| BAND OF THE MONTH |
PARATRA
Tell us how you guys came together and started the band
and current band structure
In Oct 2008, Samron and me met at a common friend's party and
discussed the idea of having a sitar player in his metal band
System House. We started jamming and tried to explore the
possibilities. As we jammed and discovered each other's music
styles, we realized that sitar can actually be a mainstream
instrument in any form of music rather than just fusion and
we did not have to limit ourselves to thrash metal. There on we
were joined by Daniel Dsouza in 2012 and together 3 of us started
Paratra as an experimental psychedelic rock project. We came
out with an EP in 2013 and started performing in Mumbai venues.
Daniel left the band in 2014 and we took a hiatus for 2 years to look
for another vocalist and direction for the band.
In 2016 we started experimenting with electronic music and
immediately got hooked on towards the new limitless sound, with
vocals by Siddharth Basrur and production by Vishal J Singh.
In Nov 2018 post our maiden Europe tour, Samron resigned from
the band. I will be taking Paratra forward along with producer
Vishal J Singh, drummer Aritra Basu, guitarist Saakallya Biswas
and vocals by Siddharth Basrur and Girish Pradhan.
What according to you makes your music unique?
Our biggest USP is we are not genre bound. We can play our music
at rock concerts, electronic festivals, nightclubs, fusion gigs, metal
gigs etc. All our tracks talk about positivity and inspiration. Some
of our tracks are based on Hindustani Classical raagas that is very
unique in indie music.
How do you leverage digital platforms in promoting
your music?
Both our albums Genesis and Testament are available on all
digital platforms. It's the easiest way for people to discover you if
they are looking for something fresh. At the same time, depending
for returns via digital sales is futile unless one goes viral, so it is a
slow and patient process to build your followers and content.
Who are you guys inspired by in making music?
I listen to a plethora of artist across different musical
backgrounds. Right form Paegen rock to Rajashthani folk, from
acid jazz to Bollywood, there is inspiration everywhere! but to
single out, my God of Music is Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Tell us a little bit about your jam sessions and how
they look
Our production jams generally don't have all band members
together. It's always Vishal and me working with 1 more member.
Practice jams for gigs are intense and generally end up in heavy
dinners at junk food joints!
Which has been your best and most favorite performance
till date and why?
Our show in Lisbon, Portugal on the 10th of Nov 2018 was by far
our best performance. As an Indian band on our first Europe tour
we were all going through a lot of physical and emotional stress
and that day we all let it out on stage. We decided to play tracks off
our set list and just go with the vibe. The audience was also very
charged and within our set of 30 mins, we had made the audience
head bang, sway, jump, growl and chant.
How do you keep abreast with the current competition in
the Indie scene?
Indie bands in India are quite a close knit community and I do not
believe there is competition within the community. We actually
have to compete with cover bands / bollywood bands and that is
our nation's harsh reality. The only way Indian indie music is
going global is when we start focusing on promoting
original music.
Upcoming albums
2019 will be releasing 2 new albums.
One is our third album in electronic rock while the second one is
going to be progressive techno
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