The Score Magazine - Archive August 2009 Issue | Page 23

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its seams. Further, almost all the genres of music and noise had its own
significant following in the city. And it was in Bangalore that Ek the Band
took its first step.
Amongst all the clamour and din, Ek decided to keep its genre simple. A
genre that “was really very connected to Indian culture, tradition and her-
itage and a music that came from the soul rather than any
instrument.”(to quote Bharath, the keyboardist and back-
ground vocalist). Music taxonomists, for the benefit of the
masses call this ‘Indian fusion’, though music lexicogra-
phers have come up with sub-genres such as Indian colloi-
dal fusion, Indian emulsion fusion, Western-Indian fusion
gel, each component exerting its own Van der Waal’s force
in the dipolarized mixture, we shall desist from any further
deeper physical speculation. In a spur-of-the-moment act,
that always exudes an air of profundity when viewed in
hindsight, the band was christened “Ek” at a Sunday jam.
They embarked on their odyssey to create ‘an eclectic mix
of original Hindi lyrics sung with a tinge of Indian classical
music with the right blend of energetic riffs and rhythms.’
It was with this that Ek was adjudged third best band in the
Radio City 91.1 FM Best Hindi Band.
Ask them what makes them “Ek” ? Aveer, lead guitarist of
the band answers, “‘A deep desire to create music we be-
lieve in has united us”. “Ek means we are THE one, there
can be no other” says Mahesh, the drummer of the band.
“The neighbours with whom we share our jam room think
Ek is spelt Ache thanks to the noise we manage to gener-
ate.” he says. Though the band is yet to secure a recording
contract, their songs uploaded on www.myband.co.in and
on their website have received an unprecedented number
of plays and Darbari Jam (a song based on the Hindustani
raga Darbari orchestrated in a minor scale) is currently
contending for the top spot on the most frequently lis-
tened to songs on the myband site.”I eat Ek, I drink Ek, I
sleep Ek, I breathe Ek and dream Ek . My wife says she is
my ‘second’ wife as my first wife is Ek,” says Shashank.
The mast has been hoisted and the sails have been set but
the tireless wind of time is sure to test Ek and it asks them
a few questions. Can they truly create an acculturated oeu-
vre that sounds at once familiar and yet is something en-
tirely new? Can the lyrics of their songs be not hackneyed
versions of film songs containing the usual metaphors of
wind, water, rain, moon, traveller etc. but something en-
tirely unique borne out of a search, a need and a personal
experience? Can people who hear them for the first time
not say that they sound like Euphoria or Indian Ocean?
And lastly, Do they really and truly have the talent and all
that it takes in them to discover a new land? Bharath, the
keyboardist of the band answers, “I don’t think. I know
that we will make it big. We have what it takes!”