Naren's indie round-up/ July 2022, Ep 1


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Arijit Singh/ Gaaye Ja

Label: Oriyon Music 

Rating: *** 1/2

Last year, singer Arijit Singh floated his own label Oriyon Music, tasting success with the Pagglait soundtrack. He's released some interesting singles, including the new one 'Gaaye Ja'.

It's quite an experimental track, composed and produced by Sunny MR, and sung by Arijit himself. Shloke Lal's lyrics talk of daily struggles and the desire to face challenges.

Radio-like samples in the beginning, Ankur Mukherjee's unorthodox guitar and the classical-meets-electronica climax lend a twist. Equally interesting is the video, conceptualised by Koyel Singh and Arijit, and featuring Vartika Jha (in picture) and Shashank Dogra. Some offbeat stuff here.

RedZing feat. @AniketHipHop/ Khubsoorat

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Following the success of the film Gully Boy three years ago, many underground and independent hip-hop acts have sprung up. One of them is Arbaz Hanif Shaikh aka RedZing, whose 'Azmaish' got a good response.

RedZing has now tied up with rapper Aniket Sarigaonkar aka @AniketHipHop on 'Khubsoorat'.  The main line "Pehle se thi yeh khubsoorat duniya meri, pehle si hai yeh khubsoorat pyaari awaam meri" captures the song's mood.

The video has been directed by RedZing himself. It shows many streetside shots and typical hip-hop gestures. Younger rap fans should like it.

Anooratn Raai/ Tum San

Promoter: AAS

Rating: *** 1/2

The son of senior artiste Pt Anupam Rai, young Anooratn Raai represents the Rampur Sahaswan and Senia Maihar gharanas. His singing thus is filled with delicate nuances.

Anooratn's latest song 'Tum San' is a semi-classical composition with contemporary arrangements. The opening lines are, "Tum san mero mann laaga saawre, baawri ban gayee main".

Composed by Pt Anupam Rai, the song features sarangi, bansuri, guitar, bass and modern rhythms. The arrangements complement Anooratn's voice perfectly.

Akash & TrapperX/ Back To Bombay

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

After collaborating on the track 'By My Side' a year ago, Akash and TrapperX return with 'Back To Bombay'. The song blends Punjabi lines with English rap, and the video takes you through popular Mumbai destinations and nightspots.

It's a trendy number with a foot-tapping vibe. The rap goes, "Aye, look you in the eyes, I don't know what to say". The theme of the song is infatuation. It's a short piece, just two minutes and 42 seconds. But the tune sticks.

Pratibha Singh Baghel/ Jashn-e-Gham 

Label: Sufiscore 

Rating: *** 1/2

Unlike regular ghazals which use two-line couplets, Pratibha Singh Baghel's latest track 'Jashn-e-Gham' uses a three-line format. Lyricist A M Turaz writes, "Jashn-e-gham de gaye woh kamaal ke jaate jaate, dil se dil le gaye nikaal ke jaate jaate, roye na hum hasey unse lag ke gale jaate jaate".

The song has been composed by Salim-Sulaiman, with production and solo violin by Deepak Pandit. Sitar exponent Purbayan Chatterjee, flautist Navin Kumar and tabla player Prashant Sonagra join the group.

Pratibha's voice is filled with melancholic expression. But though Rajeev Goswami's video has been shot stylishly, many of her videos seem to be having a similar grandiose look. Maybe that should change.





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