In celebration of the urban wanderer — who wades through the new sights and sounds of India, breathing in its aromas, and basking in its chaos while going about business as usual — is an initiative by Vivanta by Taj, in association with Sony's folktronic ‘UrbanFolk'. It will present a unique collaboration between electronica DJ Bandish Projekt and sufi singer Runa Rizvi.
Timeless entities
Mayur Narvekar is the face behind the Bandish Projekt, and when he isn't turning the discs, he is a composer, producer, re-mixer and multi-instrumentalist. His music does not reveal the surreal sounds of electronica, but blends it with the timeless entities of Classical Indian ragas. Runa, on the other hand, entered the Bollywood scene with the title track of “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na” and later sang the IPL title song ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha'.
“It's a very interesting mix. Mayur with his style of combining tabla with electronica shows he understands the space that Classical needs when it comes together with modern tunes. And I, being a folk, sufi and Classical singer, will be fusing my urban style with electronic music,” explains Runa. .
With folk fusion gaining popularity, both the musicians are looking forward to blending different sounds.
Interesting forms
“Any collaboration that brings music, melody and rhythm together in interesting forms is new or different,” says Runa. “This collaboration is a fresh combination of electronica with Classical / folk and sufi music. It is for listeners who are looking for fresh sounds.”
Chennai is now opening up to different forms of music, allowing artistes to flourish, feel these musicians. “Chennai has a good Indian Classical scene as well as an equal space for modern commercial, pop and rock sounds. We're somewhere in the middle, and I'm sure Chennai has a wide range of listeners for experimental music as well,” says Runa while Mayur adds: “Urbanfolk is a great project for all ages, and is a great platform for aspiring producers and musicians to experience the art of collaboration. The performance is for who we call the Urban Crusoe — the young, contemporary, tech-savvy business traveller, a lover of both work and leisure.”
Bandish Projekt and Runa Rizvi go live today at Blend, Taj Club House. “You will get to see a three-piece band performance with Runa Rizvi on vocals, Shreyas Dave on the flute and me on the tabla and Electronics. We have ragas such as Hamsadhwani, Yaman and Puriya Dhanashri in our compositions,” reveals Mayur.
