Acapella; or the song of tomorrow
The sweetest melodies are always pure. And, what can be more purer than singing " in the manner of the chapel ", or as they say it in Italy, ' acapella '.
Acapella or the art of singing without any musical accompaniment, is in itself a remarkably revolutionary idea. Indeed, such a rebellious spirit could only be best contained in our times. There is some fresh hope that amidst the cacophony of today ' s noisy overdose, perhaps acapella, would strike like a resounding gong. The belief is strong in the hearts of the young and the independent who live by Morrison ' s words and dream by Jarmusch ' s frames.
Today, this form of music has been popularized to be at the core of the alternative music scene thanks to the cultural impetus provided by the Western high schools and the films like Pitch Perfect and Glee. From lip-trills, to diaphragmatic tongue rolls, the voice percussion is so hot and hip, that it has made people groove to songs like Saare Jahan Se Achcha and Vande mataram, as it were a hip hop chartbuster.
Acapella does one thing to your soul, it conditions it to welcome newer tastes in life. So we are happily into bad coughs, choked out vocal cords and dry hushes- for in them, for the first time, we have found music!
India, the melting point of different cultures have welcomed a host of acapella groups with open hands.
PENN MASALA
This is an invigorating tale of a group of University students who came together to make it big, with nothing but only their voices. Formed in 1996. this is apparently the oldest of all the Hindi acapella groups in existence. Some students of the University of Pennsylvania, revolutionized the Indian music scene from starting as a fusion band to developing as a characteristically distinct acapella group. Their focus on the mix of the South Asian and the western influence have attracted the eyeballs of the netizens in songs like Dilliwali girlfriend and other hits from their half-a-dozen albums. They have been pretty unabashed in choosing their partners, and the Penn Masala band has thus seen a lot of experimentations, not only on the songs but also on the band formation. This is one band that is a die-hard Bollywood fanatic. Their attempts at tracing the evolution of Bollywood and its music, to its modern rendition, remakes and remixes of many chartbusters; have made them one undisputed leader of this new breed of musical sub-genre.
In the west bands like On the Rocks compete on the reality series like The Sing-Off. This all male band is in line with other young college bands like the Beelzebubs of Tufts University and the Sil ' hooetter of the University of Virginia. However the Indian diasporas are hooked by the likes of the female leads of NY Masti who churned out a marvellous fusion of Adele ' s ' Someone Like You ' with Bollywood ' s ' Iktara ', thanks to the ground-breaking initiative by the Penn Masala, that these new brands are today storming the stages of the west and the east alike.
VOCTRONICA
What happens when a bunch of friends, gifted with an impeccable classical as well as western voice, decides to gel together and form a band. Better yet, they decide to go solo together, without any instruments. Lo! Behold! Voctronica is born. Thanks to their digital prowess this acapella group from Mumbai has already broken into the scene with their quirky numbers and tacky album covers like the Alt J. Voctronica’ s reincarnation of the olden golden jingles, with the collaboration of an Youtube channel AIB have today not only helped in re-packaging the erstwhile‘ church singing’ but also inspired a host of similar bands across the nation.
RAGA TRIPPIN’
Raga Trippin’ has emulsified their singing styles into the
Indian sentiments so well, that it became an overnight sensation. They have found their niche in Bollywood; and they packed a powerful punch in a musical scene bereft of much innovation and activity. Not only have they rocked the Indian stage but have also fired up a
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