narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Indian Ocean/ Bol Ari Language & genre: Hindi, fusion-rock Label: Self-released  Rating: **** The opening lines are "Bol ari o dharti bol, raj singhasan daanvadol". They're from a verse by famous poet Asrar-ul-Haq 'Majaz', but in the background, you have rock guitars and supple rhythms. The vocals are trademark Rahul Ram. Welcome to Indian Ocean's new song 'Bol Ari'. It's their first in four years, and to give it their own touch, they add a few of their own lines, written by Himanshu Joshi. "Ab bhi sach hai kya bataayein, dikhta hai jo dekh na paaye," they go, with drummer Amit Kilam and Himanshu joining Rahul in the vocals. Nikhil Rao has some wonderful guitar parts, and Tuheen Chakraborty is on percussion. The lyric video, by Priya Bharambhatt, uses illustrations to express a feeling of resistance and resilience. The song is another addition to Indian Ocean's cap, and should be perfect for live rendition, like...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Avanti Patel & Rutuja Lad/ O Gaanewali Session 2 Genre : Thumri Label : Self-released  Rating : ***** The O Gaanewali series, featuring singers Avanti Patel and Rutuja Lad, has been popular on the live circuit, with various shows pan-India. The duo has also recorded songs under that title, and the Session 2 EP is just out. The series, conceptualised by Avanti ( on left in top pic ), pays tribute to women performers of light classical genres. In this EP, the emphasis is on thumri, dadra and allied forms. The recording has been done on Neumann KU 100 binaural microphones, with the veteran KJ Singh helming the sound. This gives the listener a 180-degree immersive experience. The record begins with the Rajasthani maand 'Badila', which explores the theme of love. Next comes 'Bedardi', a thumri popularised by the legendary Shobha Gurtu, with Avanti singing, "Bedardi ban gaye more saiyyan, koi jaao manaao more saiyyan". This is followed...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy/ On The Big Beautiful Musical Path Featured artistes : Compere Asif Ali Beg, singers Sharon Prabhakar, Delna Mody, Marie Paul, conductors Alfred J. D'Souza, Premila Coutinho  Genre : Musical theatre/ choral performance  Details : St Andrew's Auditorium, September 12 Rating : **** Mumbai's music theatre lovers were just about recovering from the NMACC Grand Theatre performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats when another group of felines crossed their path. On September 12, the Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy had a Broadway-themed evening at St Andrew's Auditorium, beginning with a three-song medley from the famed musical. Appropriately, the show was titled On The Big Beautiful Musical Path . The main choral ensemble was conducted by Alfred D'Souza, chairman of the academy. Dressed in cat costumes for the opening piece, the actors moved their whiskers and paws under a makeshift moon to the songs 'Jellicle Bal...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Euphoria/ Koi Naa Language & genre: Hindi/ Punjabi, folk-rock Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 There was a time when Hindrock band Euphoria ruled the music channels, with songs like 'Dhoom Pichuk Dhoom' and 'Maaeri'. Vocalist Dr Palash Sen and the band are back with the folk-rock piece 'Koi Na'. The video, featuring Preeti Verma, shows Palash beginning in a disappointed manner with music labels rejecting his work. But he decides to record something on his own and embarks on a journey. The song features guitarists Adil Rashid and Aditya Shankar Benia, bassist DJ Bhaduri and drummer Prashant Trivedi. The song has a nice folk-rock feel with inputs from the Nazar Pandhar Group. It's the video song from the new Euphoria album Dhoomsday . And it's got the band's trademark sound. Antariksh feat. Rahul Ram & Rohan Prasanna/ Dil Ki Aawaaz Language & genre; Hindi, pop-rock  Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Fronted by Varu...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Showcase/ Soundscapes of India Season 3 Genre : Multiple  Details : Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, August 29-31 Presenters : Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) with curation by MusiConnect India in collaboration with Ministry of Culture  Pictures (top to bottom): Dobom Doji Collective, Harini Iyer of Tamil Jazz Collective, Ngartini Huang of Indonesia, the line-up  There were the known names, and there were the unfamiliar ones. There was rock from Ladakh, abhangs from Maharashtra, Carnatic encounters with jazz, tribal stories from Nagaland, heady folk-fusion sounds from different corners of India. Soundscapes of India Season 3, held in New Delhi's Dr Ambedkar International Centre from August 29 to 31, was largely used as a means to showcase talent from across India. While the live performances took place at night, the days were filled with interesting panel discussions, intense workshops and pitching sessions, where artistes inter...