something to be enjoyed played at a festival, it was packed; people just wanted to enjoy. better at a club.

Some people don’t really know that it is Reggae but they move to the energy and really enjoy it regardless. It’s equally fun.

Reggae is something you can listen to on a day-to-day basis.

Initially the conception was that this music wouldn’t really work and many promoters didn’t want to book us. Then they witnessed how energetic it can be, and that we deliver it in a very interactive form so it gets more energetic.

One wonders about the extent to which reggae influenced you, for you to have thought it absolutely necessary to form a band and spread the genre all over India…

The reason why we have done this is because it

You were chosen as the opening act for Snoop Lion in New Delhi last year. How was the experience?

Oh…we were all excited when we got the news. We held a private party for Snoop Dogg AKA Snoop Lion in Bombay and got to meet all of his crew, his entourage. We grew up listening to that, grew up listening to Hip Hop, so for us, it was beyond our dreams…you can only imagine. It was amazing, really. We grew as Reggae Rajahs; we played in front of so many people in Delhi. People found out about us.

You were nominated for the Best International Group award at the British Reggae Industry Awards in 2012.

Working towards winning it this year?

We have to be nominated first and then see (laughs). If we’re nominated, it’s a big deal for us.

Which of your songs do you love the most?

BeLights

Ziggy B

Well, there’s a song called Make Up Your Mind, which is about doing what you love doing Plans for 2014: and it just speaks your This year we have some big plans. mind about it. It’s It’s our five-year anniversary on something that we all February 6th. We’re planning a big tour went through while in India, planning to go to Bombay, Goa, creating Reggae also planning to make a North tour - Sikkim, Rajahs; whether it Shillong, Calcutta and Jamshedpur. We’ve should be a full time got to reach out to all parts of India and thing, or just a casual really venture into unknown places. We are thing…stuff like that. working on Dub Station because that’s It’s a song that tells something that’s close to our hearts. that story.

We’re also hoping to release an EP of original songs - a short album. Big plans!

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Star of the month

NUCLEYA

One of the early proponents of the now-popular genre of Dubstep in India, Nucleya has built on that start to emerge as one of the most exciting, experimental and engaging producers in the Indian scene in the past five years. He has made his mark as an Indian dance music producer, focusing on sounds and textures that are Indian in sound but international in appeal. His last EP, ‘Koocha Monster’ explores global bass and cements Nucleya’s position as the Indian leader in the ‘global bass’ movement, as he continues to look to the future for new sounds. We bring to you the whole scoop on Nucleya and the man behind the scenes – Udyan Sagar.

On what to expect from his upcoming album: On his influences and inspiration: A lot of artists, too many to name here…I love Switch (he was the guy behind early Major Lazer sound); I love Skrillex’s music too, he is pure genius. I love Ilaiyaraaja…the way he mixes South Indian with western classical is unbelievable.

Apart from this, interesting films, dialogues etc. inspire me too, and I sample a lot of them in my live shows. Stuff that is different and interesting in general inspires me.

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A lot of collaborations…I asked my fans which artists they wanted me to collaborate with, and they named some amazing ones. I have managed to get a few of them on the album. Although we are far from a release date, so far, the album sounds amazing!

Rhia Bhattacharya Tell us about Udyan Sagar. We know about Nucleya, now we want to get to know the man behind him.

Udyan Sagar is a very chilled out, laid back and boring guy. He prefers to spend most of his time with his wife and kid, and the rest of the time he prefers to make music.

Udyan is very clumsy too…leaves things everywhere, and can’t live without household help; he is also scolded by his wife regularly for not sorting his cupboard.

He used to sleep 12hrs everyday back in the day, and the rest of the time he used to sit in front of the computer, but life has changed ever since he became a father. He is a bit more responsible.

Take us through the process of how you come up with a song. How exactly do you decide what to put in and what sounds good?

It usually starts with an idea. It could be anything: a melody, a dialogue/poetry or a beat. From there, the first thing I do is getting the melodic of the track in place - arranging the chords and melodies and getting the whole song in place; after that comes electronics.

Because I’m a DJ, most of my music revolves around ‘Bass Music’ and its various sub genres, so Bass becomes the most important part of the track and is given special attention. Since I mix very drastic sounds in my music, for e.g. Indian music with bass-heavy music, it becomes very important for me to find the right balance between them.

Keeping all of these things in mind, I decide what sort of sound will fit in best.

What kind of music would you like to see developed further in India?

Some sort of Indian electronic music, which is listenable, danceable and is easy to understand too: a sound that is completely unheard of. I think this is the sort of music that could have the potential to go global in a very big way.

Your music is one of a kind: Dubstep with a strong Indian flavor. What made you want to create such music?

It’s actually bass-heavy music mixed with Indian street music.

We all at some point in our life have been part of the street celebrations us Indians engage in during festivals etc., and the music that is played there is the music that we all relate to and

have grown up listening to. It is super high energy and it’s raw.

I wanted to take this vibe to the next level and make this sound go global, that’s why I mixed it with bass-heavy music - and seems like it worked well.

Has it been easy? How did people react to your music for the first time? Was it what you expected?

Yeah, I think so. I didn’t face too many problems…except when I am stuck playing in a posh club where I have to change my music style sometimes (very rarely though). Otherwise, it works all the time. And people always scream for my music when I am on stage. What else can I ask for (smiles)?

When and how did you start making the kind of music that you do?

I have been making music for over 10 years. In the early days, I was part of a band and made music that became the signature sound of my band. But I always wanted to experiment, explore new music styles and take things to another level; being part of a band made that very difficult. That’s when I decided to start a solo project…and Nucleya happened. With Nucleya, the idea is to take Indian music to another level, and hopefully make it a global phenomenon.

What other kinds of music do you like? Also, what songs are at the top of your playlist right now?

I like all sorts of music…there is no one particular style that I love the most. I don’t listen to dance music too often; it’s mostly chilled out stuff that I listen to. Right now, on repeat is Gustavo Santaolalla.

Your music videos often have social messages for subtexts. They’re a bit…rebellious. Is that just Nucleya, or is that a glimpse of Udyan shining through?

I’d say both. I haven’t subscribed to newspapers because all I see there is sad news and hate the fact that the people who are responsible for keeping everything under control are busy extorting money off poor people. I guess that bit comes out once in a while in my music.

On his most memorable gig experience: 9000 people screaming “Fuck That Shit” (from his track “Akkad Bakkad”) at the NH7 Festival last year…it was the unofficial slogan for the fest (laughs).

Is there any other kind of music you would be interested in making? Do you see yourself expanding into other genres in the future?

My music is genre-free. I always experiment – even when I am DJ-ing it’s all about the music, and not about a genre.

If you have been to my shows, you must have seen me dropping ‘Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai’ to Major Lazer, to Pakistani folk music to Kuduro, to South Incredible India.

Indian music…all in a span of 15 minutes (laughs)!

Some shows on discovery are truly amazing…I would love to score music for them, too.

I want to make a track with all the Indian voice over artists who dub English dialogues in Hindi…that stuff sounds insane (laughs).

Shows he’d like to create music for:

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in

studio with

Siddharth

Vipin

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Pragash Venkatesan/Sai Adithya

Indian cinema has the habit of giving us new gems all the time. Siddharth Vipin is the newest of them. With one of the biggest musical hits of the year 2013 Idharkutthane Asaipattai Balakumara - under his belt, Siddharth is now the hottest property in Tamil cinema with quite a few projects in his kitty.

We caught up with Siddharth for a free flowing chat and got to know more about his music, his cameos as an actor and his love for Hans Zimmer.

The first question is the usual one. How and when did you start learning music?

I started music at the age of three! I started learning Carnatic music back then in Kochi. My parents tell me that when I was a young boy, I was really hooked onto music and would do things only if certain songs were played.

I’m a self-taught musician. I was given a keyboard when I was nine years old and I kind of fell in love with it.

And then?

Well, then I grew up and enrolled myself into a B.com in Loyola College, enrolled myself into a sound engineering course and was also doing my chartered accounts course at the same time. Sound Engineering changed my life. I slowly became the live sound engineer for Hariharan, Euphoria and Strings. Then, with a friend of mine I started working in Hollywood projects.

What are the Hollywood projects that you’ve worked on?

I worked on projects like 3:10 to Yuma, Walt Disney’s Underdog and Music and Lyrics.

What was the next step for you, in your career?

I started working on ad films. I’ve done a few ads. I worked with Madhu Ambat for CoOptex’s advertisement and I had done a few National film developments. At this point of time, I was contacted by famous Malayalam director Major Ravi - who was working on the Tamil-Malayalam bi-lingual film Aran/KeerthiChakra during that time - to work on the VFX for his next film Mission 90 Days. Incidentally, I also played the role of Rajiv Gandhi in the film. I then composed for his film Kurukshetra and went on to doing one more Malayalam film, Currency.

After that, I was doing a lot of documentary films and short films.

Then came the opportunity to do a film, with Guinness world record holder Kishan’s (who holds the record for the youngest director for his film Saadhanai) second film - Teenage, a Kannada film. This

film holds a couple of records in itself. It had the first song shot under water and it also has the song that holds the record for maximum number of dancers in a song. During this time, I got a chance to compose for a Tamil film called Kaliyugam, which is yet to be released. During this period, the producers of the movie Naduvala Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom, Leo Vision, approached me to compose for the background score for this film. They then signed me to compose for their next venture Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (Incidentally, Siddharth also did a small cameo in this film).

The songs of Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara became a huge sensation. Did you expect this big a response to the songs?

We always work towards making a song successful but the response we got for these soundtracks was just amazing!

The gap between your first and second film was pretty big. Why so?

I had to wait for the right opportunity. I had to feel musically fulfilled to take up a project and so during this phase, I kept working hard and remained patient.

What do you think is most important for the success of a movie’s soundtrack?

I think the music director, the producer, and the director have to be in sync. If the director and the producer are convinced by your vision of the song, then I think that is good enough. All three of us work towards the success of the song and it is very important that we all are on the same page.

Who are your role models?

A.R Rahman. I’ve grown up listening to ARR and he is my biggest inspiration. Along with him is Hans Zimmer who I think is a genius. The way he thinks amazes me.

What are your upcoming projects?

Towards the release of Balakumara, G.V Prakash approached me to do the Background Music of Cheran sir’s upcoming film JK Enum nanbanin Vazhkai. Apart from that I have a few projects in the pipeline.

What is your dream project?

I would like to work on a prehistoric period flick because none of us know how the music was back then and it will be a bit of a trendsetter. I would also like to work on an animation flick.

The Score Magazine is happy to announce that Siddharth will henceforth be associated with us in the capacity of Honorary Editor, wherein he will share his in-depth knowledge about and around music studios through this segment.

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The Carnatic Watch

Season’s finest in a flash

Just as birds migrate to the South for the winter, so do Carnatic rasikas and musicians to Chennai for the music season every December. Along with the season comes kutcheri buzz regarding the latest news on anything and everything Carnatic. While there is an ocean in the field with respect to bright talents in Carnatic Music, there are a few people whom we wish to bring to light for Score readers.

Although we have spoken only of a few musicians here, it goes without saying that the talent that exists is endless.

An art form that once so many feared would die soon has flourished and continues to do so, both in India and abroad. The contributions to this field by its artists are never-ending.

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Ananya Ashok

Dr. Pantula Rama

Sikkhil Gurucharan

Hailing from Vijayavada, Dr. Pantula Rama is a rare talent and great find. Her style of singing is unlike most of her peers. She holds a Ph.D. in music from Andhra University for her thesis: A study of the shaping of an ideal musician through Saadhana (intense practice), published by Gyan Publishers of New Delhi.

She even presented a lecture demonstration at the Music Her parents are Pantula Gopala Academy during the music Rao (Violinist and retired All season on this topic. By India Radio engineer) and chance I was able to catch Pantula Padmavathi (Veena her performance there this artiste). year. Her approach to music is fresh and exciting. The twoHer initial training was given to hour concert turned out to be her by her father, and advanced intellectually stimulating, and training by Kala Saagara Sri. aesthetically set. Although it Ivaturi Vijayeswara Rao. Apart was slow and sedate, Rama from being a Top grade Vocalist indulged in some interesting she has a B High in violin and and inspiring phrases in her viola from All India Radio in improvisation. What strikes the Carnatic style. the listener about her music She is a Reiki Master in the is her overall authentic Natural Usui system of healing. approach to the performance.

She also has a diploma in Her improvisation skills Fashion Designing, and is are unique, as she doesn’t an active fundraiser for emulate or even sound like events based on social and her peers. Her voice is rich philanthropic causes. with a slight tremble, and has an old school tone that takes you back about 50 years during the golden age of this art form. If you haven’t heard her or Carnatic music in general, she’s a great example of someone who showcases the excellence of Carnatic Music through simplicity and elegance.

Today, some of the best-selling albums in Carnatic music bear his face. He’s teamed up with/continues to team up with the illustrious pianist, Anil Srinivasan for awesome He is the grandson of Sikkil jugalbandhis, and is, moreover, Kunjumani, elder of the a true star in the field of Carnatic internationally acclaimed Music. But, giving up a job in order flautists, The Sikkil Sisters. to pursue music full-time wasn’t an easy decision for Sikkil Gurucharan.

He has been under the “Whenever I called my friends, they tutelage of Vaigal Shri would be in meetings, or travelling S. Gnanaskandan and is on work. And here I was, without a currently being mentored by concrete answer when someone asked Shri B. Krishnamurthy. me what I did during the day,” he said once in an interview. Now, however, He is an A-grade All India he feels it was worth the time and Radio artist. effort. His growth as a musician has India Today featured him not only been fast, but is marked by among 35 Game Changers remarkable consistency as well. An Under 35 in India, a list artist who is constantly evolving of young achievers from through focus and dedication was a different walks of life. real treat to listen to for listeners this past season.

Abishek Raghuram It was a packed audience at the Madras Music Academy this past season. Abishek Raghuram gave what I, or anyone at that concert, would call a truly historical performance. For the first time in His mother is the niece my life, I saw people get up and of violin maestro Lalgudi holler with joy as the concert came Jayaraman, Veena exponent to a close. It is known fact that Jayanti Kumaresh is rasikas are in awe of the 27-year old his maternal aunt, and musician, whose music is nothing Mridangam legend Sangeetha short of pure genius. A revolution Kalanidhi Sri.Palghat Raghu in his time, Abishek has developed is his grandfather. a way of singing that is infectious Started learning Mridangam for youngsters to emulate and wildly & Khanjira from Khanjira fascinating for rasikas to listen to. A exponent Harishankar at an recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi’s early age. Later, he shifted Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to vocal music under the in 2013, he is one of the brilliant guidance of his guru Sri musicians of our times. If you haven’t P. S. Narayanaswami of heard his music, I suggest you do. It’s Semmanagudi School. more than worth your time.

Sudha Raghunathan Who can fail to mention vocalist Sudha Ragunathan in this list?

A student of the late M.L. Vasanthakumari (MLV), Sudha has evolved a mellifluous singing style of her own. This year, the vidushi has been awarded the title of Sangita Kalanidhi, the highest title for a Carnatic Musician.

Received her initial training Among the first in her generation in Carnatic music from her to get the prestigious award, Ms. mother V. Choodamani.

Ragunathan was the unanimous Her tutelage continued choice of the executive committee of under B. V. Lakshman, and the Music Academy. “The award to following a scholarship her represents the transition from awarded to her by the Indian musicians from yesteryear to the next Govt., she became Dr. M.L. generation,” said N. Murali, president Vasanthakumari’s student of the Music Academy. Aside from for 13 years. performing over the past twenty years, the artist has lent her voice Studied at Ethiraj College, in films such as Morning Raga and obtained a postgraduate and released countless top-selling degree in Economics. albums.

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“

My audiences by and large contain many people who have never heard Jazz music, but I have not yet failed to get a standing ovation for every concert that I have performed in India.

Photo credit: Ravikiran Vissa

presents

MADHAV CHARI India’s greatest JAZZ musician

Having been born and brought up in Kolkata, Madhav Chari was always musically inclined. In 1986, he went to study Mathematics in the USA. However, his love for Jazz propelled him to pursue it full-time in spite of his Mathematics studies, and he has now become the greatest Jazz musician of our country. Read on to know more about his journey.

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Sai Adithya You changed tracks from Mathematics to Jazz Music in the midst of your Ph.D. Would you consider it one of the best decisions you’ve ever made?

I was playing Jazz quite seriously even at the undergraduate level, and both currents of Mathematics and Music were running in my system. Even when I enrolled for a PhD, I was never committed to being in Maths forever, but that graduate school was a process. The decision to solely focus on one thing only and that being Jazz music, was one of the, if not THE best decision I have ever made.

Does being a mathematician help you with your music? Does it make fusing a variety of music a lot easier for you?

This question reflects a misunderstanding of both music and maths. I do music when I do music and do not bring my math world into it. I do not fuse varieties of music: that is in general for people who have diminished musical as well as general intellect. I play Jazz, period.

Is Jazz music still nascent? Do you think people lack awareness about this form of music, or do you feel that Jazz is a form of music that only has a loyal audience and the musicians are okay with that?

It is not nascent in India and has been around since 1927. People do lack awareness about the music primarily because so called “Jazz” musicians in India including the “leading ones” in the last few decades have played, and play the music badly, and thus were and are unable to communicate the essence of the music to the audience.

You have performed with Jazz master drummers Max Roach and Ed Thigpen, and interacted one on one with some of the finest names in Jazz, like Kenny Barron, Henry Threadgill, Wynton Marsalis (Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winning Jazz trumpeter and composer). How is the creative process when one great musician and another sit and discuss work?

I cannot describe this process since you or your readers simply do not have the technical expertise to understand what we do, neither do you have the understanding of Jazz music at any great depth. In my interactions with any of these musicians, I was receiving what they were giving me, and they were giving me information. It was definitely NOT about bouncing off ideas, but about my understanding deep aspects of Jazz music. On the bandstand with Max Roach and Ed Thigpen, it was about really listening to the music being played and trying to make sure that one did not overstep one’s boundaries.

You have been working a lot towards the betterment of Jazz in India with outreach programs. Do you think your work in that direction is paying sufficient dividends?

Yes, if the dividends were not there, then I would not continue it and co-partners like Musee Musical would not get on board.

Indian audiences need to be exposed to the right kind of music instead of what passes itself off as Jazz music.

You are known as India’s greatest Jazz Musician.

How did you have to work to get to this position

and be ranked the greatest?

I did not work specifically at getting better than other Indians: I was already better than 99% of Jazz musicians in India by the time I was 19 years old and self taught and living in Kolkata, just before I left for the US.

Is Jazz music complex for the average human being or is it just made to seem like that by the people?

There are two aspects to this question that need to be fleshed out. Jazz music is extremely complex to play and learn, and one of the hardest music forms to master on this planet.

But, its energy is extremely direct, and can hit a listener who may not be familiar with the music. In this regard its energy is much more direct than western classical music for example.

Now being direct does not necessarily mean “pleasant” or “familiar”, but on an emotional level the music is very deep and direct.

When you have rank amateurs as in so called “leading” Jazz musicians in Mumbai, Kolkata or Bangalore, what you will hear is the complexity more than the directness because they have NOT really assimilated the spirit of Jazz music at all. You can play complicated passages and still direct the emotion and the feeling of Jazz music like a laser beam.

For example, my audiences by and large contain many people who have never heard Jazz music, but I have not yet failed to get a standing ovation for every concert that I have performed in India.

Who are your role models?

In terms of crafting a sound, all the Jazz greats, too many to list.

In terms of how I was inspired to become a Jazz musician, two names stand out as first major influences: Oscar Peterson and John Coltrane.

In terms of a current role model, I have to mention the great Wynton Marsalis who is not just a major force in the total history of Jazz music, but has a singular commitment to making the music understood to a wider audience, and rejuvenating the life force of the music through his performances, compositions, as well as his ability to teach the essence of the music to a lay audience. In fact one main thread in my own outreach programs has been influenced by Wynton.

What are your pet projects - projects that you feel definitely need to be done but for which you feel the time isn’t right just yet?

No such thing: all my work is ongoing, and gets done at the right time.

Is there a specific reason why you are based out of Chennai?

Many, but most important is family. Secondly while I could have potentially moved back to Kolkata (where I was born and raised), or even Mumbai, what I have found is that currently the Jazz audience in Chennai is probably better informed than similar audiences in any other Indian city because a sizeable number of people have been exposed to my ongoing workshops.

I have also met extremely dedicated and interesting people here in Chennai who challenge me on many levels, that I would not meet anywhere else in India, including martial artist, meditation teacher and holistic healer George Kuriyan. You see, to become a great musician one also needs inspiration from life that Chennai gives me, but of course one needs to know the music form first!

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Bring out the Entertainer in you

An aggregation of cutting edge technology, this is the digital piano to refurbish your music life.

Perfect Debut as a Pianist

You’ll find many masterpieces.

You can identify where in the score you play.

Red ball jumps along with your play.

You don’t need to care about score.

Guide lamp tells you the next key.

CVP-601

You can practice till you are satisfied by playing back right hand part and left hand part separately.

CVP-605

The Yamaha Digital Piano – New Clavinova 600 Series has a rich, subtle sound and exceptional dynamics from the gentle pianissimo to the powerful fortissimo. Models range from 10 voices (including harpsichord and organ) to hundreds of MIDI instruments, Many include effects, large full-color display screen, and even built-in karaoke. Internet Direct Connection (IDC) functions expands music enjoyment.

The built-in Styles give you access to hundreds of bands and musical ensembles.

Rich accompaniment brings out your solo performance.

Have a rhythm in your head? Let get the Style Recommender to suggest the closest match! If it is too difficult for you to find one for the song you want to perform from a large amount of styles, Style Recommender function helps you.

This makes style selection easy for everyone, no matter what song you are playing.

CVP-609

GH3

Touch Panel : New UI

Linear Graded Hammers

RGE Sound Engine

TFT Color Wide VGA LCD (7inch)

SA2 Voice & Style

128Poly

256Poly

VH2

SA/Mega Voice & Style

MP3 Recording & Playback

GP Response Damper Pedal

Cabinet w/front leg

Audio Time Stretch/Pitch Shift/Vocal Cancel

USB Audio Recorder (.wav)

Video Out

TFT Color Wide VGA LCD (8.5inch)

iPhone/iPad connectivity (*i-MX1 is required)

USB Wi-Fi Adapter for connecting w/iPhone iPad (*be only included EU/NA/JP)

Sub Woofer(20cm×1), Tweeter x 2

RGB Out

Speaker Box and Monitor/45W x 2

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For more information log on to : in.yamaha.com

Nilankur Dutta

Bappi Lahiri, who these days spends most of his time looking like a cross between Mr. T and laughing Buddha, is famous…well, for looking a cross between Mr. T and laughing Buddha. But there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye (No pun intended). Fact is, whatever your musical preferences, if you’ve grown up in India anytime during the last half century, your musical tastes have been formed because of (and in spite of) one relentless man with a ton of gold on him.

Bappi the King Bro

1952: Born in Bangladesh

For over forty years, Alokesh Lahiri, known to one and all as Bappi Da, has floated placidly through the Indian music industry like an iceberg, revolutionizing bits and pieces, synthesizing the (insert expletive here) out of every song in every movie that Mithun Chakroborty has been in, receiving awards and adulations from every possible direction, and proclaiming that he is the DISCO KING ever so randomly. (He does all this while wearing a newborn’s weight in gold on his person).

1971: Moved to Bombay (Mumbai) 1973: Worked on Nanha Shikari 1975: Tahir Husain’s Hindi film Zakhmee as a composer and playback singer 1976: Chalte Chalte released 1979: Ravikant Nagaich’s Surakksha 1981: The year of the Disco numbers in Wardat, Sahhas, Laparwah and Armaan 1982: The first Music Director to get the China Gold Award in Beijing, China for the film Disco Dancer

Bappi the Deep Bro If you write about music semi-regularly, like I do, you can play a game where you can connect anything to Bappi Da with less than four degrees of separation. For example, let’s take Adam Sandler.

In 2008, Adam Sandler made a forgettable movie with Jewish stereotypes called You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. The OST of that movie has this song called Aaja Aaja Jimmy Jimmy. That song was written by Bappi Lahiri.

1995: Got Samantha Fox from London to dance in Rock Dancer opposite India’s Super-Star Govinda 2001: Jackie Chan released Bappi Lahiri’s album Festival of Light, London

in

Bappi The Big Bro Bappi Da is actually in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the only music director in the world to have recorded over 180 songs for 33 films which released during a single year (1986). He made a record by composing for 12 superhit silver jubilee movies starring Jeetendra as the lead hero during the period of 1983-1985.

WHY

Towards the end of the nineties, he even made a cut on an MC Hammer song (which is surprising because I didn’t know MC Hammer even had a second song).

may just be the most

The man made songs more frequently than Taylor Swift changes boyfriends. Whether it’s He calls those top-tunes from the eighties his style ‘a that only play in minibuses perfect blend now, or those old Bollywood of East and songs your mum listens Bappi Da’s West.’ to on the radio: if it’s music has been on air in India, good sampled by international chance is that Bappi artists like Dr. Dre, Truth Da’s got his hands all Hurts and The Prodigy. He also Known up in it. worked with Biddu on several for: Gold, Heir hits during the ‘80s. Biddu is apparent to the guy who wrote Kung Fu Kishore Kumar, Fighting (so you KNOW Bling-Gold. he is a big deal).

thing ever!

Favorite pastimes: Twitter, Kolkata Knight Riders, referring to himself as Disco Dancer at sudden intervals, receiving awards and adulations in general.

Composed In: Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Assamese, Oriya…*deep breath*

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Tricks of the Trade with

John Crick What are the important trends that affect the Creative Education business? What is the year-by-year growth that you see for SAE in terms of number of students enrolled?

Technology is developing all the time, of course, and so we are seeing strong growth for our digital creative media programs such as Animation & Visual Effects, Web Development (including mobile app development) and Games Design & Programming.

There is also solid demand for our Audio Production and Film Production programs, which is where our SAE Institute colleges all started of course. Technology is having a huge impact here too with recording, mixing and editing platforms much more readily accessible than previously.

Although each area of study has its own structures and features geared to meet the demands of the sector, Creative Media is becoming more and more collaborative and globalized. Our students get to study in a kind of creative community where they can share ideas and, in a way, put two and two together to make five!

Just think of putting a game together, for example: you need a designer, an animator, a programmer, possibly a cinematographer, and, of course, a sound engineer! It’s great to see our students from around the world collaborating on projects like this in a supportive and nurturing environment – perfect for preparing them for projects in real production companies around world.

Creative Education is not accessible to a lot of people, especially in developing countries like India, so most people are skeptical about learning something new.

How does SAE deal with this knowledge gap?

Actually, I would say that technology is putting the tools creative students need right in their hands at much more affordable prices than previously and we are always meeting students that have become interested in Creative Media because – one way or another…

– they have had a chance to “play” on software that allows you to mix tracks, create animated characters or design a game, for example.

Nevertheless, we don’t assume or expect any prior knowledge of the software platforms or the state-of-the-art equipment that we use so students considering studying with us don’t need to worry about this at all. We have always had a very practical approach to the way we deliver our programs and students can start to get to grips with all the (very cool!) gear right from the word go!

In the industry, there are many people who do not have a formal education but have real time experience or have earned some credits at a university but never finished the course. Does SAE accept credit transfers and/or consider industry experience?

Yes, SAE Institute operates a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy whereby we can assess prospective students’ applications in cases where they may have non-standard qualifications – or perhaps where they are a mature student, for example. This can include portfolios demonstrating work experience in the industry and so on.

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One of the great advantages of being a truly global organization is that there is also the possibility for our students studying one year in one campus and then transferring to another to continue their studies. Students could start in Los Angeles and complete in London, for example – or how about Singapore and Sydney?!

Since education at SAE is very practical and hands on, we are certain that a lot of good projects come out of the coursework. Do students get a portal to showcase what they made while studying?

Yes, we encourage our students to showcase their work because making it in the Creative Media world can often depend on getting your work in front of the right people.

There are a variety of ways students can do this including our websites, YouTube channels and Vimeo etc. – and through our Alumni Association.

Our Academic staff is still closely involved in the Creative Media world and has all the tips and tricks of the trade to share with students! Time and again, our students tell us that that connection with industry (along with the great facilities we have) is what makes SAE Institute so special.

You can check out some of our students’ work on our website: http://sae.edu.au/showcase/student-work/

SAE has degree programs and diploma programs.

What is the difference between them?

Diploma programs constitute the first part of our Bachelor programs and so are at a slightly lower level. The focus of the Diploma is more on the practical, hands-on side while the last year of the Bachelor becomes more theoretical and technical.

In most of the campuses where we offer the Bachelor program, it is available in a two-year accelerated format. We find this format suits our creative students very well as they are keen to take their passion into the industry and get started on their careers as soon as possible.

(N.B. in some campuses, local regulatory regimes require us to teach the Bachelor degree over three years. Please check our materials for details).

In a year, how many intakes do you have?

We have over 50 campuses across 26 countries and so there are between one and four intakes per year depending on the country and program that a student selects.

One of the great advantages of being a truly global organization is that there is also the possibility for our students studying one year in one campus and then transferring to another to continue their studies. Students could start in Los Angeles and complete in London, for example – or how about Singapore and Sydney?!

Harsh Kumar

Akshay Kalawar (Student – SAE)

What are your career goals?

Because I come from a background in Indian classical music, I want to take this technology that I’ve studied here forward and use most of my skills to archive Indian classical and folk music and make sure that they are available for generations to come.

How has SAE helped you define your career goals?

The best thing about this place, I must say, is the technical aspects in the field of audio. We’ve got some of the best equipment here in the southern hemisphere.

There’s nowhere else on the planet I can think of where I can walk into an SSL 9000k whenever I want and do a 4 hr session at my disposal.

What advice would you give to students thinking about studying at SAE? It’s a great place to be. But we must remember that it’s a 3-year course condensed into 2. So, enjoy yourself while you’re here, but don’t lose focus. As long as you put in a bit of effort, you walk away with very pleasant memories and a huge skill set which you can use to take your field in your own country forward.

John Crick

Director, International Student Recruitment SAE World Headquarters, Oxford, UK Do you have any message for our readers?

I would say that Creative Media is a great career option to consider. Entertainment and Infotainment are all around us – think how technology has advanced in this area in the last ten years alone – and it is a genuinely globalized industry that is only going to get bigger!

India has a great profile in the world of Creative Media of course and so the opportunity to enhance your skills and knowledge from around the world could be a real competitive advantage when it comes to developing your career at home or abroad.

Our programs are continuously developed and refined to ensure graduates are ready to unleash their creativity using the very latest technology and build a great and enormously rewarding career.

So if you are interested in applying for one of our programs or you would like more information, please get in touch with me (j.crick@sae.edu) or with my SAE Institute colleague Vivek Ponnusamy based in Chennai (vivek@sae.edu).

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String THEORY

THE

Being the founder & first violinist of the Madras String Quartet and the son of the late Mr Srinivasa Iyengar, a renowned Gottuvadyam player, definitely entails some great stories. Score talks to V.S Narasimhan about bringing out music and his latest album “Raga Fantasy”.

Age 14 Age 4-6 Learns the violin from his father Mr Srinivasa Iyengar, Gottuvadyam Vidwan.

Accompanies on violin for his father’s concerts.

1958 Joins the film industry.

1959 Introduced to western Classical Music.

Late 60’s1988 Leads the Madras Chamber Orchestra.

1993 Forms the Madras String Quartet along with 3 other musicians.

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2001 1993-2001 Transitioned from Western Chamber Music to South Indian Classical Music .

Release of Resonance.

2009 Raga Saga comes out.

How did your father Srinivasa Iyengar help you become a violinist and how did you get enchanted

by Western Classical music?

My father’s main instrument was Gottuvadhyam. Apart from that, he was also well versed with the Violin, Veena and Harmonium. He introduced me to the world of music at a very young age. My father also used to teach a lot of students and took me along for his recitals. Later on, I happened to enter into the film field for playing in the movie orchestra in the year 1958-59 through which I was introduced to various genres of music.

‘Harmony’ in Western music, attracted me very much into western classical music. I had the opportunity of meeting Adrian L’Armand from Australia who was in Chennai at that time to learn Carnatic Music.

He gave me solid foundation in western violin.

As I was working for films, I joined a group of my fellow-musicians who were practicing String Quartets and this group later became the Madras Chamber Orchestra. I happened to lead the orchestra and we gained a lot from master-classes by visiting musicians from abroad.

In 1993, I formed a String Quartet group which was christened Madras String Quartet (MSQ). In the beginning, we performed western music repertoire. Later MSQ had an opportunity to record Carnatic Music for which I arranged compositions from Carnatic Music repertoire.

Was it difficult to translate Carnatic to Western music? Tell us about the experience and ideals with which your latest album was made.

and very promising singer Sriram Parthasarathy along with instrumental tracks.

How did you form the Madras String Quartet?

As I had said earlier, I was leading the Madras Chamber Orchestra. Due to a change in the working module in the film industry, musicians had to travel to different places for work.

This led to lack of interest in rehearsals & performances of western classical music and eventually the Madras Chamber Orchestra was disbanded. Because of this, some of us got together and formed Madras String Quartet.

Most people these days like music that’s loud. What’s your take on this?

Top 5 songs

People have varied tastes in music depending on their experience in life.

Resonance

What are your views about the younger generation of Carnatic musicians?

I see the younger generation is very talented and in present time we have a lot of facilities to educate them.

Technology has improved greatly in all the fields and has a lot of potential for anyone interested.

Madras String Quartet

2011 Seamless Strings on shelves

2013

Raghuvamsa Seamless Strings

Sapphire Seamless Strings

Krishna Nee Begane Baro Resonance

Thillana

Raga Saga Seamless Strings

Narasimhan wants to harmonize South Indian classical music by just using the strength of the human voice similar to a capella. He also sees great promise in the younger generation and believes they can outshine the previous generation. He concludes: ‘‘The Art is very well in the hands of the younger generation if they go in the right path”.

When harmony is introduced into Carnatic music, the melody gets enhanced by the ‘harmony’ and a new genre is created. It was a thrilling experience when MSQ recorded the album Resonance. This album was well appreciated by global musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Violinist Maxim Vengerov, cellist Yo Madras String Quartet (MSQ) founded Yo Ma and conductor Zubin in 1993, based in Chennai, originally Mehta. The appreciation performed regular western chamber music was greatly encouraging repertoire. V.S. Narasimhan embarked and I went on with more of on a remarkable musical voyage, such work which resulted exploring new frontiers in chamber music in bringing out the albums performance with his quartet with a Raga Saga and Seamless unique combination of Southern Indian Strings. classical music with western harmonic With the current album principles.

Raga Fantasy, I wanted to This original integration of the Indian and emphasize the importance Western classical music systems has been and the greatness of lyrics widely hailed as ground breaking work; in our Carnatic music by unlike many other fusion works that exist, our great composers like the original compositions of the great Thyagaraja, Shyama composers of South India are rendered in Sastri and Muthuswamy the utmost pure form.

Dikshithar. To highlight this, there are tracks sung by Academy Award nominee Bombay Jayashri

Mokshamu

MSQ’s album ‘Resonance’ and the albums ‘RagaSaga’ & ‘Seamless Strings’ are full of Narasimhan’s delicate and intricate arrangements replete with an enduring blend of Western harmonies, counterpoint, and pulsating rhythmic structures.

“

What a fabulous work. And V.S.Narasimhan has also proved that you don’t need a percussionist at all for the presentation of such beautiful compositions. Mokshamu, Amba Kamakshi and Krishna Nee begane were simply inimitable Zakir Hussain on RESONANCE

“

It’s amazing, something out of this world and highly beautiful. For me literally mesmerizing.

Russian Violinist Maxim Vengerov on RESONANCE

This interview has been re-printed due to factual errors in the Jan ‘14 issue.

The errors have now been rectified, and we apologize for the same.

Release of Raga Fantasy.

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Chennai’s Keyboard

Ensemble Guinness World Record

Not every day do we get to see an attempt at breaking a Guinness World Record. We got the wonderful chance to witness this last Thursday at the Trade Center in Chennai, where 231 school kids created the record for playing the largest keyboard ensemble in unison. The event titled “Samarpan – Music for World Peace” was organised by Isaimamani MS Martin. All the 231 children were in fact his students.

MS Martin’s students held a previous record as well, when in 2011 when they entered the Guinness Book for having a 109-people strong ensemble of keyboardists playing in unison. The attempt on Thursday was to reclaim the same record, which had been broken by a group in New York.

Attending the event were renowned playback singer S. Janaki, singer/composer and A.R Rahman’s sister Reihana, industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti and of course the Guinness World Record Adjudicators. The student’s parents, well wishers and music enthusiasts ensured that Chennai Trade Centre was packed full for the event.

The event started off bang on time with the children dressed in all white traditional attire playing carnatic music, patriotic music, film music as well as compositions by MS Martin himself with utmost precision. The ensemble consisted of students at various levels, with the advanced students given more complex structures to play while the beginners had reasonably simpler ones. The theme music composed by MS Martin comprised of ragas from all parts of the country, which was a very nice touch. The theme of world peace definitely came out with songs like AR Rahman’s version of ‘Vande Mataram’, Tamil Thai Vazhathu, Michael Jackson’s We are the World taking centre stage.

What could have been a logistical nightmare turned out to be something stunning with the children aged between 6-15 putting on a great show and not putting a note astray. A World Record is definitely a deserving reward for the collective effort the children, Mr MS Martin and his team have put in.

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Vishakh Iyer

“

I feel like standing in the midst of a garden of jasmine flowers when I see all these wonderful children dressed in white. They all play so well and almost effortlessly, They have been amazingly well trained by their teacher that there is not a single glitch in their performance which also has blended with the Thalam perfectly.

Smt S.Janaki, Playback Singer

“

When even training one kid is difficult, it is indeed fabulous to see 229 kids have been trained to play in this kind of a symphony .

Smt. Girija Ramaswamy, Professor, TN Music College, Chennai Adjudicator for Guinness

“ “

It is spectacular to see the assembly of so many kids playing on the keyboard with such perfection and unison. Absolutely a rare event and I really feel fortunate to be here.

The event ‘Smarpan’ has been conducted in very good manner for a nice cause of world peace. Three of us as adjudicators have stood witness to this amazing feat. The children also played extremely well.

Sri. S.S. Jawahar, IAS, Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of TN

Ms. A.R. Reihanah, Music Director

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Sibarshis Dutta

Indie Reviews

The onset of a new year only means one thing to us: more new music! However, before we start a new musical chapter for 2014, here are a few unforgettable releases of 2013 that we couldn’t help but bring to light. Dig in for some ear-candy!

Lifeline Cast - Mad Orange Fireworks (Alternative Rock/Funk)

Top Picks: On the ledge, Break my fall

Sometimes I wonder how Bangalore can be home to SO many amazing sets of musicians! It’s referred to as the ‘metal capital of India’ for good reason, but if you are only digging the metal coming out of this city, then you have been missing out on some of the most original Rock musicians who originated from here! Mad Orange Fireworks is a band that I checked out very recently (frankly, from one of the gig notifications in my Facebook account). The band recently released their full-length album ‘Lifeline Cast’. Musically, they are very original on their own; the band has perfectly mixed 90’s alternative rock with funk elements. They are a happy bunch of musically grown-up perfectionists who are not trying to sound like any other band. You will be able to hear a whole lot of musical influences all together, from blues to funk - which are blending pretty well, like a freshly brewed mojito! My personal picks would be ‘On the ledge’ and ‘Break my fall’. Their lyrical theme includes simplified facts of life, like ‘feel happy vibes’. This will give you perfect company when you drive back home after a tiring day at office. Go buy it! http://www.oklisten.com/album/lifeline_cast

Mann Bawra - Chinmayi (Hindi Pop/Folk)

Top Picks: Fakira and Tere bina

I stopped listening to Hindi pop around the time music channels started airing junk in the name of pop. And if you are reading this, then let me tell you that TV gives you the wrong impression about various things - music being one of them. Chinmayi may be a lesser-known singer but she made a pretty vibrant impression on me in the first listen itself, the reason being the honesty in her lyrics.

It’s all about how a young girl looks dreamily at various aspects of life and how she wants to reveal her true spirit to the world. She has a distinct vocal quality, which is very classically inclined. The album has lots of fusion and folk elements and has a very peaceful vibe to it. There is a duet with Rahul Ram of Indian Ocean fame, ‘Fakira’, which is quite a head-turner as well. Production work has been done by Chennai based duo Neehar-Deepak. This is one of those original pop albums which do not ask you to needlessly, senselessly ‘move your hips’…you know what I mean. http://www.songdew.com/index.php?option=com_cdlabel&task=cdlabeldetails&cd_ id=81&requestedfrom=profile

SubChronicles - ViceVersa (Electronica)

When I first heard about it, I thought it was just a rumor! But with the announcement came the release. ViceVersa is an electronica project featuring Mumbai - based bass man Rohit Pereira (P man) and Bangalore - based music producer Manas Ullas. They recently released their debutant three-song EP titled ‘SubChronicles’. In spite of being quite new in the circuit, the duo has already collaborated with a few of the most well known musicians in the country. Musically, they are an amalgamation of Hip Hop and Drum N Bass with a few or more added elements of electronic sub genres. Their video Habibi is doing the rounds on Youtube. I am not a very big fan of their kind of music but what caught my attention were the groovy bass lines. And I have a gut feeling that they would definitely be an amazing act to see live.

Top Picks: Habibi

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https://soundcloud.com/viceversanation/sets/subchronicles-ep

ShrutHi Institute of Music Shailendra Sha is the Managing Director of one of Chennai’s most famous music storesShruthi Musicals. We met him and had a chat about his latest venture - Shruthi Institute of Music (SIM). Read on to know more about Chennai’s latest offering to the music scene: For how many years have you been in the business of music? How has the journey been so far?

Shruthi Musicals has been in the music industry for 29 years. It was started in the year 1985, with a small retail perspective by my father, Mr. Manohar Lal. The journey so far has been wonderful. Having started off as a small trading unit, we’ve grown over the years and have a very impressive clientele comprising a lot of professional musicians. We have just started a music school - Shruthi Institute of Music. It has been tough but it has been exciting. But then again, everything worth doing involves a little risk!

Tell us more about Shruthi institute of Music (SIM)?

It was a long-term plan, which we finally fulfilled. We wanted to impart musical education to people and contribute something to the industry and it finally fell in place. It started in October last year. It’s still relatively new and people have been responding well and even we are still learning. They are glad that we have been able to provide a good quality of music education for them.

Do you agree that there is a dearth of music schools in India, in general?

Yes! We are trying to change that. Here we have appointed a set of qualified teachers so that the students are exposed to quality music education.

What are the instruments that the school teaches now?

We teach guitars, keyboard, drums, violin and bass. We have also started a practice studio called “Ground Zero”, which professional or semi professional musicians can rent out to practice. We have some pretty state of the art equipment available for musicians to use in the practice studio, which we felt was missing in other practice studios across the city.

Where do you see SIM in the future?

There is great potential for music schools in India. We are looking to expand to more locations and provide our curriculum and expertise to more people.

What is the one equipment that Shruthi musicals is proud of?

I don’t think limiting to one piece of equipment or category of instruments is possible for us! But we can tell you that we have a most impressive collection of guitars, amps and effects in the country. That said, we have a great collection of other instruments as well – drums, keyboards, you name it…we’ve got it.

How important is an online strategy for businesses like yours?

It is pretty important. A lot of accessories sell online. We find that guitars as such, or any instrument that requires it to be tried first hand before buying, sell more from the store than online. But like I said before, effects, amps and other accessories sell online quite well. We have an online store at www.guitarstore.in.

Key points to be kept in mind while buying a Digital Piano Number of keys:

Polyphony:

88 keys allow a student or pianist to be able to play almost the entire classical repertoire. As playing the piano is both a visual and mental treat, it’s important to use an 88-key piano as it gives a more authentic look.

Heavy gigging musicians who do not use all the 88 keys and have to regularly move from one venue to another, so it makes more sense to use a piano with 64 keys.

Polyphony is the number of tones which can be produced at a given point of time. It is especially important if one is playing a complex piece.

Roland Digital Pianos F 20, F120, F120R, RP 301, RP 301R have 88 Keys.

Touch sensitivity:

All Roland Pianos have 128 Polyphony.

Number of Sounds: The biggest advantage of a digital piano is that it offers a wide range of tones. The user has the advantage of being able to switch from one genre to another. For instance, for Church music, Organ sounds are mostly used, and for orchestral music string sounds are highly preferred.

This simply means that the harder the piano keys are pressed the louder is the sound produced. Playing a piano without touch sensitivity will kill the dynamics and expression of the student, as there would be none!

Model No. Roland Digital Piano F-20

Most Roland pianos have 5 level touch sensitivity and more.

Key Feel and Action: Traditional pianos have heavy keys.

Anyone who wants to get a similar feel would want a Piano with Weighted hammer action. It helps the pianist express himself/herself better.

No. of Sounds 35

Roland Digital Piano F-120

30

Roland Digital Piano F120R

54

Roland Digital Piano RP 301

30

Roland Digital Piano RP 301R

1185

Roland Digital Piano RD 64

12

Accompaniment: Roland RP 301R

The accompaniment feature helps during personal practice. Most of the digital pianos have metronomes, however built-in accompaniment is more fun than traditional metronome. In addition, the inbuilt accompaniment in digital piano also comes in handy during informal gatherings.

Roland piano keys use Progressive Hammer Action designed keys with Escapement feel. This clubbed with Ivory Feel keys gives the user the feel of playing a traditional acoustic piano.

Roland Digital Pianos F 12R and RP 301R have accompaniment.

Sound Quality:

Headphone Jack:

Sound is the basic building block of music; hence it is important that the sound of the piano is of premium quality.

Roland pianos use SuperNATURAL technology.

The fundamental piano sounds are captured from world class Concert Grands.

SuperNATURAL technology is based on three important principles: Seamless Variation in Tone 88 Key Multi Sampling Natural Decay For more details on SuperNATURAL technology please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6zHr5-aDNI

Almost all digital pianos come with a headphone jack option. For students and beginners, it’s always better if the piano has two headphone jacks – 1 for the student and another for the teacher.

Most Roland pianos have 2 headphone jacks.

Roland F-120 WH www.roland.co.in /RolandIndiaOfficial

Roland F-20 CB

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