GAURAV
BALANI
ARTIST OF THE MONTH:
Tell us about your latest song Say your prayers
This song was like therapy for me. I was dealing with
some issues on the personal front and writing this song
was like getting out all my emotions and being done with
it. I got to try out some ideas that I had never been able to
think off before. But most of all, it was the fact that I got to
work with an amazing video director and some amazing
musicians on this track. I had always wanted to shoot a
live video of a studio performance to capture the essence
of an unedited and raw take. We were able to achieve
that despite the various obstacles we faced during the
making of this song and the video. It was a great learning
experience for me because I was trying out this concept
for the first time and I feel better equipped to try it out
again very soon for the next Inalab collaboration.
For this song, you have collaborated with some
stalwarts from the country. How did you choose
the artists you wanted to collaborate with?
I was very fortunate to get to work with the amazing
musicians on this song. I've known them for as long as I
can remember and I always wanted to feature them on
an Inalab song which showcases their talent in a very
different light. When I finished my draft of the song,
I knew in my head what kind of sound I was looking
for and these guys were the perfect fit for it. They
were kind enough to take out time from their touring
schedule and help me finish the song and the video.
Message you are trying to send across through this song
The song is just trying to convey a very simple message
which we often forget and that is - Life can be extremely
unpredictable. The best thing that we can do is adapt
to the situation and hope for the best, but the most
important thing is to not lose yourself with all the
murkiness. Whatever it is that we're dealing with will
be over in due time and in fact in many cases it can be
over when you want it to, it's a matter of perspective.
Being an independent musician, what's your take on the current
Indian scene?
The current Indian indie scene is going through an extreme
transition. Anything and everything is being accepted as
long as it's being done with integrity. The audience is very
accepting of all sorts of genres and are even willing to pay
for the music that they really appreciate. In my humble
opinion, the bollywood music is too saturated in today's
date and a lot of the audience from that side of the world is
gravitating towards various genres which aren't traditionally
mainstream and that is making things a little better for
the independent artists. We've seen some amazing talent
gain phenomenal popularity over the last few years in the
independent scene. There's just a lot more competition though
and that is also a really good thing because for the most part
of it only the really serious artists will want to fight through
it and constantly reinvent themselves to remain relevant.
What makes your track stand out from the usual?
Firstly, its an extremely experimental track where any
listener can hear the various influences of all the musicians
that have performed on it. The idea was to push the
boundaries harmonically when it comes to psychedelic rock
music. I tried out an insane amounts of analog and digital
synthesizers before narrowing down upon the sounds that
are on the record. The tabla solo layered right before the
crescendo is a bit of a surprise too for a "traditional" rock
song. Also, the main melody of the song is played on the bass.
That doesn't happen too often either.
Trivia:
He has a diary that contains all the shows that he’s ever played, including the initial college completions! With proper entries of all
the show details. Date venue band and session fee, till date!
18
The
Score Magazine
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