Classical/Pop roots vocally, but our musical arrangements
have elements of modern RnB/Jazz/Electronica and some
textures inspired by the Classic Rock era. We're very excited to
share this new direction with everybody. Lyrically, it's layered
with emotions of depth and intensity. We want our listeners to
react and express themselves through us.
In this ever growing scene, how do you look at the
independent music scene 5 years from now?
It’s ever evolving. Opportunities are increasing but there is
a dearth of specialized/curated performance venues. We are
forever trying to cultivate and encourage a true listening
culture, where only quality music takes the spotlight. The pay
scale for independent musicians is also something that needs
to be better, a trend which is only seen amongst commercial
acts/celebrity bands right now. The scene could also benefit
from dedicated management which creates opportunities
instead of just seeking them. We expect to see the independent
music scene develop in smaller towns and cities. We would
also like to see more independent music featured in films. We
are hoping for all this and more in the next five years.
You have varied backgrounds and have also performed in
different festivals and venues. Which has been your best
so far and what makes it so special?
We’ve had the honour of sharing the stage with Karsh Kale and
his wonderful collective more than once. We also headlined
Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa with our music for a special
set curated by Ranjit Barot sir. Both experiences top our
list primarily because such reputed musicians have shown
incredible faith in our music. Beyond this, we've also played
in the tiniest of venues with the most intimate, keen listeners.
Such shows restore our faith in the scene. We also have two
incredible collaborations/performances coming up in our
debut USA tour which should top our list for sure. It feels
special to play for our international fans who motivated us to
keep writing music, right from the beginning.
How do you use technology in making music?
Everything from designing the sounds and textures to recording
and arranging our music, is through technology. We compose
the melodies organically and the essence is created on the spot
but we understand and embrace technology to capture and
present all of it. We also rely on it for our live performances.
Sometimes we joke that our Mac makes us a trio!
Living in an era where social media has sort of taken over
the world, do you think it is important for a musician to be
on it? How do you as a band leverage the digital space?
It's important to have an online presence that keeps everyone
updated about the music and helps them connect personally.
But it’s important to use social media only for quality content,
not for random posts. It’s also important not to overdo it or let
it take over the musical creativity. The craft comes first. We
understand that unfortunately social media has become more
important than ever before but we always approach it with
caution. Having said that, everyone reading this - Do follow us
on instagram/facebook/twitter! :D
If there was one artist you would like to collaborate with,
who would it be and why?
Individually we have different artists in mind (for Anindo
it’s Imogen Heap, Seal and Sting; for Pavithra it’s Anoushka
Shankar, A R Rahman and Nitin Sawhney). But as Shadow
and Light we wo uld love to collaborate with the Vienna
Philharmonic or London Symphony Orchestra and have live
musicians take our music forward. It would be an honour to
experience Snarky Puppy re-interpret our songs one day!
Maybe we can have a 'family dinner' with them too :P
Describe your perfect jam room
The perfect jam room for us is our Plug ‘N’ Play Studios, New
Delhi. Its cozy size and inspiring vibe has led us to write all
28 of our songs. It’s got the best energy for us and we wouldn’t
change it for anything.
What personal advice would you like to give someone
who is on the verge of choosing this path?
The first thing is to master the craft. Nothing comes before
that. It's also got to be a one way street, if one starts pondering
back up/fall back options right in the beginning, then it's not
going to be a worth the struggle. It's a game of a lot of patience
and self believe. Once you've put in the hours, it’s wait and
watch (be prepared for a lot of waiting..)
What were the challenges you faced as a duo when you
started out?
The main challenge has been to get the music out there. The
internet in this regard is both a boon and a curse but we feel
like we’ve pushed hard enough to spread the music and we’re
thankful for magazines like yours who’ve taken notice and
reached out to us. Sometimes we felt that it would be nice to
feature more musicians in the live performance, so we brought
on board Steve Peter and Aveleon Giles Vaz as the rhythm
section for bigger venues and festivals. Another challenge
has been to drive home the thought that art doesn't exist only
to make listeners feel happy and light all the time. Art has to
make you think and react.
Your influences/ inspiration in the music space
We do have many greats in mind, but we feel we inspire each
other a lot. What also adds to our process is the time of day,
and our state of mind. But we’ve noticed that our best work
happens when we don’t mean to write anything. Beyond
musical knowledge and caliber, we also respect and admire
artists who are humble and down to earth. For example, we
appreciate artists who thank their crew after a show, who are
approachable and encourage upcoming talent and who are
ready to speak their mind at all times.
What's the strangest thing you've heard from a fan at a
festival/ concert?
"You guys are good but you should start and end your set with
Bollywood music. You can do a few of your songs in the middle
if you really need to." Another ‘fan’ tapped Anindo’s shoulder
in the middle of our performance to asked him to play ‘Happy
Birthday’ for his girlfriend.
What's your plan for 2018? Tell us about your upcoming
projects
We are releasing our third studio album next month, in March.
We have an album launch India tour planned and we’re happy
to share that we’ll be going on our first USA tour this year. We
would like to extend our gratitude to each person who helped
put the tour together. We’ve also collaborated on two songs for
an upcoming album with Karsh Kale, Amaan and Ayaan Ali
Bangash. And we have some more incredible collaborations
and associations to announce very soon. So loads to look
forward to in 2018!
Stay tuned for more!
The
Score Magazine
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