June 8, 2009

a crime i committed

I usually am against mindless remixes, the ones which have nothing to do with the feel of the song or its emotions. The ones which T series used to pelt out one after the other.

Its their time to take a laugh, perhaps. I have committed the crime, the die has been casted, I also forayed into remixes. Though in my defense I will like to mention that I have tried to retain the emtion quotient of the song intact, and I think I have done a good job at that (after all they were my fav tracks, I won't rape them)

You may listen to them by using the streampad interface at the bottom of the page:

Tu hi re: (d car crash tragedy mx):
Added a bit of story to the song. A heartbreak-rash driving and accident.
Tu hi re(d car crash tragedy)

To fir aao:(frustated mx):
The name says it all :)
To fir aao(frustated mx)

Dil se re: beat edit:
Created for a performance :)
Dil se re(beat edit)

Maula mere maula vs my love:
One of my earliest mix, hence lacks quality. Its good for listening at least once. Here for nostalgic reasons.
Maula mere maula vs My love

Mobilink(ga*du mx): its very explicit:
My take on the mobilink clip circulating over net. Again one of my early works. Strictly not for public!
Mobilink(Ga*du mx)

Let me know how great a crime was it :)

listen without prejudice!

Regards,

April 23, 2009

I sell Ideas

Yeah... I sell ideas. And its better than selling soaps :P

Visit me at isellideas.wordpress.com for details.

November 25, 2008

GHAJINI voila!


Rahman is back and so am I! was busy with exams and stuff.. anyways, coming to the point... I got hold of Ghajini yesterday and was blown away by its music! Here's my take on Rahman's latest work :)

Ghajini

The movie is based on revenge and Rahman kicks a** with this album especially after yuvraaj!
There are 6 songs in the album:

1. Guzarish Mushy.. mellow.. subtle.. soothing track with rahman's golden touch. Has been sung by Javed ali of Jash-e-bahara fame and the humming has been done by Sonu nigam. Its the best track of the album and is going to be on loop for long :)

2. Aye Bachchu Sung by Suzanne... is a different song. It must be a background song I feel, overall an average track by Rahman's standards.

3. Kaise Mujhe Haunting, ambient and touching. After "tu hi meri dost hain" benny dayal hits the right chords once again with this song. Lyrics could have been better though. Shreya ghoshal does an awesome job! Reminds me of banjar hai from saathiya though this one is more spiritual in feel.

4. BEHKA There is a simple reason I wrote this in caps and bold... GO LISTEN TO THIS SONG!! Its a masterpiece.. no less!! Rahman experiments in his own style... listen to the antara and you will understand what I mean. Its a fairly complex tune to hum but its catchy. The second best song of the album... actually on a second thought, guzaarish and behka have an equal footing on the podium. This song will grow on u, trust me!

5. Latoo A typical item number, though sung by shreya ghoshal and not by sunidhi chauhan. Rahman wraps the song in his own style and the song does sound different. This song too grows as you listen. Complex rhythm but definitely magic. ( i don't like listening to item no.s though)

The last song is an instrumental version of kaise mujhe. I wish there was a Karaoke version too.

Verdict Rahman is back with vengeance after yuvraaj and he does it with style. Its difficult to be different and experiment in a completely commercial movie like Ghajini but Rahman does it in style. Go ahead, recommend it and listen without prejudice :)

Regards
Talvinder
-listen without prejudice

November 1, 2008

Nitin Sawhney


Finally!! Apologies for being away from the scene for so long.
Wanted to talk about this artist for so long. The Guardian, London describes him "It is easier to put down what this man can't do than what he can do".

Nitin Sawhney is a pure genius period. That is the most apt and brief description about him. He is an Indian - British musician who has adorned various roles like Producer, Songwriter, Multi-instrumentalist, DJ, Orchestral Composer at times and without any doubt, have excelled in all of them. His music has influences of Jazz, Drum-n-bass, Rock, western and indian classical, electronica to say the least. Broadly his works have good dosage of asian and world music with hint of electronica. On the theme front his music has cultural influences along with spirituality and politics most of the times.

His versatility knows no bounds. He has composed for bollywood movies, orchestras, TV Ads (nike etc), PS3 games, silent movies, TV serials to say the least. He has won more than 15 major international music awards. I wont list the details about his achievements(refer to nitinsawhney.com for that) because that is not what I am here to.

Some of the recommended tracks(by recommended, I mean a must listen!!) are:
Nadia ft reena bhardwaj
Eastern eyes
Mausam
Koyal
Nothing
Rainfall

-Listen without prejudice :)

October 9, 2008

Zephyr 08

Its that time of the year again :)

Listen to Daniel Raymer from Lockheed, Tomonari Furukawa from Virginia Tech, Nathan Chronister from Ornithopter.org and Tessy Thomas, the Missile Woman, the project director of AGNIII missile at Zephyr08.

Visit http://www.aero.iitb.ac.in/zephyr

September 28, 2008

Paban Das Baul



Phew, It has been hectic all these days.
I am back with another unique artist, Paban Das Baul. Before telling anything about their music, its utmost important to know a little more about Bauls. The word "Baul" means divinely possessed, without limits, simply mad; the Bauls address each other as khepa meaning furious. They have a mode of life entirely determined by a fundamental choice and bring chaos and disorder wherever they go - attracting people towards them, inviting intimacy, breaking the rhythm of daily life.

Their wild behavior and repetitive rhythms make them seem strange and manic; so it's not surprising that in traditional Bengali society, where strict caste and class distinctions are rigidly maintained, they are chastised and despised. Through their songs, dances, gestures, through silences, through postures and looks, the Bauls tell stories of the earth, of the body, of lovers uniting - subtly revealing the mystery of life and the laws of nature. Submission to the divine is the tightrope to wisdom; Baul knowledge is transmitted through songs. This early apprenticeship gives Paban's music a unique quality. His unconventional nature and versatile talents, drawing and inspiring him from old and new sources, make him a controversial figure in Bengal.

Paban comes from Mohammedpur, Murshidabad district in West Bengal, India - land of a population incarnating the spirit of syncretism between Tantric, Vaishnava, Muslim and Buddhist traditions through music, dance and song. And his music is the most iconic of all as he derives inspirations from his roots. He is well known for his genius of improvisation on the dubki (a small tambourine) and the inspired lyrical beauty of his songs, which give him the power to create trance-like states in his listeners. Most of his music is made on instruments made by himself - the dubki, khamak and do tara.

He has been involved in collaborative projects since a long time, the most notable being with Sam Mills. I cannot understand his lyrics but his music does invoke certain feelings which can be best felt. Below is his career details:

Discography

- Paban Das Baul - Inner Knowledge (Womad Select - 1997)

- Paban Das Baul & Sam Mills - Real Sugar (Real World - 1997)

- Paban Das Baul, Gour Khepa, Nimai Goswani & Mimlu Sen - Manouche O Ratan (Fonti Musicali, Brussels - 2002)

- Paban Das baul & Jonny Wartel (Gravitation - 2003)

- Paban Das Baul & State of Bengal - Tana Tani (Real World - 2004)

- Paban Das Baul - 'live' At Satellit Cafe Paris (2008)



on Compilations

- Chants des Fous: Bengale (Chants du Monde - 1979)

- Le Chant Mystique des Bauls (Sonodisc ESP)

- Les Musiciens Bauls “ Fous de Dieu” (Disques Arion - 1983)

- Bauls Des Fous de l’Absolu (Sonodisc - 1989)

- Chants d'initiation Bauls (Buda Musique - 1992)



Collaborations

- Marque Gilmore /Drum-FM - Creation Step (Tribal Broadcast - 2003)

- The Katia Labèque Band - Unspoken (KLM - 2003)

- Cheick-Tidiane Seck - MandinGroove (Sunnyside Records - 2004)

- Paul Mills - The Other Side Of The Glass (IUS - 2006)



Filmography

- Le Chant des Fous (Doc. Georges Luneau Antenne Deux - 1979)

- Vagabunden Karawane (Doc. Embryo (german band) - 1979)

- Nagmoti (fiction: Gautam Chatterjee, Kolkata - 1972)

- La Nuit Bengali (Nicolas Klotz France - 1988)

- Egaro Miles (doc Ruchir Joshi – Channel Four / prix Joris Ivans Centre Pompidou in France - 1992)

- Bhalobasha O Andhokar (Gautam Chatterjee - 1995)

- Faut pas rêver (Doc.FR 3 - Frederic Zoltan/ Dominique Rabotteau - 1999)


Recommended:

I havent been able to find a lot of songs but still all his songs have become my favourites. They are listed below:

  • Dil ki doya ( a must listen!!!)
  • Mon Fakira
  • Manush key
So go ahead, enjoy his music!

ps. Can someone translate his tracks for me, plzzzz :)

Regards,
Talvinder

Listen Without Prejudice


September 15, 2008

Midival Punditz


Their Music is as Exotic as their name, I can gurantee that first hand! Midival Punditz is a duo band comprising of two Delhites Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj. 

Their music is a mix of Jungle, electronica, North Indian Classical and Sufi. In simpler terms, their music is a mix of indian classical and new age electronic club music. Their music is deep in terms of the ragas and instrumentation employed. Lyrically intensive, their music is timeless and progressive. 

What they do best is let the richness and timeless feature of Indian music reign over the straight forward western beats. That makes their music very indian yet very modern.  They add subtle, not obvious dancefloor influences that strike a balance with the musically rich past Eastern music. The duo is widely regarded as the first South Asian band to fully synthesize modern Western electronic music with regional traditional and classical music, to create a new sound for 21st-century India, so although the production sparkles with the sheen of an electronica or techno set, their music stilll sounds and feels like Indian. 

They have composed music for the bollywood movie "Let's Enjoy!" and have collaborated with a number of reputed artists like Ustad Sultan Khan, Karsh Kale (he will be covered in the next post), Anoushka Shankar among others. Their music is Unique with a capital U! Its panoramic and ambient with experimentation done on almost all tracks. 

I have seen people being apprehensive about this kind of music but one demo of their music and they can't help nodding.

Some of the recommended albums and tracks are:
ALBUMS
MIDIval Times 2002 - Debut
MIDIval Punditz Remixed 2007
Lets Enjoy(OST) 2004

SONGS
Fabric - Featured in monsoon wedding, a must listen
Mundiyan de dil hil gaye - Lets Enjoy(OST)
136
Ali - Ft Kailash Kher
Bhangra Fever - the famous Nokia 1100 truck ad's track
Night - Haunting lyrics and tune
Raanjhan - Ft Abida Parveen
Rebirth - Ft Anoushka Shankar
Tere Bin Sohniye - Lets Enjoy(OST)
Forest Dreams 
God Of Love - A MUST LISTEN, crazily catchy
Dark Age - Again a must listen.. dark, mystrerious and ambient

I will end up listing all their songs, I guess... so will just list the first few tracks which come to my mind :)

So happy listening!

Signing off...
Talvinder Singh
Listen Without Prejudice