The sound of furtive distance

“A hybrid of different musical influences”. Welcome to Distance, Dhruv Ghanekar’s debut solo album. “The album’s a journey of a musician. This is a culmination of 18-20 years of my life with jazz specifically jazz harmony. I grew up listening to a lot of hindustani classicals and a lot of R.D. Burman and while Indian music has a strong melodic tune, it lacks a certain harmony that jazz has. For me jazz has a very deep and natural extension to the environment its been played in and the album is an organic blending of the harmonic complexity of jazz. Jazz has the highest form of complexity and it just turned me on,” says Dhruv with reverence.
With that very “organic” blend of jazz, classical and world music, it has taken the talented musician almost five years and a journey across the world that has culminated to collaborations with numerous other talents, some of which transpired into music in the album. “Music is a team sport. Certain things you create in isolation but, magic can happen when you come together with other musicians. Especially with jazz, it’s completely essential. Composition can be created in ways that sound can never be created without,” he says. A pool of the collaboration include Joey Heredia, The Ploctones, Husain Jiffry, Carl Clements, Ashwin Shrinivas flute and Nicoli Freisman.
Besides being one of the founding partners of Blue Frog Productions that seems to have revived if not unearthed the live music scene and brilliant artistes — local and international — and bringing in a new dawn for a mass of music lovers, Dhruv has also composed music for over 3,000 commercials, several feature films and music for television. “My commercial commitments put my album on hold for a while. I had to complete all of them and get it out of my system to mentally get into my music. Drona took a really long time, and while it was scheduled to be released last year, I decided to launch the other artistes signed on with us before bringing my own,” he says in a rather exasperated tone.
While the alumnus of the Berkelee School of Music believes that “there should be more Blue Frogs in the country”, he is still wary about the the “unigue” mainsteam music in India that solely piggy-backs on Bollywood. “We need to create something new rather than emulate others. We need to take our unique creations to the world rather than ride on the wave of the Justin Timberlakes and Britney Spears of the world. Unique, talented artists are at most times a product of the underground. While I live on both side, I always try and bring mainstream values like marketing concepts into the underground scene,” Dhruv says.
And his music? “It’s a niche within a niche,” he states.
And yet as a musician, producer and businessman, the man doesn’t seem to fazed by apprehension that the economic slowdown might do anything to album sales as he puts it, “I don’t think it would really affect the music. Of course the business aspect of it — lesser artist, lesser commercials etc., — no doubt, but I’m not worried really.” A captivating album ain’t that far away. Distance is available for Rs 200 at Blue Frog Records.

When the notes stood still

Joint Official Statement fromLive Earth Founder Kevin Wall, The Office of the Honorable Al Gore andDr. R.K. Pachauri, Chairman IPCCRegardingLive Earth IndiaFriday, November 28, 2008Everyone involved with Live Earth India, from our U.S.- and India-based staff, artists and crew to our India-based broadcast, production, non-profit and marketing communications partners, is stunned and saddened by the tragic events of the past few days in our host city Mumbai. We always felt very welcomed and safe as we spent more time on the ground in Mumbai to finalize plans for Live Earth India, scheduled for December 7. Due to circumstances far beyond our control, we are saddened to announce that Live Earth India has been cancelled. We will continue to work for solutions to the climate crisis for the good of the people of India and around the world. But for now, our thoughts and our prayers are with the victims of this terrible attack, with the bereaved, with the people of Mumbai and with everyone in India. For updated information, please visit www.LiveEarth.org
A series of high-profile performances scheduled in Bombay over the next fortnight have been cancelled or postponed, and one put in serious doubt. A report by Himanshu Bhandari and Lakshmi Govindrajan for The Asian Age:

Against the backdrop of the terror attacks, the last thing security forces would want are large gatherings of people in heavily populated areas and including foreign nationals — both artistes and audiences.
The highly-anticipated Live Earth concert, the first in Mumbai, is scheduled to feature international acts like Bon Jovi and Roger Waters, as well as a host of Bollywood celebrities, at Bandra’s MMRDA grounds on December 7. But doubt had been cast on the show’s go-ahead in light of the current situation.
At the time of going to press, Anuja Choudhary, PR and corporate communications head of show organisers Wizcraft said a final call had yet to be taken. Asked of the possibility of an international act refusing to perform, she said, “It’s a collective decision. There has been no statement from the Live Earth organisation yet. Right now their prime concern is the safety of their staff. We’ll have to wait and watch.”
The Mumbai leg of Jethro Tull and Anoushka Shankar’s series of nationwide joint performances has definitely been cancelled. On Thursday, E18 chief executive officer Farhad Wadia had said the show was still on, while band leader and flautist Ian Anderson said, “If there’s ever a good time it’s now, people must be looking forward to happy things.”
But a day later Wadia revealed the decision to cancel after learning the police couldn’t assure maximum security. “The band even offered to perform for free, with the show’s proceeds going to victims of the attacks. But we can’t go ahead with it. We are now looking at rescheduling the show to December 4.” However the venue, he revealed, could shift from the original Shanmukhananda Hall.
The 2008 Jazz Utsav, a three-day festival scheduled to open on Friday at the Bandra Amphitheatre, has been postponed. First held in 1975 as Jazz India and latterly as the Jazz Yatra festival, the event is one of Mumbai’s longest-running and most identifiable music festivals. This year’s edition, organised by Blue Frog and Capital Jazz, did not open as scheduled on Friday.
Blue Frog communications head Tina Kapur said, “There were two things — one’s obviously the security aspect. Plus, it’s a decision out of respect. We’re looking to reschedule but since there are so many parties involved — bands, sponsors and organisers — there will be changes, including line-ups.” Asked if a rescheduling will push the event into the new year, she said, “We’re looking to have it before that, in December.”
For the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), the terrorists’ choice of location could not have been worse. The cultural centre is a stone’s throw away from the Oberoi-Trident, and the inaugural performance in its Arties India series of biannual chamber music festivals did not go ahead as planned on Thursday evening. Two subsequent performances on Saturday and Sunday featuring renowned French ensemble the Arties have had to be cancelled too, NCPA chairman Khushroo Suntook said.
“The police is not allowing us to go ahead with the performance, although we will make for all security arrangements. We have top people, our own staff, who will sweep and sanitise the entire area. For the moment, the Arties performances have been cancelled for this weekend. But the artistes will definitely be back for their next scheduled mini-festival in March,” said Suntook. Mumbai’s status as India’s financial capital is much touted, but few would argue its position as a cultural hub too. Its fabric and collective consciousness shaken, perhaps a dose of the eclectic is exactly what Mumbai needs right now. As Suntook observed of the NCPA’s cancelled performances, “This is music played defiantly in Moscow even as the Nazis were at the border. Music is a great medium to show resolve against brutality, and a way of calming people too.”

Celebrating the sounds of the tsunami

A music label has come up with a unique take on the tsunami’s aftermath, by showcasing the music of the communities it ravaged

Six shores, one ocean, one universal language — music. Exploring the music and beauty of the communities affected by the tsunami, Chennai-based world music record label EarthSync screened The Laya Project in Mumbai recently. “The Laya Project was conceived right after the 2004 tsunami with an objective to capture the sheer human strength of survival. In remote villages that lay in the 2004 tsunami’s path in Asia, unknown local folk musicians were recorded and filmed. It’s a personal and collective musical tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, a celebration of the spirit of sound,” says Sonya Mazumdar, chief executive officer and director of EarthSync, who commissioned the project.
The film features the music of Sufi shrine singers from Nagapattinam, Buddhist chanting monks from Tibet and the Tapattam and Tudumbattam groups from Tamil Nadu, amongst others. “Some of the performances are rare and are documented for the first time in this production. We even have fishermen singing on some of the tracks. This is not a showcase of what happened or the life after. Rather, it’s a celebration of the experience, the culture. It is a big mix of elements. What we are trying to do is showcase a culture that might have existed in your own backyard but something you’ve just never realised. It’s always the little things that count,” says Yotam Agam, chief technical officer, EarthSync.
Released in March 2007, the award-winning film is a 68-minute music documentary that takes you on a musical journey through communities in the 2004 tsunamiaffected regions of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and India. “This production is based on regional folk music traditions, recorded and brought back to the studio to create a composition that mixes and enhances the original recordings and embarks on a musical journey crossing borders, while preserving the music of the people,” saysYotam. Let the healing begin.

Interview with Dj Aaron James

Q. From Hip Hop to Trip Hop, Funk to Punk, Reggae to Reggaeton — howdo you balance all of that? Do you "lose" yourself in the genres ofmusic that you're trying to create?
Or can your music do without thedistinction of genres?

Haha. The funny thing is that list should actually be much larger to include everything else like Electro Rock, Electro House, Happy House, Disco, Pop, and more. The story is I don't generally play all the genres in a single set, but more gear each set specifically to my audience, venue, and preferences of the client. The truth is I really enjoy all of the music I play whether it be strictly commercial radio hit, or very obscure esoteric selections.

Q. Having dabbled with different genres of music, how would youdescribe the kind of music you do?

Well, besides the fact I actually enjoy all these different genres, whether listening at home or playing at a gig ... I can tell you the one area now that has completely captivated my attention ... and in fact is currently captivated the world's attention ... is Electro House, and in particular Electro House tinged with elements of Hip Hop ... which you would certainly hear this tomorrow (Thu) at Olive in Bandra.

Q. With the variety of music that you do, did you ever have purists crying hoarse?

I would refer you the answer of the first question. During very few sets would I span all these genres ... however, through remixes it is possible to mix in elements of all these genres and still please the purists. As a reference point, my dj consciousness was ignited in the lounge clubs of New York City some 10 years back ... and what that means is in a typical New York lounge club, which has been the movement for the last decade away from so-called mega-clubs, the dj is encouraged to move from genre to genre to please each and everyone in a setting that is more comfortable than enormous and full of dazzling light displays and glow sticks. In this context then, what differentiates a good dj from a bad one is the continuity of the mixes and the general story ... for example it's not as if I would throw on a hip hop track, immediately followed by a house track, followed up with a reggae track ... there would be subsets ... several songs of each genre tied together by remixes that bridge the genres and make sense. I think I have finally mastered this craft ... though there is always room for improvement.

Q. Your web page says "His expansive style appeals to both theunderground club scene and to the more accessible, Top 40 commercialmasses". How do you manage to do that? Does the quote imply that themasses are more accessible?

Gosh these are thoughtful questions ... more than any other Indian interview so far. Checking my watch, looking at the deadline ... ha! Um, just to say ... I believe you can adequately find the answer in the preceeding answers. It's a matter of tailoring the set to the audience always. I am never the same dj twice. That's what keep me fresh and new ... and after 10 years living in a country and city that has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) ... that's what keeps me employed.

Q. How different is your music from your contemporaries? How do youdifferentiate yourself?

Many of my contemporaries do tend to stick to one genre and go with that. The rest of answer I think you can draw from the previous four.

Q. What keeps you going as a musician? What challenges or "newer"experiences are you looking forward to?

Haha. I am incredibly self-driven ... to be honest, nothing has to keep me going ... I just have an inner drive that is insatiable. Though I suppose I could answer the question like this, by always recognizing my own humility, and my own ability to adapt and improve ... I am most driven by the need to achieve Excellence in my craft ... the need for self-improvement. As for challenges ... I am looking forward to each and EVERY one. Bring it!

Q. From performing with the likes of Kid rock, to opening for numerousacts to post events, film premieres, venues like the Pink Elephant
(phew!) — any collaboration come out of this?

Sure, but not with the stars themselves. Many "collaborations" with promoters, club owners, marketers, managers, and the like. and certainly having all these things on my Bio has opened up doors which can never again be closed. It just brings things to a whole new professional level. The gigs get bigger and better, the pay more lucrative, the energy more glamorous. Funny thing is sometimes these really high profile assignments don't pay as well ... but in the end the exposure is priceless.


Q. Which would you prefer — open-air venues or clubs. Why?
I'll go with the Buddhist in me for this one. It really depends which venue. I have worked in some glorious clubs with extravagant, thumping sound systems, the quality of which is unsurpassed and generally compromised by being outdoors where it is more of a challenge to design a pumping sound system for obvious reasons. The energy in a venue like this is often more intense, as the focus is always the dj and the music ... there are fewer distractions. That said, I have worked in outdoor venues the euphoria of which can not be matched in the best clubs of the world. An example of which would be a clifftop at sunrise in Bali. You're just not going to find that kind of nourishing and organic euphoria djing under open skies in a panoramic backdrop of excruciating beauty ... within the brick and mortar confines of a building ... I don't care how pretty it is, or how thumping the sound system.


Q. This isn't your first performance in Bombay. What brings you back?What's your take on the music scene here?

No, it isn't my first ... but it is my first in a long, long time. We started the Thursday lounge party at Olive (Bandra) back in 2001 ... which is the last time I set foot here. Since I only arrived a couple of days ago, and on slow nights at that, haven't had much of a chance to suss things out musically ... which in some way might be best. I don't want to be influenced to much by what I hear about town ... I'd like to come with a fresh perspective, it's a risk that it will be embrace isn't it ... but then again, I have always been a risk taker.


Q. What's next on your itinerary?

Well, besides shuttling back and forth between Delhi where I am the Resident DJ at AD Singh's new venture ai ... will be many more return trip to Bombay ... my favorite city in all of India. I suppose even in all its glorious differentness ... it does remind me of being home in New York in various ways. For the moment, I can't see beyond India ... as here is where I want to be for the foreseeable future. I have a 1 year work visa, so you will definitely be seeing me around!

And finally, a trivial question I couldn't resist (to help ease themundane questions…)
Q. A google search on Aaron James reveals this: Aaron James did a lotof "modeling" for the website CollegeDudes247.com. Aaron has sincebeen signed to do videos for Jet Set Men. It really is amazing forCollege Dudes 24/7 that Aaron was selected to be on the MTV True Life("I Work In The Sex Industry") that profiles people who work in theadult industry.Any take on that?

Haha ... you are thorough. Though thankfully that is NOT me. In fact of the several hundred thousand sites for Aaron James, I doubt I am even one third of that at best. Unfortunately, it is not such an uncommon name. There are even a couple other djs around with the very same name. For the most part I don't pay any attention to that stuff and just focus on honing my craft.

Interview with Anil Chawla

Q. As resident spinner at Mongo Bongo, how different is the clubbingscene in Bombay to London or anywhere else in the world?I've only spent a short time in Bombay, and have never DJ'd there, socouldn't really compare the scene in Bombay to anywhere in the world. You'llhave to ask me that question again in a week's time!
Q. How would you define the kind of music you do? Rather how would youdescribe what you do?It's all about house for me - from the deep groovy stuff right through tothose twisted 5am moments. If I'm opening, I love the deep house/discosound. Later into the night and on a more twisted flavour; groovy tech houseand techno is what I'm about... With a splash of acid thrown in for goodmeasure.
Q. How open do you think the Indian audiences are to electronica? Orperhaps, how big is the electronica scene here as compared to Europe?I think it's certainly a developing scene. However, because it's relativelynew to a lot of people, they are very enthusiastic about the music - whichis very much positive thing. My experience in Goa (for the Sunburn festival)was very encouraging, and it was great to meet so many people who were sopassionate about house music. Also, you have groups like Submerge who areopening up the scene to so many new people and really pushing it forward.It's a very exciting development for global music.
Q. Do you think India has the potential to be a leader in the clubbingscene as much as Europe is known for?I certainly don't see why not. It will take time and the right people behindit, but I can certainly see it going that way, with more and more peoplegetting into clubbing. Also, there are some great electronic acts coming outof India like Jalebee Cartel and Midival Punditz, which will help push the
movement forward.
Q. How different is your music from your contemporaries? How do youdifferentiate yourself?That's a really good question, but ultimately it's very difficult to answer!I guess the way I try to differentiate myself is by only playing music thatI love, rather than being caught up in following trends.
Q. Can you explain what Global underground UK house music connotates?Global Underground is the record label that I put out a lot of music with,and whom I am working on my album for (in collaboration with Dale Anderson).It's a great honour to be associated with them, as they were the firstpeople to really grasp the concept of DJ mixes, putting out legendaryselections from Sasha, Digweed, Danny Howells, Sander Kleinenberg, SteveLawler, and loads more.
Q. How far with you go in experimenting with your music? Do you thinksomewhere genres get diluted in while mixing music? You think thatwould take away from the essence of its roots?I think it's healthy to experiment to a certain extent... I'm not up therewith Laurent Garnier, but I love to have a play with different sounds forsure. It keeps it interesting. But there are certainly other times when youneed to just keep it as straight house/techno and hold a consistent groove.It's all about reading the crowds.
Q. Where do you see yourself headed with your music?Right now, getting the album finished is priority number 1... Myself andDale have been working on our debut artist album for the last year, whichwill be coming out on GU early next year. We're both very excited to see itout in the shops. I've also been doing a fair bit of touring over the summer(through South America and Europe), and will be continuing with that untilthe end of the year, and beyond. Also, on the production front, I've justfinished a couple of remixes for Cevin Fisher and Redanka, both of which
will be getting their debut on the India tour.
Q. How long has it been since you got into what your'e doing? How longbefore you take a different route, if ever?I've been playing with record decks for about 8/9 years, but I've onlyreally been pursuing it properly for the last 4 years or so. As for the longterm... Well, I'm just taking each day as it comes, and I'm really happywith the way things are going right now. I have no plans to take a massivelydifferent route at the moment, but I certainly shalln't rule it out for thefuture.

Drum struck!

In times ofincreasing “corporatisation” of the entertainmentindustry, it now seems like a good time for corporates to get entertained.
And drumming leads the way. Whether it’s a corporate dinner, entertainment event or small social function Drum Café, all the way from South Africa, bring out their vibrant beats moved by the experience of communal drumming in Africa.
The Drum Cafe concept is a unique hands-on application of African drums and percussion for interactive drumming.
“Drumming is a universal expression that transcends all boundaries. Drum Café teaches people to increase productivity and efficiency through better team work,” says Torre who is a part of the five-member group alongwith a director.
Their performance have been slotted on Mondays at Bootleggers in Colaba. Torre explains, “We try to create a unifying experience to feel the power of a group of people working together to achieve a common objective.
First, we break down barriers with an opening of non-verbal communication. Second, we align everyone to a common theme through the bass note. We then use the power of the bass note, the alignment of the music, as the metaphor for demonstrating the power of alignment within the group. Third, we explore the diversity, in everyone’s unique and individual contribution through the tone note.We close off with an interactive high energy percussion set, embracing diversity handing out fun percussive instruments.
This is where we take the drumming skills that we have learned in the beginning to create music,” says Torre. The Drum Cafe was started in Johannesburg by Warren Lieberman in 1996.
“It was started with the passion to unite different groups of people together in South Africa’s post the apartheid era,” says Torre.Watch, learn and step to the beats of the Jambe.

Change is constant but split remains...

“I’m getting a haircut,” says guitarist Melroy D’mello on their session play at Bootleggers on Thursday. Seven years on, Split still roll on the gig lists. After a round of what they call “the usual rock n roll roulette” of line-up changes, broken strings and “sociopath-percussionists”, the band are still sticking around with their “old-timers” like Stone Temple Pilots, Audioslave, Pearl Jam, System Of a Down and U2. Of course the round of completion on that list doesn’t happen without the originals for any band.
“Our sound is pretty much the same. We did attempt to get a little more experimental, playing a note differently here and there but we’ve retained what we play,” says D’mello.
With Garreth D’Mello on the vocals, Aviv Pereira , Melroy D’Mello and Shekhar Mohite on the guitars and Nigel Collasco on the Drums, the band could just be on the same high as the first time they took the stage. Or maybe not. “Anything can happen at live gigs. It’s always a different feeling when you have the crowd so close listening to you. It’s always personal,” says a somewhat weary D’mello.
The band has been working on their debut album P is for Pig for a while now. While they aren’t trying to teach anyone how to spell, they’ve signed themselves on with Counter Culture Records. “ While the live gigs scene is thriving again, we’ve stopped looking for opportunities. We’re not a band that’s into marketing ourselves that much. If it happens, it happens,” he says.
Expect the unexpected? Mostly the bands “mosh-friendly” and “heavier-that-pockets” sounds of My House, Fat oaf and Pig Society.
Their song Holy Ghost Machine Gun off the album takes a shot at godmen and their strangely conflicting faith in violence while Build (Higher), according to them, seem like the portrait of today’s youth — “battered by self doubt and anger-fueled by policemen who rape and politicians who kill”. D’mello says that while their earlier works might have been politically-charged, right now their songs are primarily just “charged”. “It’s just another aspect of what we do with our music,” he adds.
“We’re at a place where we’ve finally settled down. It’s like a structure — from setting up the foundation to finally becoming the visage of what it ought to look like. There has been a lot of improvement over the years. We could be doing four gigs in two months of nothing at all in six. Of course we’d like to sell a million records but it’s all about priority. People change, priorities change, even music changes,” says D’mello. Pretentious they’re not. And to hell with being politically correct. Bring on the music.

Jill Scot, Sting....make way

To listen to Shefali Alvares, you’d have to get into the space of that tremendous energy of a powerful yet subtle croon with a tinge of hard mellowness in her voice. If that makes sense. If not, then go by her myspace profile of a volatile, passionate singer. You’d have to take her word on that, seconded by many of her musician peers.
Having grown up on the laps of music, Alvares has been performing with musical luminaries like her dad, Joe Alvares and Louis Banks, Karl Peters and Loy Mendonca. “My Dad is one of the strongest forces in my life. However, after all these years, he’s too strong a personality — overwhelming with his power as a musician. That’s why now I’d rather be on my own, so I dictate what I do. But his influences and all of his friends that I’ve performed with, are a never ending source of inspiration,” She says.
Ask her about her musical sojourn as a strong young female singer-songwriter and she replies with the ease that just somehow seems to come so naturally with a drone, “My music is my headspace — what I am, who I am. It’s my search for the self. It’s been a lovely joyride and I really wouldn’t have discovered anything in me I don’t have music.”
And that’s also when you learn to play down asking questions about artistic influences because the response could go something on the lines of, “I love Sting, Jill Scott, Portishead, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Joss Stone, Ray Charles, Leela James, Frou Frou, Seal, Jamiroquai…..” You get the drift.
She was the youngest performer at the international Jazz Yatra held in Mumbai and has performed at the prestigious Johnnie Walker Club Event, all over India, and of course mention must be made of her performance as a part of that event for the Royalty of Nepal. And as with influences, achievements dole out a longer list when it comes to this soulful lady. Having done the rounds of almost every live music place possible, ticking off the performance sheet should come just as easy. “ The live music scene is going berserk and it’s just fabulous the way it is shaping up. It wasn’t as big when I started out first, and now you see all these young and talented acts coming up. I’m floored. Let’s see where that heads but right now, we couldn’t have called for a better moment. I love live music. Studios could sometime make you sound so different but then you have to do it because you need to put your music out,” she says.
Shefali is currently working on her album, which should be out by November 2008. Her repertoire includes Blues, Jazz and Funk. Jazz, R N B, Rock, Retro, Pop, Semi Classical Opera, Funk, Lounge, Experimental Fusion and Hip-hop. Leaves you qi\uite breathless by the end of it.Currently gigging with her own band, Distil Soul, featuring herself on vocals, Lindsay Dmello on drums, Jarvis Menezes on the keyboard, Mahesh Tinaikar on the guitar, Floyd Fernandez on the guitar and Kenneth Rebello on the bass. Quite an eclectic bunch, the members of Distil Soul are distinguished musicians who have played with many renowned musicians from across the globe. She performs with her band Thursday night at Zenzi in Bandra. Audiences should be reveling to funk and blues with jazz and r&b thrown in here and there. We could peg on to her Indo-Nepal fame. Or just be floored. Your take.

Eastern Promises

With rampant commercialization propping up uninspiring sounds, somewhere in this avaricious world of contemporary music, a few intrepid individuals from the north east of India continue to dedicate their lives to the creation of original sounds.
“Love of music. Love of life.” In the words of Lou Majaw, a musical icon of sorts, who’s been living a life dedicated to music much beyond commercial interest. Here in the city all the way from Shillong with his band ‘the Great Society’, they enthrall audiences at Henry Tham with a heady and folksy blend of Rock, Reggae and Blues.
“Of course we’re excited to perform in Mumbai,” says Lou, whose world-weary yet laid-back attitude can addictively rub off on you that easy. “ We play with no pre-conceived notions, no expectations. We give what we have – our love for music. Inspiration or not, if people can take back their experience here and channelise that energy into something, all’s well,” he adds.
Completely aware that western music yields little financial reward in India, these individuals inspire a generation devoid of musical direction. Achieving cult-like status across a major part of Northern and Eastern India, these group of friends have evolved to endear to an audience that loves music for what it is and what it represents. “ Our music is a celebration of music’s own power that we’ve learned to love, respect and admire. It’s our voice – our thoughts and feelings, our experiences and the trauma that we’ve had to face. It’s our contribution to music. We love what we do,” says Lou.
Lou's dedication and zeal to follow his dreams can be seen in the Bob Dylan Birthday Concert, which he has been organising for 34years. “The concert is held every year on 24 May, celebrating Dylan's birthday. We don’t have any sponsors. It’s just a group of fans and friends of Dylan's music that pool in with the funds to get things going,” says Lou.
Crusaders in an effort to keep good music rolling. Keep them coming.

Sing a song of six pence

Kenny Gorelick, better known as Kenny G has been quite a phenomenon with his curly locks and long notes on the saxophone. The butt of many a joke, the man has nontheless made his light music reach tremendous proportions in terms of sales. He holds the record for the highest-selling Christmas album, as well as a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone.
Armed with his sax, the ‘G’ man is here for his first ever India visit with his latest album Rhythm and Romance released earlier this year. He has parted with his old label Arista and released the album with Concord/Starbucks Entertainment. “Arista was not interested in my Latin concept and I really wanted to do it so I had to leave,” Kenny explains.
While listeners have been accustomed to his ballads and his recent covers, the album comes equipped with completely original material. “I think that artistes go through phases of original and cover tunes. There aren’t any rules as to what to record. I wanted to do original music for this album,” he says.
“Just feeling the rhythm of Latin music was all I needed,” he says on inspiration for doing a Latin album. And of course he totally leaves it to his fans to receive his new work.
Composing a Latin album of original material was an amazing project, he says. Could his music have a little bit more rhythm and a little less ballad? “I write what I write. I’m not thinking about anything else. There’s a lot of really up-tempo songs and much more improvisation this time around. There’s more rhythm here than anything I’ve ever done but yet it’s still romantic. You’ve got to continually try to reinvent yourself,” he says.“I’m sure that I’m going to take home a great feeling from my first visit,” he adds. Well, we’ll be hearing Kenny G live for once rather than in an elevator. He performs in Mumbai on Sunday, May 11.

Didjeridoo

Dave J is a one man Didgeridoo orchestra showcasing the unique sounds from the Didjeribone, a recent innovation based on the traditional instrument. What does that mean? For one, Didgeridoo is the indigenous Australian wind instrument. Pronounced dij-uh-ree-doo, it is said quite exactly the way it’s spelt.

For another, real-time sampling and looping technology allows the artist to create rich multi-layered soundscapes live on stage. Hence the one-man orchestra, bringing together acoustic sounds with cutting edge audio technology.

The Didjeribone is a slide Didjeridoo that can be used to play rhythms, riffs and melodies in up to 10 keys. Amazing? Not quite yet. The sounds from the Didjeribone are amplified by the 'Face Bass', a piece of technology that sits inside the mouth and uses an earthquake sensor to pick up the vibrations from the Didjeribone, face & vocal chords and record it at the end where the music comes out. Now that’s amazing. He uses sound on sound recording- from live recordings on stage adding it onto the bass line, vocals, acoustics, and incorporates it into other instruments. Sound like fusion? “Depends on how you define fusion,” the artist says.

'Tribal Techno', 'Electro Acoustic' or 'Didjeridoo Disco'. He finally settles on ‘Didjeridoo techno funk’. “Because of the instrument it is quite a new genre of sound,” he adds.

DaveJ has released his debut EP Organic Electric that showcases his distinct, eclectic sound all created live with no pre – recorded sounds or drum machines. “I have it in mind that the music will make you move ” he says about his album.
Besides the Didjeribone, he also dabbles with drums, bass, guitar, keyboard and “a little bit of piano and the saxophone.”

He discovered electronic and dance music in his travels to Europe where he spent four years listening to some of the greatest musicians like Carl Cox and Sasha among others. He first came to India three years ago on his honeymoon. On audiences reaction to his music so far, he says, “I’ve had really positive vibes, quite similar to the audiences back home. What I do is unusual and when people listen to me, they try to work out the music that flows. Just listening to the sounds that come out of the instrument, the music and the sounds that are created and the visuals it compounds.”

He enjoys both open-air and playing at clubs saying, “They’re both different. While a club is more intimate, the dynamism of interacting with a lot of people is also exhilarating.”

Dave once had an Australian guitarist from a rock band come up to him and say it was amazing that from a 16 year old to a 60 year old were seen enjoying his music at a concert. “They enjoy it for different music or perhaps by the end of it for all the same reasons. It’s music. It’s rhythmic,” he adds.

Gold Coast Tourism Corporation brings you DaveJ at Prive on May 2 and Zenzi on May 3.

Drum rolls please

Shahbaz is here to let the drummer kick. A hand percussionist armoured with the djembe, he brings in a fusion of the sounds of the tribal African drum and infuses it into his own organic sound. He describes his music as “percussion-based tribal music in an in-house organic sound”. Inimitable? Perhaps. But what he inculcates into a wide array of musical genre is the beat that brings in the energy to a level of elementary vibes albeit the histrionics.
Shahbaz has been seen on stage with his drums internationally with live jazz and rock bands, live vocal lounge performances, indulging and connecting with all forms and genres of music. His collaboration with acts in Canada has even charted for over 25 weeks in Europe and Canada. Born and raised in Canada, the intensity and depth of the wide spectrum of Indian classical music has lured him back to tracing his roots to explore the plethora. On asked about percussions and genres of music like jazz, he replies. “If there’s a certain 4 by 4 beat or a 6 by 6 beat, I play on top of that. The drums rhythm out on the music. I’m not a vocalist, so with my music I try and bring the drum to the forefront.”
Trained on various percussion instruments, like the djembe, dharbuka and congo, Shahbaz creates an explosive tribal atmosphere infused into a certain amount of organic house music that seems to transcend the classifications of genre. “Drums have always appealed to me the most out of all instruments. I find it therapeutic and it kind of brings in some sense to whatever music you play. It’s like the heartbeat. No heartbeat, no heart,” he says.
“When I’m performing with a band, I’m only an element of the different sounds being infused. But when I play alone, there’s a lot more energy since I’m the only one bringing in the organic sound. I tend to innovate and change compositions as I go along,” he adds.
In India he has performed with the likes of DJ Aqeel, DJ Ivan, DJ Nikhil and DJ Pearl and all across the country from Delhi to Cochin, from Pune to Kolkata. Shahbaz has also created original music and the background score for a new Indian animated movie and Indian television shows which he: “cannot speak about because they are all under post-production and I am legally not allowed to do so”. He does all of these with his production partner Pritpal Sehgal under the Label Karma Fusion. “Being a musician and a music producer is completely different. There are a lot of different sides to it and a lot of elements that comes into play that you cannot use in both fields. Production ranges from all kinds of sounds while performance has a lot to do with ambience and change,” he adds.
While the music industry is very different here from the one he has grown accustomed to, and with the lack of piracy laws, Shahbaz is yet to release an independent album. About percussions and clubs he says, “They should have been incorporated here a long time ago. It’s already a strong trend everywhere else.”
The drums come alive on April 25. Share this unique beat at the Rouge in Malad.

Mumbai pumped up the volume and brought the beat down with Wyclef Jean on saturday night at the Hard
Rock Cafe. Organised by VH1 as part of its ‘Handpicked’ programme, the event kickstarted with dancers
high up on the stage gyrating to samba. From where i stood, it looked like the bar roof was about to cave
in! People (mostly employees of Hard Rock) with tacky masks and lit up shades paraded the cafe and
somehow the female crowd around me seemed largely amused by it. Where were we at a rave? It felt like
some sadistic bastard was drawing out all the oxygen with a vacuum pump as i was left sweating and
gasping for air. So were my buddies. Add to that having to move, twist and turn everytime someone passed
because there was just no place to stand. Of course it didn't help that i had come straight from work to
cover the event with my huge g-star bag which only drew a lot of snide remarks. Well who really did care
at that point. And most of us hadn't eaten anything. It really didn't help that the rest were either half drunk
or too stoned. Even smoking a joint right in the middle of the cafe. But hey, they did realize by the time
anyone actually makes it there to throw us out, either the joint will be done or we would have been shoved
to an unknown corner even we would fail to recognize.
It took us ten minutes to get to the bar by which time the space we had occupied didnt even exist. Another
ten to get our drinks (which was steep by the way. 185 for a 25 rupee beer? Man Wyclef better be good!).
The crowd was getting really impatient by then. The heat, sweat and crowd wearing everones temperament
on a thin line. And please Hard Rock, the YMCA routine is kind of stale now. It wasn't even that amusing
while it first started!No offence Natasha. Good moves but they have got to come up with something new.
The waiters doing the routine looked like the only ones having fun. Is that the image you want to
project?While the rest of us boil in our misery? And no way would anyone wanna watch a bunch of terrible
waiter-dancers do the YMCA when we paid just so we could watch Wyclef. Not a good way to appease
people. My buddies grew tired of boo-ing and demanding for Wyclef. Turn around to your drinks. My beer
bottle had suddenly turned into a hot rod and i had to let it go. What a waste!

It was only an hour later than the slotted time did the event start with guests showing signs of restlessness
in the packed venue. But then what else is new. Once the artist came up on stage, he had all the revellers
grooving to his most popular tracks and covers. Really? That was for the paper so i had to use words like
that. But it's not entirely untrue. The crowd loved him.

The ladies in the house particularly had fun with Wyclef's popular track ‘Hips don't lie’ with a few of them
heading up to the stage to shake their hips. He was everywhere to the crowds delight, from the elevated
floor to the section upstairs (where some unenthusiastic pseudo-important people strayed far off the
madding crowd!), keeping the audience on their toes. His track ‘jump around’ brought in a different kind
of vibe as the mosh that was the audience started jumping, heads popping everywhere.
People kept climbing onto the barricade blocking our entire view, at which point we had a tiff with this
bulky American dud who just wouldn.t get down. He was earlier seen waving the menu for his half baked
girl so she could prevent her cake that was her makeup from melting. Well that was that. The dude later
apologised anyway.

Audiences even found space to let themselves go in the venue that somehow began to resemble a fast local
train during rush hour on a hot summer day. Whether it was Wyclef or the lack of air in the venue,
something definitely did set the temperature rising!
Wyclef was later joined on stage by who he called "Brother for another mother", Aadesh Shrivastava
whom he had collaborated with as a part of his Indian tour. He even sang along lines in Punjabi with
Aadesh. "Who's he? Go home!" was a very common murmur.
A kid rapping his current popular track ‘the sweetest girl’(although I didn't hear a thing he was singing. He
did quite an impromptu jig which ranged from monkeys swaying on discovery to Bollywoods ridiculous
moves to a little bit of krumping and poppin!), an eclectic bunch of people on stage with him(caucasian,
African, Indian, lotsa chicks with short skirts and celluloid and a platinum blonde guy), his bodyguard
prancing on stage, naming himself the ‘don’ of hip-hop; those were the antics but it was a seemingly
orchestrated tryst with the deadline by police that set the crowd wild as he increased the volume a notch
higher and continued with his songs.
Gone till novenber of course that kept us crowing along. Don't know about his obsession with covers but
there were hardly original compositions. Of course fugees songs which a lot of people were acrediting to
him. If i were president of course. That songs makes so much more sense when your'e stoned.
Hands in the hot air, and the energy levels of the crowd not swaying for a single moment, Wyclef was in
his element and for the record, you better not mistake him for Will-i-am from the black eyed peas. Who?
We were all beat just as the show was coming to an end. Empty stomachs, extremely dehydrated from all
the profuse sweating, and dead tired. Be gone till november.

Intimate energy for music lovers

Shakira, Beyonce, 50 cent, Akon, Buddy guy and the rest. Only got a glimpse of the top of their head the
last time around at the MMRDA grounds? Would you prefer a more intimate personal experience with the
music and the artist that you love? While musicians and artists especially international acts have almost
always been known to play concerts in large venues (read MMRDA in Mumbai), with the likes of clubs
such as Blue Frog and the Hard Rock Cafe, many more artists are looking at playing gigs in smaller
confined venues.

Wyclef Jean of the fugees fame has performed at the Hard Rock Cafe recently. His first professional visit
to India, and he hasn't performed at a large scale concert anywhere in the country unlike other international
acts. Rather Wyclef has performed at the Hard Rock franchises in Pune and Delhi and Bangalore. While
live band venues have always been a phenomenon all over the world, leaving out local bands and artists no
international act is known to have played a gig at such confined arenas in the city. But the trend seem to be
slowly edging out with the likes of the Hard Rock Cafe and Blue Frog providing a platform for a more
intimate personal experience.

While the Hard Rock Cafe,to a large extend, caters to commercial well known artists, Blue Frog
differentiates itself by not conforming to a particular national or artistic stereotype. With international acts
coming in every week to perform, the long list of artist that have performed there include artists from
Holland, France, Sri Lanka, Italy, Germany, USA, Austria. The list goes on. The genres of music that these
artist play ranges across transcendental, break beat, d&b, elctronica, progessive house, fusion, folk to
acoustic folk, beatbox, drum and bass, tribal, and more of the likes that you probably have never heard of.

"International artists are more than willing to come and perfrom in such venues. One major reason being
the tremendous legal hassles that they have to go through in terms of performing in larger open-air venues.
Also co-ordinating with event producers, taxation and rules regarding loud noise beyond a certain time
greatly hinders such events, huge sums of money not withstanding," says Rayna Jhaveri, Communications
Head, Blue Frog. "Artist touring Asia would have normally given venues in India a quick miss what with
the tribulation holding such events entails. However with clubs like ours, we provide a perfect platform for
them to make a pit stop. It's not that these artist wouldn't like to perform in India. They do. We just provide
them a more intimate and personal experience with music lovers in the city while also providing state of
the art equipment what with Blue Frog coming equipped with its own studio," she adds.

Hard Rock Cafe has already seen the likes of international artist like Daniel Bedingfield and Simon Webbe
perform at their venue last year. While Bedingfield was here as a part of charity dedicated to the upliftment
of underprivileged children, Webbe performed to promote his album. "The response in India has been
tremendous and people have appreciated the close experience with the artists that hard rock provides.
Performances like these provide a much better way for our clientele to get up close to their favourite
artists," says Sanjay Mahtani, executive CEO, Hard Rock Cafe. They plan to bring in atleast four renowned
internationals acts to the likes of Aerosmith and the Black Eyed Peas within the next six months. The cafe
is also testing the markets to try and bring in something on the lines of what they do in Hyde Park in
london frontlining several known artists.
Well, get ready to get closer to the feel of the music that sway your notes into play.