Indiecision: Music Blog: Independent Music in India and Elsewhere

LIVE: INTERPLAY @ BLUE FROG

After the debacle that was Mungolian Jet Set, Indiecision approached Blue Frog’s promise of “Some of the country’s best jazz musicians come together to strut their stuff” with caution. Interplay has played a few shows earlier but reactions have been difficult to gauge making this a see-for-yourself situation.

Starting typically late (2155hrs for a 2130hrs gig) Harmeet Manseta took to the keys with measured grace. The keyboard seemed as much improvised as it was rehearsed. Sheldon D’Silva (bass) and Adrian D’Souza (drums) joined halfway. Blue Frog was relatively empty with only a few tables occupied and just about 10 people occupying the bar stools on the floor. The three musicians were composed, each obviously accomplished individually and though Manseta looked the star, the collective shone.

Read the entire review (with the Indiecision) after the break + pics and a video that will kick your ass (Dhruv Ghanekar at his best).

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DJ RALPH CHRISTOPH TALKS ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN INDIA, DJs STOP SPINNING ‘SUMMER OF ‘69′

Electronic music in India is a growing phenomenon but only a few artists show international potential. Here to help is DJ Ralph Christoph from Germany. Christoph will be delivering a talk at the Goethe Hall today at 1830hrs (read 1945hrs) about electronica. He is the head of the Cologne On Pop festival which, given the big deal Mumbai Mirror’s made of it, must be pretty good. Anywho, MM has the interview in which he talks about his experience as a DJ in Germany. The article also claims that “Germany is the birthplace for electronic music”, so there.

Christoph says, on the future of dance music in India

“The people I met are really into it, they want to change something, they want to create something and I think the time is right for it. They are just fed up with the stuff they are surrounded by and they have to create anew because there are no structures in place. The scene is not big but it’s well-connected and I will be glad if I can help building it up in some small way”

I’m curious. What kind of structures does one need for electronic music? Oh, and Christoph will also be scouting for acts for Cologne On Pop.

Read the entire interview after the break.

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KENNY G IN MUMBAI. YAY! WAIT, WHAT?

It was bound to happen. With Def Leppard postponing their gig to October (probably), the next artist hot on everyone’s mind was definitely Kenny G. Today’s Bombay Times confirms, in a surprisingly typo free report, that the sax man will play in Mumbai on the 11th of May and Bangalore on the 12th, taking the Indiecision May gig calendar tally to a grand 42 gigs!

The report doesn’t mention a venue, but I’m sure it’ll be someplace nice, with lattes. The opening line of the story reads

You’ve heard him do the soprano sax on compilation after compilation.

Precious.

Head downstairs for the full story.

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RANDOM TRACK: ‘COULD THIS BE LOVE’ - SHEFALI ALVARES

Mumbai based Shefali Alvares has been around for a while. Daughter of the uber-talented/almost legendary Joe Alvares, she’s part of a growing collective of solo female singer-songwriters. She’s played with all the big names in the Indian western music and knows her way around a tune.

On ‘Could This Be Love’ her voice shines, accompanied by a lonely guitar in a Corinne Bailey Rae style that suits the mood. The melody of the song is totally lifted from ‘Destiny’ by Zero 7; even the inflections resemble Sia Furler’s. She sings about love pretty generically though the lyrics do help highlight the range of her falsetto. The voice is enchanting and even though the lift is obvious, the effect is immensely listenable. The last “You’re in my head” clinches it.

Listen to the song here.