With his 2000th concert in his kitty, Independent World Music Award winner Prakash Sontakke has one more feather in his crowded cap.
Sontakke, who has made Bangalore his home, is passionate about taking Indian music to the global platform.
Renowned as the only slide guitar player in the State, Sontakke has travelled across the globe spreading his genre bending music.
Apart from leading the neo-classical band The Prakash Sontakke Group, he also plays as part of an international trio in world fusion band Lehera, jazz band Moonarra, Sufi world fusion band New Life and progressive electronic Jazz crossover band Food among others.
Sontakke believes in being more than a musician. He explains that he has taken it up to project traditional music in a new light.
He adds that he learnt a lot from going out for commercial recording.
“They were lessons I learnt on how to produce socially-consumable music. This is a parallel world since the classical music world teaches you about your own realm. There is a lot of difference between perception and reality. That’s the gap I want to bridge. Bringing the traditional into a modern contemporary outlook is what makes it more acceptable.”
With a series of collaborations on albums with innumerable artistes, including the Billboard number one spot hitting Ricky Kej album among others, the performer, teacher, innovator and director is currently working on a new album called Perception . “This album presents music in a new and unique way and promises to open people’s minds. Listeners need to stop breaking down genres and start loving music for its own sake.”
Looking back, Prakash draws his roots from seven generations of musicians in his family. “They were all purely Hindustani classical. I’m the first to add a little more flavour to the family tree. Born and brought up in Varanasi, I moved to Bangalore to do my engineering but, just like those before me, I found my true calling in music and went the way my heart took me.”
‘A listener has no genre’
(Prakash Sontakke. Photo : Bhagya Prakash K)
Belonging to the illustrious Gwalior Gharana, Prakash is the son of Dr. R. B. Sontakke and Dr Mani Sontakke who established the Hindustani Sangeet Vidyapeeth in Bangalore where they have coached hundreds of students. As a mark of respect to them, he set up the Sontakke Global Music Festival which brings together all forms of music onto one platform. “I wanted to educate people on the fact that listening does not require any genre. A listener is not of any genre.”
He echoes the same thoughts in Raagas Everywhere, another musical he produces. “Every single raga and melody by itself connects to our life. So I try to tell people that you are surrounded by ragas – be it in rock, blues, jazz or pop. We are singing so many songs and playing music without knowing that they are ragas. Do not think Indian classical music is exclusive. It includes everything and everyone. It is not a sacred exercise and I am trying to demystify it because it is far more enjoyable than it is perceived to be.”
Sontakke revolutionised the Swar Veena where he plays Indian ragas in a Western format. He also performs on a customised tear-drop Weissenborn, a dobro and electric lap steel guitars in Hindustani style apart from the Hawaiian slide guitar. The 42-year-old is on a mission.
“I’m pursuing a Ph.D on the growth and development of the Hawaiian slide guitar in Indian Classical music. To this day we don’t have an independent vocabulary for the Hawaiian guitar in India. Our only references are the sarod and the sitar which are totally different instruments. It’s high time the slide guitar has its own reference.”
To upcoming musicians, he recalls a phrase he heard at a talk once. “A question was asked on who will be the best speaker and the answer was the best listener. The same applies to music. The more you listen, the lesser will be the difficulties you need to go through in breaking through in music.”
He adds that a musician’s ability to interact with others is important. “A musician has to understand where not to play.
“Collaboration is how to make the other person sound better. Everyone should produce music that appeals to the layman as well as receives accolades from music connoisseurs. Gone are also the days when youngsters shun classical music. The younger generations of today have some amazing ideas to share and are extremely talented.”
