Looking Forward 2015: Music to the Ears

Gauri Diwakar and Aakash Odedra

Aditi Mangaldas on Diwakar and Odedra: These dancers are trained in Kathak but have developed their skills and imaginations in different ways. To me, Gauri (pictured right) is one of the leading Kathak dancers in the country. She has that special combination of grace and strength, dynamics and stillness, technique and abhinaya. She also has a keen eye for literature and is hungry to explore more. Aakash Odedra (pictured above), on the other hand, is like lightening, like a deer, who leaps across the stage and makes your heart want to do the same. He is unafraid in his mind, heart and body. His complete immersion and passion and keen sense of aesthetics expand the boundaries of Kathak. Multiplicity brings forth excellence, and though both these dancers vary greatly in their approach or technique of dance, their underlying strength is excellence, which is bound to take them far.

Sohrab’s is a beautifully produced sound, with a lot of piano layered with a wonderful, whimsical voice.

Sohrab Nicholson

Uday Benegal on Nicholson: A fantastic singer-songwriter, Sohrab’s is a beautifully produced sound, with a lot of piano layered with a wonderful, whimsical voice. I heard him in Bangalore and his music has stayed with me. He knows how to use his voice well, and creates something which is a little difficult to label. I met Sohrab when he had released his first EP, For What. His other EP Cold Water is doing well and his unique voice will grab more attention in the coming year. It would be nice to collaborate with him in the future.

Nitin Sharma

Shovana Narayan on Sharma: At a concert some months ago, I heard Nitin’s vocal recital, and he was absolutely superb. A disciple of Pandit Ajay Pohankar and Pandit Krishna Kant Jha, he has a good command over technicalities and voice modulation, which enhances the rendering of a raga. At the concert he delineated raag Malik, which showed his prowess and command apart from a great voice quality.

Dhruv Visvanath 

Subir Malik on Visvanath: Singer-songwriter and percussive guitarist Dhruv is also a trained pianist and can play around with the drums too. One sees all the sensibilities coming together in his music. Pick any song by him and you will find a certain sincerity to his music. I have played with him in the past and have enjoyed the experience. Dhruv plays a tight set and is likely to be the darling of 2015.

F16s 

Surojit Dev on F16s: I discovered a year-old Chennai-based, post indie punk band, called F16s, quite recently at NH7 Kolkata. In terms of songwriting, they are rockstars. Before them a similar kind of sound came from Supersonics. Never in the recent days has one seen such great level of presentation and such a tight set. They played on the Red Bull Tour Bus, where all of them stood in one line and performed. But there isn’t anyone quite close to them at this time.

Skrat plays brilliant, tight sets and their sound is like any other international band.

Skrat

Amit Kilam on Skrat: I would pick the three-piece Chennai-based alt-rock band called Skrat. They should be the ones doing the killing next year. They play brilliant, tight sets and their sound is like any other international band. With TT Sriram on guitar and vocals, Satish Narayanan on bass and backing vocals and Tapass Naresh on drums, their energy and spunk is to kill for.

Niladri Kumar

Pandit Daewoo Chaudhury on Kumar: I’m quite fond of Niladri and what he does with the sitar. I like the fluidity in his playing. He has developed a brilliant technique over the last few years. As fond as I am of his music over sitar, his zitar (the electronic version of a sitar) hasn’t appealed much to me. The moment you amplify the melody, it loses its touch. He’s yet to grow, but for now he is among the finest young artistes.

Manjushri Patil

Madhup Mudgal on Patil:  At this year’s annual festival organised by Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, there was a petite, frail girl, who surprised me with the power in her lungs. Her voice is steady and extremely powerful. Taiyaari kaafi achhi hai awaz mein. She is equally adept at singing khayal and semi-classical music. She has a command over rare Indian classical ragas, those complex structures that have eluded many singers for a very long time.