Vidwan stormed into the Malayalam music industry two years back, with the tag – ‘folk electronic alternative’ band. Their music was lapped up by the industry. And now, after a brief hiatus, the band is back with a bang and how.
The forthcoming Boban Samuel-movie, Romans , starring Biju Menon and Kunchacko Boban, has an original sound track (OST) by the band. Also, they’ve composed two songs for debutant Shyam Mohan’s flick, 8.20 . “‘Kaithola…’ one of our singles posted on the YouTube, was noticed by the makers of Romans . The OST in Romans , ‘Mele manathoodano…’, is one of our older compositions. Sudhi Velamanoor has written the lyrics. It catches the theme of the movie, something on the lines of ‘Ayyappan kuyyappan…’ from Salt N Pepper by Avial,” says Vivek. The promotional music video featuring the band is ready to go on air. “The music video has been shot and it was fun,” says Anoop, who also croons the catchy, folk number for us.
“The OST, a folk alternative track, is very special for us. We were given a lot of freedom by the film’s crew,” says Vivek. Of the two tracks in 8.20 , both have been composed and sung by the band. One of them, ‘Toddy…’, is the other single that the band released sometime ago.
The members of Vidwan have been friends for a long time. “We present our own compositions. We were particular that the music we create should be original. That is possible because this band is a collective of artistes who can come up with individual contributions,” Vivek says, adding: “The songs embody the influences of each member. We take our influences from Hindustani, Carnatic and traditional folk music as well as hip-hop and contemporary electronic music.” Of the lot, except for Ben (who is working in Technopark), the others are freelance musicians who play for other musicians or singers.
As they eagerly wait for the song in Romans to go on air, the musicians are working on an album as well. “We have completed nine to 10 songs. If things go well, we might bring out an album by March or April next year,” Vivek says.
The line-up
Anoop Mohandas (vocals), Yakzan Gary Pereira (keyboard), Ben Sam Jones (bass guitar), Tao Issaro (percussion and synth), Vivian Varghese (drums and percussion) and Vivek Thomas (vocals, guitar and synth)
