In the year 2000, a 10-year-old Sid Sriram stumbled upon a local Jazz station in Fremont, California. Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’ was playing, and he was riveted. From there, he got to listening to Soul/R&B artists such as Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke and Luther Vandross. Something about how they vocalised really resonated with him.
Sriram was introduced to Carnatic music as a child and was hooked to the unbridled emotion in the voices of MS Subbulakshmi, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Madurai Mani Iyer. “We had a cassette recording of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer singing ‘ Navasiddhi Petralum ’ that I was obsessed with,” he says.
And, as a five-year-old, he recalls listening to ‘ Nila Kaikirathu ’ on repeat – his introduction to AR Rahman. “It felt like my mind was opened to new creative dimensions. From the emotion-filled, catchy melodies to the immense attention to sonic production to the mind blowing arrangement decisions, I was in love with his music,” he admits.
Through his time at the Berklee College of Music (Boston), he was exposed to different soundscapes, genres and composition/writing methods. “That’s where I started composing and writing my own music; my vision really started taking shape,” he adds.
In concert
In Boundless , his performance at the 13th edition of The Hindu November Fest in Chennai, Sriram promises a “truly immersive experience”. Sriram’s career has been defined by instances of different worlds impacting one another, giving birth to new and unique experiences. “I wanted to bring a little order to this otherwise chaotic process, consciously play with the cross-germination of different artistic dimensions, with each point carefully orchestrated. My goal is to communicate how powerful the breaking down of artistic barriers can be, when grounded in thought, intention, and a true understanding of all the forms that are being experimented with,” he explains.
Conceptually, Sriram has explored the idea of comparing the span of a day from dawn to dusk, to the span of a lifetime. Deepthi Govindarajan, filmmaker/screenwriter and he have created simple and abstract visuals to provide the ambience for this experience. The performance will also feature Pallavi Sriram, a Bharatanatyam artist he has worked with for over a decade.
He is also excited about the musicians he will perform with — Sanjeev Thomas on guitar, Leon James on keys, Keba Jeremiah on bass, Praveen Sparsh on percussion, Tapass Naresh on drums and Marti Bharath on synth, live loops and sound effects. “I want the audience to be transported to a different world once they enter the auditorium,” he concludes.
Dates and Venue
CHENNAI:
November 10, The Music Academy
Sponsors:
- Powered by - Fiat
- Associate Sponsor – Hindustan University & Nova Life Spaces (Chennai)
- TV Partner – Doordarshan
- Hospitality Partner – Taj Coromandel (Chennai), Taj Krishna (Hyderabad), Taj Westend (Bengaluru)
- Radio Partner - Radio One (Chennai), Fever (Bengaluru & Hyderabad)
- Sound Partner – Zebronics
- Instrument Partner – Furtados (Bengaluru)
- Water Partner – Aachi
- Mall Partner - Ampa Skywalk
At a glance:
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