They say music has no boundaries, and a big testament to this has been the popularity and fan following that Coke Studio Pakistan has been able to create here in India. Well, it’s now time that we have our own version of this brilliantly received concept. Akshata Bhat speaks to the people involved.

Coca Cola has always been known for its brilliant branding and marketing. But even their expectations were probably surpassed by the massive success of Coke Studio Pakistan, their musical concept which premiered in Pakistan in 2008. Coke Studio Pakistan is a series of television episodes featuring live music performances, with the episodes later available on the website for downloads. The series was an instant wild hit with the youth not just in Pakistan but across the subcontinent, because it was a fusion of modern contemporary influences like rock, with traditional eastern and other regional influences. In other words, it was a modern twist to classical music and the sounds that we have grown up hearing in our culture, and the harmony truly created musical magic.

Leslie Lewis

As a dedicated fan of Coke Studio Pakistan, therefore, my joy was boundless when I heard that Coke Studio was now going to be in India! An Indian version of Coke Studio is like a dream come true for music fans. As breathless fans watched, Coke Studio @ MTV premiered in India on 17^th June 2011.

Hariharan & Kavita Seth

At the MTV office, the excitement at the launch of Coke Studio makes for an electric atmosphere. Raghu Ram, executive producer and super-sarcastic judge on MTV Roadies, holds the pride of having run the most successful show on MTV for eight years; however, we are informed, he believes that Coke Studio @ MTV has the potential to overtake Roadies.

So what is Coke Studio @ MTV all about, according to the different people involved in its creation? According to sufi vocalist Harshdeep Kaur, the magic of live music is a very large part of the Coke Studio @ MTV allure. Live performances have a charm that we do not often get to experience; further, the audience will get more peeks into the making of Coke Studio @ MTV in episodes that will be shown on television later on in the evenings, after the actual live performances themselves are televised.

Moreover, Harshdeep adds, another important aspect of Coke Studio @ MTV is that it highlights the fact that Indian music has more to it than just Bollywood, something that is reiterated by many of the other artistes as well.

Harshdeep

To the Ghulam Mustafa brothers, it is the excitement of a show that is happening for the first time in India. Something that has been a hit in our neighboring state (Pakistan) is now in India as well. The varied musical influences also have been an enriching experience; they recall, for instance, the reinvention of one of their sufi numbers which was originally in 8 beats, but then had to be adapted to 6 beats to fit the waltz style.

Coke Studio @ MTV has fusion written all over it; the impressive list of artistes features everyone from Kailash Kher, Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Richa Sharma, to the Wadali brothers, Harshdeep Kaur, Chinna Ponnu and many others. We will have the opportunity of discovering completely different styles of music; Assamese music, Gujarati folk, Punjabi music, sufi, rock influences. Often, styles that are polar opposites are seen in the same song; take the example of Kailash Kher and Chinna Ponnu who jammed together, with the only common thing being their infectious energies. All the artistes mention what an amazing learning experience it has been to be a part of such diversified music and to interact with such different musicians.

Coke Studio @ MTV features nearly 50 songs over a series of 10 episodes telecast every Friday at 7 p.m. Most of these feature a different vocalist for each song; what remains constant is the house band, comprising Zohan Husain on the keyboard, Dibya on bass, Nyzel on the electric guitar, Darshan on drums, Arun on percussion, Navin as a guest on the tabla, Deepak on the dhol and Sanjoy on the acoustic guitar. They were also accompanied by folk artistes and traditional instruments as per the requirements of individual songs and styles. These are the talented guys who provide amazing accompaniments to the vocalists. How was their experience on Coke Studio?

Kailash Kher & Chinna Ponnu

“It was wonderful,” says Zohab, “working on a show that is not a reality show, but features so many different artistes, each a complete professional in his/her style.”

Nyzel adds, “It truly is fusion. Leslie Lewis has directed all the compositions wonderfully. Despite featuring so many different styles, the music was designed beautifully; Leslie Lewis has given freedom and choice to each artist. Moreover, we were exposed to so many new styles of music, the likes of which we have never heard before.”

“Everybody loved the jam sessions,” Darshan mentions. “One of our longest began at 12 noon on one day… and went on until 8 30 a.m. the next day, with only a fifteen to twenty minute dinner break in between!”

Another artist Roop mentions that Coke Studio brought alive not just the singer in her but also the lyricist.

Sufi artist Harshdeep says, “It has been a surreal experience, a dream come true, to be a part of Coke Studio @ MTV. It is one of those important milestones in every artiste’s career. Coke Studio @ MTV will hopefully also bring to the audience new and upcoming artistes who have not had such a large platform before.”

Raghu Dixit & Band

And the man of the moment is Leslie Lewis (of the famous Hariharan-Lewis Colonial Cousins), who has directed all the episodes. How was it working with Leslie Lewis? Says Nyzel of the house band, “He was like the principal in school, and we were like his students.”

Leslie Lewis has been completely involved in every single episode, and he loves the work. It is an amazing experience, he says, to have worked on something that the whole world is now watching live on television. “There has been so much love and so much passion from so many people, the singers, the house band, and it is this that will be seen on television.”

He adds, “While we have seen some brilliant marketing of music in India, the music content itself has not been great of late. There is no good music, with that heart factor in it, the kind that makes you want to listen to a song on repeat, that ensures a song is around for years and years. Coke Studio @ MTV is about getting that music back. It is about music for the youth mass, about preserving Indian culture and giving it a modern take. If one travels across India, the north, south, east and west, one comes across so many flavors and different sounds. Coke Studio @ MTV is about attempting to capture all of that. It has a modern feel, an Indian feel as well as an international feel.”

Sunidhi Chauhan

And how did he select the artistes? “When I got on board, many of the artistes were already in place, especially the Bollywood ones. I introduced more of the folk artistes, some of the amazing people that I have worked with before. It was like a bhelpuri of sorts. I created a musical map, and left a little musical space for each artist to do his/her own thing.”

Was it difficult to weave together such varying musical styles? “It is somewhat difficult to string together two completely different artistes who have never even met before. But everyone loved the jam sessions so much, no one wanted to leave the sets!” he recalls. “It was hard work, though I loved it; for forty days, I functioned on only about two and a half to three hours of sleep a night.”

And what about the other little proud moment that Coke Studio @ MTV has created for Leslie Lewis? His daughter Divya Lewis, all of fifteen, is debuting as the youngest artiste on Coke Studio @ MTV! “We did not want to push Divya onto the music scene; but there is something about her music, and so people wanted her to be a part of this.”

“She is a good singer, completely up to the mark, otherwise we would not have included her,” he adds as an afterthought. This is validated when Divya obligingly croons a small part of the song that she has done for Coke Studio @ MTV. “It has obviously been a fabulous learning experience,” she smiles.

While most of the songs have been done by the house band, a few songs also feature independent artistes like band Advaitha, Kailasa and The Raghu Dixit Project. Hopefully, future seasons will also feature more such artistes and act as a platform for discovery.

Coke Studio @ MTV episodes will eventually be up for downloading, as are the Coke Studio Pakistan ones; the website is already up on www.mtvindia.com/cokestudio/. The Facebook page also has a fair bit of information on the artistes, the episodes and sneak peeks, and general tidbits. So here’s to a true treat for music lovers, one that crosses all the barriers of language, genre and boundary.

Article by Akshata Bhat

Mrigya

BLUEfrog, Mumbai

Mrigya played at BLUEfrog, Mumbai on Thursday, April 15^th

15^th April at Blue Frog saw the stage set for the fusion band Mrigya. They combine varying influences like jazz, funk, blues etc and produce a sound that renowned percussionist Fazal Qureshi (chief guest of the evening for the Mumbai launch of Mrigya’s album ‘The Composition of World Harmony’) aptly phrased as ‘a new sound’.

Mrigya at BlueFROG

The 7-member band started off with some mellow strains on the violin that heralded their original ‘Ganga’. Right from the first note, it was evident that Mrigya belongs to a truly rare breed; a fusion band where each member is phenomenally talented in his own genre and all these genres actually merge into a coherent whole. Once the song peaked in a magnificent violin solo by Sharat, the class act that is Mrigya had proven itself. Next came a deliciously chirpy little tune that grew into their composition ‘Pahari Funk’, followed by the beautiful sufi composition ‘Ali’. But the favorite for the night was their next track ‘Procession’. This piece of genius (aimed at religious harmony/unity) began with Sukriti (Hindustani classical) mouthing verses from the Rigveda. Next, Qadir Bhai followed with Muslim religious verses while the Rigveda continued in faint strains in the background. This somewhat serious composition with darker undertones went on to really capture the audience. Mrigya was also joined by flamenco dancer Sharmini for a song where Qadir Bhai’s mischievous vocals had everyone in splits.

On the flip side, while the Blue Frog has fantastic sound, the stage was somewhat too small to accommodate a band the size of Mrigya, particularly when Sharmini joined in. Also, Mrigya could consider experimenting more with their vocals; ‘Scottish Moors’, for example, had the audience cheering its heart out when other band members also joined in to make a moving vocal experience. More of this could be incorporated into their songs. Overall, however, the musical genius that is Mrigya is truly one to watch out for.

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

Seher & Shor Bazaar played at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai on Saturday, April 17^th

Seher at Hanging Gardens

A beautiful Saturday evening spent with some good live music at a picturesque venue; what more can one ask for? 17^th April 2010 was just such a day, when two good rock bands Seher and Shor Bazaar played at the Hanging Gardens in Mumbai. The evening was kicked off by Seher with an original ‘Sirf Tum’. Seher, which plays songs (mostly soft rock) in the good ol’ Rashtrabhasha, was a fairly decent band with five members on stage. The opening track was followed by another song titled ‘Huve’. The mellow music appealed to the crowd and Seher managed to rouse a good bit of applause especially with their last song, which was faster than their previous tracks. Although the small stage limited mobility somewhat and the acoustics were not of top quality, overall it was a good set by Seher.

Shor Bazaar at Hanging Gardens

Next came Shor Bazaar, and completely stole the audience’s hearts. The five-member band walked onto the stage and spent a long time checking sound, giving away little strains of music here and there which hinted at their brilliance. And once they started playing in earnest, they went all out; amazing music, some really smart (and different) Hindi lyrics and a killer stage presence were all part of the package. They even interacted with specific people in the crowd (including some foreign nationals, who were seen hugely enjoying themselves despite not comprehending a word, as lead singer JD pointed out) and made sure everyone had fun. Songs like ‘Rasili’, ‘Pagli Ladki’, ‘School’, ‘Jaisalmer Express’ and their very own version of Javed Jaffrey’s ‘Mumbhai’ were played. The overall effect of these really good musicians and performers is best summed up by the words of one lady in the audience, “They are so wonderfully talented. Especially that boy (vocalist JD). They will go very far.” Amen to that, and many thanks to both Seher and Shor Bazaar for a thoroughly enjoyable evening!

Café Goa, Mumbai

Spook played at Café Goa, Mumbai on Wed, April 21^st

Spook at Cafe Goa

What would you expect from a place named Café Goa? Aesthetics, mellow lighting, chilled beer, good food, and – some great music! Alternative band Spook provided the perfect setting to this place in Bandra on Wednesday 21^st April, at an evening organized by Bombay Elektrik Projekt.

Spook is a relatively new five-member band with Akshay on vocals and rhythm, Clavell on violin, Anis on keys, Sonam on bass, and Zain on drums and percussion. The band played an acoustic set without drums, and were still really tight, which is commendable in itself. The music area was full long before the band was done with the sound check, and it was evident that Spook has a fairly loyal fan base already. The set list for the night was a healthy mix of covers and originals. Some of the covers were the Superman song ‘It’s not easy to be me’ (extremely well done) and Greenday’s ‘Time of your life’. The originals included ‘Screwdriver’, ‘Imagine’ and ‘Funky Monkey’, which was a merry song about their bass player. Another original ‘True’ with some great vocals was very reminiscent of Pearl Jam, while the violin was exceptionally memorable in ‘Crayons’. In fact, much of their music has a great Pearl Jam-esque chilled-out-merry-happy feel to it, so it comes as no surprise that the band counts Pearl Jam as one of their influences. The extremely interactive band also had a lot of jokes going, and altogether, Spook set a great tone for the evening.

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

ToT & The Mavyns played at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai on Saturday, April 24^th

Tough on Tobacco at Hanging Gardens

Yet another great Saturday evening event to revive Bandstand Culture, starring Tough on Tobacco and The Mavyns on 24^th April at the Hanging Gardens. First on stage was Tough on Tobacco, the musical genius/prodigy that is the offspring of artistes from Helga’s Fun Castle and Zero. This band has a completely different sound from most artistes on the Indian music scene, with a rare and brilliant reggae feel, especially the vocals. Soulful originals like ‘Yahweh’, ‘Do what you gotta’, ‘Alone’ (this one was especially good, and is not included in their already-released album, hope to see it in their upcoming one) and ‘Love Love Love’ had the audience completely into them. Their last song ‘Wonder’ had a more powerful beat, and they signed off on a great note. The Indian music scene will definitely have to keep an eye out for this rising star.

ToT was followed by The Mavyns, who are a four-member band with a very refreshing blues/jazz Beatles feel. They played some very happy tunes (one of their songs is even called the ‘Happy Song’), dedicated a song to their guitarist’s hair and even had some people in the audience dancing. The vocalist Vivek (also on keys) dished out some decent vocals. The entire evening had a ‘let’s go to Goa’ feel about it, courtesy both ToT and The Mavyns. A big smile and an ‘It’s all good’ is probably what these bands intended to leave their audience with; they definitely succeeded.

Article by Akshata Bhat