Music has been more than just being about entertainment. The emotional aspect of music is far reaching and unacknowledged. Music has the power of healing pain and motivating someone to heights.
Music has been man’s companion from time immemorial. The closely knitted relationship between man and human underpins the fact that music is not just about entertainment. Music has touched human life in ways beyond description. Music has been a company to man in the days of contentment and gloom. Music can prove to be a very powerful force.
Music is known to invoke a strong emotional response in our body. Putting it straight, scientists have found that listening to particularly happy or sad music impacts the way we perceive our surrounding. This very property of music can be exploited to pave the human mind and emotions.
Motivation can be similarly derived from listening to music. Music and mood have an intrinsic connection. Scientists continue to discover how these influences occur at a neuropsychiclevel. Studies prove that the music we listen, engages a wide range of neurobiological cycles that impact our psychology. One of music’s rejuvenating effects arises from its potential to engage the body’s sympathetic nervous system. Music can also increase heart and respiration rate which causes an emotional arousal. Music can even control muscle tension. Focusing on a favorite song combats de-motivating brain signals associated with failure or pain. Music motivates individuals by making them feel more successful and by stimulating positive emotions that help to rescind some of the negative thoughts in our mind.
The pertinent question now is, how particular kind of music manages to make us motivated or energized?
The subconscious mind can’t really make out the difference between listening to words coming from a person and words coming from a song. If the words that we receive resonates with our positive belief system and thoughts, we would certainly feel motivated.
If you really want to test the credibility of this article, add the following songs in your playlist right away.
1. Hall of Fame – Script:
“Standing in the hall of fame, and the world’s gonna know your name.” The lyrics of the songs beautifully focuses on the beauty of not giving up. The song is about chasing dreams and leaving an impression on the world
2. Superheroes – Script:
“When you’ve been fighting for it all your life, you’ve been struggling to make things right, that’s how a superhero learns to fly” The song highlights the pain about struggle and getting strength from the course of the struggle.
3. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson:
“What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter”. This song helps you to evaluate your life when something hasn’t gone the way you wanted.
4. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye &Tammi Terrell:
“Don’t you know that there ain’t no mountain high enough.Ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough. To keep me from getting to you, baby”. The song motivates the listener to overcome the obstacles to reach the baby (Goal).
The fourth and the last day of Oasis’17 commenced with Pitch Perfect, the a capella event, wherein seven teams competed singing their out of the box melodious harmonies. Students from different colleges of University of Delhi – Miranda House, Jesus and Mary College, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Kamla Nehru College, and Sri Venkateswara College faced students of Shiv Nadar University and Pearl Academy as they vie for the title. The winners of the event were Synergy, the western music society of Shiv Nadar University, and the second position was bagged by Zyphr, the western music society of Kamla Nehru College.
The FashP: Pilani’s Next Top Model finals were conducted with Swati Mehrotra, an esteemed personality and maker of the Swati Modo collection, who has taught the inmates of Tihar Jail the art of shoe-making and has won awards by the President of India for her reputable work in the field of fashion. Fashion societies from several colleges including BITS Pilani, College of Arts, St Xavier’s College Jaipur, Lady Irwin College, Bharati College, and College of Vocational Studies bewitched the audience with their enchanting fashion parades that revolved around the theme ‘Realms of Fiction’. The winners of the event were- Manthan, the fashion society of College of Vocational Studies (CVS), won the award for best theme and Elantre, the fashion society of Bharati College was awarded Best Wardrobe.
Before Oasis’17 brought down the curtains, the event N20 entertained the audience with the performances of stand-up comedians Aman Deep, Kajol Srinivasan, Shamik Chakrabarti, Nasif Akhtar. Karunesh Talwar and Ashish Shakya.
Feature Image Credits: Vansh Sabharwal for DU Beat.
I still prefer falling asleep listening to the old songs in my playlist because of their eternal charm and evergreen nature. However, music these days seems to be lacking these ethereal qualities.
The sudden fame of Dhinchak Pooja, Omprakash Mishra, Taher Shah, Hero Alom, and people’s addiction to ‘cringe pop’ has forced me to ponder on the dearth of musical brilliance and creativity that our generation faces. Or, maybe we as a generation have lost the understanding to appreciate good music and lyrics. I am more inclined to believe that latter is the truth because to say that there is a paucity of good music would be incorrect.
Recently when I was listening to Mohammad Rafi’s ‘Chaudhavi Ka Chand Ho’, I could not but help admire the sheer brilliance of his singing techniques and the mesmerising lyrics. Similarly, the lyrics of song ‘Mera Kuch Samaan’ by Gulzar always leaves me enraptured because of the subtlety with which it successfully conveys the complexity of a relationship. Even fun-loving songs like ‘Ye Chand Sa Roshan Chehra’ still make not only mine but everyone’s feet tap. The lyrics of these songs were not crass and the singers were not content with just above average singing.
Whenever I hear Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Funny Valentine’ or ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ I cannot help but swoon to its tunes. Tom T Hall’s ‘That’s How I Got To Memphis’ or Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ still delight and enchant me. There must be a reason that different and newer versions of songs like ‘Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar’, ‘ Lag Ja Gale’, ‘Blue Skies’, ‘Message in a bottle’ are being sung over and over again by the singers. To say that my criticism just stems out of nostalgia for the times gone by would incorrect. After pondering about it a lot, I realised that my doubts held a lot of substance. I am not saying that the music that we are producing today has a substantially deteriorated quality. Undoubtedly, we have a lot of talented singers, lyricists, music composers, and directors. However, to say that the standards have dropped drastically would not be an overstatement.
So the question remains who is to blame for the popularity of cringe-worthy songs like ‘Selfie Maine Le Li Aaj’, ‘Bolna Aunty Aau Kya’ or songs like ‘Gandi Baat’ which though have very catchy tunes put forward the concept of eve-teasing and molestation. We, as an audience, are to be blamed for this poor condition of the music industry. The originality in the music produced by Bollywood has taken such a dip that every few months we find a remix version of an old song on our music playlist. Mass media following of the YouTube sensation Rebecca Black or the recent Omprakash Mishra should certainly be discouraged. This is necessary because in the process we are seeing the death of music and musicians that deserve the encouragement and spotlight. If we fail to do so, it would be a great disservice not only to our generation but to the upcoming one.
Third-year B.Com (Hons) student and the President of SGTB Khalsa College’s Music Society, Vaibhav Kanwar’s love for music and entrepreneurship has led to the founding of “Clapbox”, a startup that manufactures and sells the percussion instrument, Cajon. With a six digit monthly revenue and listing among the best sellers on Amazon, Clapbox is all set to reach new heights.
With the idea of encouraging the fellow student musicians, Vaibhav’s “Clapbox” has announced a giveaway of 10 Cajons to the Music Societies of colleges in Delhi University.
What was the idea behind starting this venture?
Seeing the unreasonable pricing of cajons in the market, I tried making one for myself. With a lot of research and trial and error, I finally came up with a possible frame for my Cajon. I approached many percussionists for trying out my prototype which allowed me to reach out to more like minded people. I realized the gap that there was in the market for good quality cajons, which led to the birth of this venture. Being a portable music instrument, it works perfectly for percussionists during band practices and drummers with space constraints at home.
What do you think has been your key to success?
With the goal of creating something unique, our team of product designers has been constantly studying the market and developing new models made of different wood. Each model, with its different specifications, competitive pricing and strict sound quality checks have led to the success of Clapbox.
What has been your biggest challenge in this journey?
Competing with the already established foreign brands on the same platform while minimizing the cost of production without compromising on the quality was a big challenge for us. However, we were able to overcome this problem by constantly interacting with customers and being responsive to their feedback. Being a drummer myself for the past eight years, my passion for music did not let me give up during hard times.
Tell us more about your range of products.
We at Clapbox; in addition to our growing range of Cajons are planning to introduce a highly affordable line of other instruments soon. The success of our new models, the ‘Jingle Cajon’ and the ‘Adjustable Snare Cajon’ has inspired us to work on new models like ‘Electric Cajons’, ‘Travel Cajons’ and ‘Practice Pads’ for drummers.
What are your future business expansion plans?
We are in talks with music stores across India and have been approached by some established business houses for an alliance. Let’s see how it pans out.
To stake a claim for a free Clapbox Cajon for your music society, please send in a request on your College Letterhead, duly signed by the President of your music society and attested by the College Principal to [email protected]
There’s a knot in the pit of my stomach; like the most tormenting blackout. My heart is thumping against my ribs, as I try to pour my emotions over the keyboard. The first inevitable action was to reach for the headphones, maximize the volume, and play the songs I’ve grown up with; which brought me one step closer to tunes and lyrics and art. The symphonies of the familiar Linkin Park songs are echoing in my ears, my mind, my heart; like a flock of blackbirds following me. A wave of immense pain is slowly pounding my insides, as I venture to fathom that the soulful, heart-wrenching, enamouring voice had lost a fatal battle of its own, in the end. You, the musical maestro, the legendary hero who had managed to define music for millions of souls, has let free of the grip of life; forever lost in the echo.
I chanced upon you across YouTube’s vastness nine years ago; my first tryst with an English band. I remember how you were the cushion to every blow of emotion a middle-school child was capable of experiencing. I remember the boost of confidence my personality witnessed as I proudly boasted of listening to ‘Linkin Park.’ I remember sitting hours in front of the computer during the day, singing along every word of your melody. I remember resorting to your haven when the nights were sad and terribly dark. I remember falling in love for the first time while humming to your tune. I remember being heart-broken with your words proffering me an inextinguishable flame of comfort. I remember painting the world red with my angst with the burning passion in your music. I remember snippets of the timeline of my life through the bundle of your songs; each a rhapsody of my existence.
We’ve been left powerless but, haven’t we?
Over the years, you’ve churned out songs which struck the strings of my dishevelled heart. From Hybrid Theory, Meteora, Minutes to Midnight, A Thousand Suns, to Living Things, The Hunting Party, and One More Light; I’ve stuck by you till the shadow of the day. The floating and fiery sensation of being alive which your voice dispersed, the cocoon of dejection and disappointment and failures and frustration which you harnessed is a reminder of why countless hearts cry today in your remembrance. We knew that the great hits you churned out through the years were feeding on your devastation, your depression. Turns out, you were living every lyric and harmony of songs which weaves us a bed of comfort and compassion. Your death has caused a ripple through me; a thunderous storm, rolling in the deep.
To all the Linkin Park fans out there, you’re not alone. The unnerving blow to the music world is a loss we will collectively mourn. As we rummage through our memories to reminisce and bleed out how every song pulled us through a fragment of phase in our lives, the iridescent path your songs took will be there to direct every ounce of our feeling. Turns out, the magic you conjured through your songs has found a way to cultivate the memoirs of every person reading this. Oddly, the songs feel sweeter, with a sea of desolation engulfing them as millions of your fans tune into reliving the bits and pieces of your soul. Almost as if, they were creeping in with a perpetual numbness, a light that will never come.
You tried so hard, and got so far. I guess, in the end, it didn’t even matter. But, your loss matters to every soul slightly shattered today. We will remember how you stayed through it all; the good, the bad, and the terribly sad. Your grit and raw emotion echoed with every note and chord, and today as we cope with the grief of losing a legend we grew up with and would never grow out of, here’s the jewel of advice we will always remember:
When my time comes Forget the wrong that I’ve done Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed And don’t resent me And when you’re feeling empty Keep me in your memory Leave out all the rest.
Confluence- The annual cultural festival of Hansraj College which was a four days long was packed with various events by several societies and departments. This time, the fest was not just limited to cultural events and Star Nights but also included the technical fest and departmental fests in this same frame. Although the events and performances entertained the audiences spread across the four days but the prime attraction of the fest – a concert by Diljit Dosanjh had ended abruptly which left a lot of fans disheartened.
Day One: Inauguration, Street Play, Western Choreo and informal games.
The first day began with the inaugural ceremony with teachers and members of the student union lighting the inaugural lamp. This was followed by the principal Dr. Rama, the principal of the college declaring the fest open. “We look to make Confluence 2017 to be bigger and better this year” she said.
This was followed by various events by the various departments of the college as well as events by the societies of the college. While ‘Botanique’ the botanical society organised ‘floristics’ their annual fest which saw the presence of an alumnus Mr Varun Narain, a puppeteer who presented an excellent piece called photosynthesis in moonlight, the computer science department organised competitions of coding and encrypt-decrypt. The Hansraj Dramatics Society organised ‘Bolbala- The Street Play Competition’ in which the first Prize was bagged by ‘Anuhuti’ of Sri Venkateswara College for their production ‘A’. The second and third prizes were won by Ibtida of Hindu College for ‘Saare Jahan Se Acha’ and Kshitij of Gargi College for ‘Main Kashmir aur aap?’ respectively. The event was organised in a non-competitive manner were participants chose the winners among themselves.
In the Choreo competition was won by ‘Sensation’- the choreography society of Kirori Mal College while ‘Sparx’ the choreography society of Gargi College bagged the runners up prize. The first day also saw a lot of informal events like Momo Attack and Carom Games by Mathematics Department, Demarcedo and Mock Stock by commerce society and Mini Militia by Haritima
Day Two: Youth Summit, Pahal and Art Exhibition
Major attractions of Day 2 were the ‘Youth Summit’ organised by the NSS of Hansraj College, ‘Pahal’ by the society for the differently abled and Art Exhibition on show by Kalakriti.
The ‘Youth Summit- UTSAV’ organised by NSS showcased its community service programmes through a short documentary which was followed by a song by underprivileged kids of ‘Padhaku’. This was followed by a speaker session where the speakers inspired students to actively take part in community service and give back to the country.
Meanwhile at ‘Pahal’, differently abled students from across the university showcased their talent in singing, dancing and other extra-curricular activities.
The art exhibition saw numerous rhapsodies of art and colourful expressions at display for the visitors.
The second day also saw lots of fun events by various societies like ‘Gulli Cricket’, ’Slamp Poetry’ and ‘Game of Thrones- Utility Maxima’.
underprivileged kids of Padhaku presenting a choir.
Day three: Musical Events, Cultural Show by North East Society and DJ Taran Duo
The third day of Confluence opened with melodious music events in the auditorium which were organised by Swaranjali, the music society of Hansraj College. The Indian Choir competition marked the start of the day which was won by ‘Dhwani’, the Indian music society of Lady Shri Ram College. ‘Musoc’ of Kirori Mal College won the second prize while the third prize was won by ‘Alaap’ of Sri Venkateswara College.
This was followed by the western choir which was won by Zephyr of Kamala Nehru College won the champions prize while the runners up was bagged by ‘Echo’ the western music society of Jesus and Mary College. The western Solo Dance was won by Gurpreet Kaur of JMC and Isha Chakrobarty of Gargi College bagged the runners up.
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The cultural show organised by the north east society of Hansraj College drew a large attention with students performing regional dances like Bihu and Assamese Dances. The exhibition and Meena Bazaar which were on display at the LP near the canteen also drew a huge crowd.
The day came to an end in the evening with DJ Taran duo bringing the crowd to its feet with numbers like ‘Kala Chasma’ and ‘Aae dil hi mushkil’.
Day Four: Folk and Indian Dances, Diljit Dosanjh live in Concert
The fourth was filled with lot of euphoria around with long queue of Dance events lined up for the day. In the classical solo dance competition Nimisha from Janki Devi Memorial Cometition won the 1st Prize, the second prize was jointly won by Saumya Mittal of Miranda House College and Aishwarya of Sri Venkateswara College. The Classical Duet competition was won by Raghav and Aishwarya of Sri Venkateswara College.
The Folk Dance competition saw ‘Nrityakriti’ of Maitreyi College bagging the first prize with Haryanvi Folk Dance Competition. SGTB Khalsa College won the second prize while the third prize was jointly bagged by SGND Khalsa and Gargi College respectively.
The prime attraction of the day was the star night featuring Govinda, Diljit Dosanjh and Progressive brothers. While Govinda cancelled his plans in the last minute, Diljit’s concert was cut short with just a couple of songs due to the unruly crowd and various circumstances for safety reasons.
Confluence 2017 Overview
You can check the entire album of Confluence 2017 here.
Correspondents: Arindam Goswami, Anagha Rakta, Saumya Kalia, Vineeta Rana, Kriti Sharma, Joyee Bhattacharya, and Srivedant Kar
The ‘Titanium’ and ‘Dangerous’ hit star DJ David Guetta is on his Unity Tour and is going live in India from 12th Jan to 15th Jan 2017.
“The Grandfather of EDM” David Guetta is on his Unity Tour 2017, which includes a four city tour in India, performing live at Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Noida from 12th Jan to 15th Jan 2017. Robin Schulz will be a special guest in the tour. The team is all set to put the Sunburn arena on fire this New Year!
David Guetta, a French dance-pop DJ and producer who has sold over 15 million singles worldwide, has learned and perfected his craft in Paris nightclubs throughout the 1980s and 1990s. DJing professionally from the age of 18, and after spending years on the French club scene wowing crowds and winning fans, he formed Gum Productions in 2001 in partnership with DJ and producer Joachim Garraud. One of the biggest names in dance music has collaborated with a huge string of stars of the past decade to create some momentous world-wide hits. Now the French DJ has collated these into one massive live show where he drops in some of his personal favourite dance/pop records from a variety of eras. People feel David’s charisma when playing to a live crowd, as they describe him visibly enjoying what he does as the more energy the crowd give the more animated he becomes within his DJ box. People abroad have described, “As he drops the likes of ‘Shot Me Down’ and ‘Titanium’ he hypes the crowd further by dancing along with the masses. His sets often feature numerous tracks from a variety of genres. It is fair to say there is something for almost everyone during Guetta’s set and you assured to dance along to at least one piece of music.” So, yes we are expecting an excited and loud crowd in all his concerts in India!
David Guetta has toured all over the world – both on solo stints and alongside Rihanna in 2013. He has literally travelled over a million miles to bring his dance anthems to all four corners of the globe, and is known for releasing the party animal in his fans. With two Grammys already under his belt and a strong legion of fans from across the globe, David Guetta’s fame and success will continue to balloon.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when hear the word ‘South Korea’? Is it Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’? Well, most of us have certainly danced to this tune without even understanding what he was trying to convey, but K-POP is not just limited to this tune. In fact, Korean wave or Hallyu as Koreans call it has marked its presence in the global music industry for at least 6 years now.
The Korean singers’ eccentric style-sense, ingenious approach to music, talented voices, on point choreography and not to forget their irresistible cute-faces, has certainly set K-Pop apart from other genres. So, let us look at 3 K-pop bands which are stealing the hearts around the world and leading the Korean wave at this very moment!
EXO
The largest band after Super-Junior, this band has 12 members and is equally divided in two parts – EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Mandarin). EXO with its mixture of Korean and Chinese culture made its debut in 2012 through S.M. Entertainment and has a strong fan-base with each member having about 3 million followers each on Instagram.
They’ve been hailed as the ‘biggest boy band in the world’ by many media outlets due to their knife-point choreography which gels well with their songs. They’ve received numerous awards till now with their first solo concert being sold out in 1.47 seconds which is the fastest for any Korean artist ever.
This is the band whose boys will surely win your hearts with their strong personalities and talent as they concoct magic in each album! EXO has just released its fifth extended play For Life on 19th December, 2016. Go, check it out!
BTS
BTS is a seven member band, also known as ‘Bangtan Boys’. They debuted in 2013 with their first album 2 Cool 4 Skool, for which they won several “New Artist of the Year” awards including those at the 2013 MelOn Music Awards and Golden Disk Awards, and the 2014 Seoul Music Awards.
Time and again they’ve surpassed themselves and have recently clinched their second daesang for ‘Artist of the Year’ at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards in row. They have a strong international fan-base due to their strong and myriad range of personalities and talented members. They’ve also managed to dominate the worldwide music charts with their Most Beautiful Moment in Life trilogy and also became the most retweeted artist in March 2016 following which twitter launched its first K-pop emoji featuring BTS. Follow them for some Hip-hop and R&B tunes, in addition with young-cute guys role-playing as tough bad boys or just their usual adorable selves!
GOT7
GOT7 is K-Pop which borders closely on hip-hop. It was formed in 2014 following which they won several New Artist awards at various award shows. The group consists of seven members including JB, JR, Mark, Jackson, BamBam, Yugyeom and WIN.
GOT7 took China by storm with Asia Style Best Influence Group. They have been twice nominated in MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Korean Act Category. They’ve recently released their first Japanese studio album, Moriagatteyo. They are the newest talent in the list and something to wait and watch for as they are steadily rising to fame. Their performances on stage are grabbing eyeballs all over the world as they include “martial arts tricking”.
Building Bonds that go beyond Verbal Communication:
As is rightly said by Henry Longfellow, “music is the universal language of Mankind” and the music society is the perfect example of this statement.
We all hail from different states, eat different food, have different cultural backgrounds and speak different languages which at times becomes a barrier in initiating a conversation and befriending each other. For that matter, A Punjabi girl (trained in Jazz guitar) might have some troubles bonding with a Keralite guy (a trained Carnatic vocalist) and won’t have many things in common when it comes to having a verbal communication. But both of them would be equally enchanted and amused when the jazz guitarist jams to the Carnatic Symphonies establishing a bond that transcends the cultural divide.
Team work:
This notion might not sound as exclusive to the music society as the previous one, but trust me, it is. Music forms like acapella performances which include a group of 10-20 vocalists performing together without any instrumental aid, requires immense coordination. Unlike a pyramidal structure which has its base as the most crucial part, an acapella has a musical structure as dynamic and fragile as a house of cards where every singer has an equally important role to play to maintain the overall balance. ( One mistake and, Pffftt!)
What you do is also your means of recreation:
Unlike certain societies where people, after hours of working, take breaks to relax, we do something we’ve been doing for hours already. We play more. So it’s very common for musicians to break into random jamming sessions and have a small fling, playing their favourite melodies when they wish to take a break.
You may also find your Alter Ego:
We tend to like and connect with people with similar tastes in literature, sports etc.
Every musician has his or her unique way of composing and improvising. But the moment you realize that the person you’re jamming with has a similar composing / improvising sense, you tend to have an inexplicable chemistry, an instant connection which often, later establishes and compliments strong friendships.
Altercation regarding grants and equipment:
An integral part of the music society is pleading for grants and permission to use college’s sound equipment, auditorium etc. You’re really lucky if you have cooperative cultural secretaries but if not, boy! you’re going to have a tough time!
Being a part of the music society demands commitment in terms of practice routines. It demands discipline and often causes discomfort at times, as you have to practice in public places, in the scorching heat even when colleges are closed. (And also Because A/C Jampads charge money.) But what it gives you in return is much more than it asks for. A family like experience, great musical minds to work with and friendships that go beyond cultural barriers.
Feature Image Credits- http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_29172264/employers-bend-over-backward-shower-their-workers-unusualAditya Narang[email protected]]]>
At the end of their multi-city tour, DU Beat got in touch with Paras Thakur (lead guitarist) and Sahil Sarin (drummer) of the rock band, The Local Train. They are known to have successfully mesmerised the students of Delhi University with performances in colleges like Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Jesus and Mary College this fest season. From being ranked as India’s #1 band in 2015 by Sennheiser to getting their song Aaoge Tum Kabhi featured in the Bollywood movie The Angry Indian Goddesses, they are touted as the new face of Hindi Rock music in India. We had a chat with them about music, Bollywood, fans experiences and their future plans:
Q. The band did a multi-city tour after the release of its first album. What was the tour life like?
Sahil: It is a lot of fun. Every musician loves to go on stage and play his/her own music and we got to do this abundantly.
Paras: Exactly! It is very hard for musicians to get a show these days, especially since there are like a zillion bands competing for the same ground. So, when your band gets a show, let alone a tour, you feel really lucky.
Sahil: But, it is also equally hectic. There was a time when we had three shows, one in Sonepat and two in Calcutta, in less than 24 hours. So, sleep becomes very hard to catch up on. The only way one can then afford to sleep is on the airplanes. I won’t lie; there have been times when the air-hostess had to wake us up.
Paras (laughs): Yes, they’d be like, “Get out, man!”
Q. There are a lot of artists and bands which even go on 6-month long tours. Is that something you guys are interested in?
Paras: Yes, why not? Bon Jovi did 200 shows in 365 days and to be able to do just that is the ultimate dream!
Sahil(laughs): In fact, we’re even planning to get a bus as soon as possible and just leave for tour again.
“We’re even planning to get a bus as soon as possible and just leave for tour again.”
Q. What are your views about Bollywood and the Indie-music scene?
Paras: Talking about Bollywood music scene as a whole, it definitely gives you an audience which is bigger than anything. But, at the end of the day, a good song is a good song, and bad one is bad irrespective of whether it is a Bollywood song or an indie song.
Sahil: But, indie is definitely a way of life. We don’t have a producer come and tell us that you must put a Munni or Sheila in the song to make it sell. We play music because we feel for it. It is not a manufactured product for us.
Q. What do you guys think about lending your music for Bollywood movies and licensing your songs?
Paras: If our songs do make it to Bollywood, we would not like to be one of those people who are hired as musicians only to be forced to make changes in their songs because of some woman’s special dance performance on it. We, as independent artists, get to make whatever we want to make, and make it so good that whoever wants our music would want it just the way it sounds.
Sahil: Exactly! In fact, even the song for Angry Indian Goddesses went exactly as it was released on the album. They were not like, ‘put a disco groove to it or change the beat of the song.’ That’s so much for an indie band. Licensing is honestly the way to go. A few changes here and there in the structure is acceptable but if somebody wants to change the vocalist or is asking you to change the song to a point where it loses its true essence, then licensing becomes tricky. It’s about the way you do it, which becomes important.
“We would not like to be one of those people who are hired as musicians only to be forced to make changes in their songs because of some woman’s special dance performance on it.”
Q. Your songs are thought-provoking and have such great lyrics. In an era where songs with absurd lyrics are trending and the music scene is shifting away from Hindi, what makes you stick to the language and lyrical quality? Do you want to re-vamp the Hindi music scene?
Sahil: It comes naturally to us. Singing in Hindi is not something we have to try. We all grew up speaking in Hindi. In fact, this question always becomes weird for us to answer.
Paras: In most interviews, people end up asking this question and for a second we go, like “are we in India?” So why not Hindi? (laughs). But honestly, at the end of the day it’s all about making good music. The lyrics, the language and the lingo are just the means to communicate with the audience. It doesn’t matter which language we use as long as we connect with the audience.
Sahil: We’ve been called the new face of Hindi Rock. We don’t plan to add English or Punjabi as a gimmick.
Q. Recently your songs were played on an International radio show called the Indian Raaga. So, do you have fans internationally as well, or do you think language becomes a barrier?
Sahil: We truly believe music transcends all boundaries. Our music is playing everywhere and we have fans from different corners of the world. Bandey’s video is playing in Brazil, Mexican channels are playing our videos and getting positive reviews, people from Seattle message us saying that they have been listening to our music, and several others are following our songs on YouTube.
Paras: Basically, language is just a means to communicate. But, I think music also pretty much does the same job.
“Bandey’s video is playing in Brazil, Mexican channels are playing our videos and getting positive reviews, people from Seattle message us saying that they have been listening to our music.”
Q. Just like your lyrics, the videos of your songs are equally beautiful with strong symbolism. What drives you to make such powerful and meaningful songs?
Paras: We just require things to have meaning. These days, art forms of music- visually or orally, are just over-flooded with aesthetics. Aesthetics are very important, but aesthetics with just pretty girls, huge cars or big explosions become meaningless. Till a certain point, it’s fine but when everything leads towards the same thing, it doesn’t make any sense. We like to attach a special meaning to it. Since our songs are so lyrically heavy, we tend to give them a form of visual aid and make sure that it’s meaningful.
Sahil: In fact, that’s exactly the kind of thing we want to add to our music, visually as well. This is where Anchit Thukral from ‘The Morpheus Productions’ comes in. He’s been with us from our very first video. He helps us execute what we see in our head and how we would like to put it in a certain song. He’s been our guy from the start!
Q. Which artists do you all listen to, internationally and otherwise?
Sahil: We all listen to different kinds of artists and have different tastes which make it all the more interesting for all of us to come together with our own particular influences and then, make some music. But, some of the artists we really like are Raghu Dixit, Indian Ocean and a band called Parvaaz from Bangalore. We also listen to Coldplay, U2 and the likes.
Q. How did you react to the people offering you exposure rather than money?
Sahil: We have turned down more gigs than we have performed, frankly, and this has always been a conscious decision of the band. A lot of people are willing to undersell themselves, but we’re not one of them.
Paras: I would suggest bands to work more on their art so that people are willing to appreciate and share their music on their own.
Q. After your performances in Delhi University, which college did you find the most receptive to your music?
Sahil: Every place has a different vibe. We really can’t choose any one.
Paras: At least, don’t make us choose on record. (laughs)
Q. There are a lot of bands that are formed during college days and the same is witnessed in Delhi University. So, do you think college becomes an important platform for upcoming talent?
Paras: College is THE most important part.
Sahil: Music Education in India is not taken seriously. Even for me, I think, back in school, music class was more of a fun class than an educational one. I started playing at the age of five but in the first 10 years of my life, I learned very little. The only time I actually learned was when I participated in college level competitions. So, I think this phase sets a foundation for all musicians. It makes them realise whether they want to/must pursue this for a living or not. So, yes, it does certainly become one of the most important phases of your life.
Q. Can you tell us about your most intense or funny moments on stage?
Paras: Starting from the funniest moments, there have just been too many – from Raman’s forgetfulness or singing the wrong lyrics, to my repeated attempts to look cool and then end up playing the wrong notes. I’ve fallen down more than once on the stage while trying to jump out of excitement and even sprained my ankle once.
Sahil: The most unfortunate moment would that be of Ramit falling off the stage. It was a pretty intense time for all of us as he instantly had a seizure and for a few seconds, we were just looking at him trying to figure out what to do. Apart from that, a lot of things have happened from equipments falling off the stage to several technical glitches. Things go wrong all the time because there are so many variables to take care of.
Q. Has the band experienced any creepy fan moments?
Sahil: Of course. We’ve all had them. One time, right after playing this gig, I got a phone call from a landline number. When answered, a woman said “I will rape you”. That has, by far, been the creepiest moment in our records. Like, what do you say to that?
Paras (laughs): That it’s illegal!
The crowds at The Local Train’s shows are crazy!
Q. Is there any movie for which you would have liked to give music?
Sahil: One movie that really hit me and it would’ve been nice to be a part of was ‘Black Friday’.
Paras: I think Gangs of Wasseypur and other such movies of Anurag Kashyap as well.
Q. What all sitcoms do you guys follow?
Sahil: Every Monday, it’s Game of Thrones. Apart from that, we follow plenty. We all have our phases with addiction to new shows, like Ramit is currently fond of ‘That 70s show’ and we love watching Utopia. And now we have Netflix to watch many more!
Paras: They have this auto-play feature, which is the worst; you play one video which goes on for 12 hours. It’s very slowly destroying our lives!
