Nobody knows Indian music like ARKA does. The contemporary fusion band, that is a potpourri of accomplished musicians from various backgrounds and influences, brings something truly spectacular to the Indian music scene.
And as an added bonus, the band is all set to launch their debut album, And A Half Featuring Carnatic-fusion percussionist Selvaganesh, playback singer Karthik both from Chennai, world music flautist Ravichandra Kulur from Bengaluru, Mumbai-based jazz drummer Gino Banks, Frenchman from Pondicherry and bass guitarist Mishko M’ba and Kerala-based flamenco guitarist Santhosh Chandran, ARKA is truly a melting pot of genres, musical influences and styles from across the country.
“ARKA, which means Sun in Sanskrit, signifies our desire to light up everything and spread the warmth and radiance of music that is truly energetic and powerful in Bengaluru,” says Gino.
And a Half is a compilation of eight electrifying contemporary tracks brought together from years of experience experimenting with Indian music. Selvaganesh says the tracks are on time signatures (song count) ranging from one and a half to seven and a half, which precisely explains the name of the album.
“This is a new genre in itself. There is something here for everyone. From jazz lovers, rock lovers and fans of Indian music to fusion lovers – all of them will love it. It’s a little bit of everything.”
Gino adds his two bits on the album and show: “This is a showcase of modern Indian classical music with a good blend of jazz, rock and funk dabbling in Carnatic and Hindustani.”
While the concept behind the song is the time signatures, he says though And A Half is brilliantly off-time, the sound is groovy, seamless and accessible.
“It’s a lot of fun to play and interesting to listen to. It’s also unique because I don’t think an album like this has happened before.”
On how ARKA began, Gino recalls that initially it was a collaboration between Ravi Selva, Karthik and himself. “We did a show a couple of years ago in Kolkata that we thoroughly enjoyed and so did it again in Bangalore. We found this tie-up was working. So Selva took the initiative and got Ravi and Karthik together and started working on the music in Chennai.”
They roped in Santosh and Mishko and started orchestrating the tracks. Once it was ready they sent it over to me and I did my part. It came through and we got excited with the results. So we met up in Mumbai, did a couple of rehearsals and took it on the road. We haven’t stopped and have kept evolving.”
Elaborating on bringing so many genres together, he adds that each member coming from a completely different background musically made it easy. “Santosh’s flamenco-flavoured tunes, Mishko’s jazz fusion background, Selva’s Carnatic fusion, Karthik’s pop signature and Ravi’s world music influence backed by my jazz background all came together effortlessly. This uniqueness and influences coming together in the music-making process allows it to sound very versatile and different.”
Looking ahead, Gino adds that they will take ARKA’s music and perform it all over the world. “We want to showcase Indian music in this format – modern music strongly rooted in tradition. It’s arranged music with songs, lyrics, parts and ensemble playing with improvisation.”
Selva also adds that they are bringing back the sounds of their forefathers in a modern contemporary setup without breaking the rules. “This is our way of promoting Indian music.”
Can this melting pot be the birth of something new in the Indian music scene? Gino agrees.
“As a musician you need to come from one strong discipline and knowledge base and then have an open mind to everything else. Pay tribute to the song-writing process. Write the song together and execute it to the highest level possible,” he tells aspiring musicians.
