Mumbai gigs: Metal meets Carnatic

Chidaksa

A metal song followed by a Hindustani number in the same set of original compositions by the band on stage - it may sound strange, but the way these Kochi guys make their sound work for them, is like a breath of fresh air at a time when we are still haunted by genre classification.

"It's almost like taking the listeners on a trip. We're influenced by progressive rock, metal and Carnatic and Hindustani music. I believe the diversity of our influences is our strength," says Sachin Rajeev, vocalist and songwriter of Chidakasha, a Kochi-based band making its Mumbai debut this week.

The band members met via a city musicians community called Showtime Kochi, and Sachin joined college friends Arjun Subrah (lead guitars), Rohit Sanjay (bass) and Dixon Dennis (drums) to form the four-piece. "I asked Arjun initially if he wanted to be a part of a new project I wanted to work on and then, Di­xon, who was already in five bands here, came on board as well," adds Sachin.

Their song composition process is akin to that of an organic band, where new music is born out of jam sessions. Sachin composes the vocal melodies, jots down the lyrics and some basic guitar chords. The band gets together and jams till the song is complete. Rajeev shares the visual idea in his mind when he writes the songs with the band. "We explain the image to the audience so they can connect to it more," adds Sachin.

Like their song Pemaari, which translates to heavy rain or downpour in Malayalam, is a metal song that came together one rainy evening in Kochi. But with the elements they are juggling, it could get tricky. And so, he informs, "We try to fuse Carnatic and Hindustani elements in a way that it actually sounds like a raga."

As for the music scene back home, the formation of supportive communities like Arbor Vitae, Micdrop and The heART, has helped the city which doesn't have a live performance venue to host monthly gigs, leaving it to these communities to organise them. "The city is yet to have a culture where a venue hires a programmer for weekly gigs. Although weekends are music heavy. But yes, being a full-time musician in Kochi is hard, but not impossible," adds Sachin. Their original set in Lower Parel will be their last before they release their EP.

ON: January 10, 9 pm
AT: Levi's Lounge, New Mahalaxmi Silk Mills, Lower Parel.

The Ocean

Dose of German metal
German progressive metal band The Ocean is making its India deb­ut this Saturday with a gig in Khar. Founded in 2000 by German guitarist Robin Staps, this is part of their five-city tour, and they will be playing with Mumbai-based Jatin Talukdar Project. The outfit is known for their progressive sound while retaining signature growls and has garnered a large fanbase in India, even though they took two years to establish a stable line-up. They released a part of their album, called Palaeozoic in November 2018, while its concluding part is expected to be released in 2019.

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