MUMBAI: Carnatic Rock God Baiju Dharmajan has announced that he will be releasing Moham, a new single in the 2nd week of July.
The Syndicate frontman, Dharmajan said that the song is about fantasy and desire; it is also about love and care. The song was originally composed by Johnson, a renowned music composer in the Malayalam film industry. The purpose of the new single was to re-create the track with a new perspective which could also serve as a tribute to one of the biggest inspirations in his life. The track is expected to contain haunting and touching melodies.
The Malayalam musician is also currently involved with a Kappa TV project. He will be playing the guitar originals of music by different music directors from different regions including RD Burman and Johnson.
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The pioneer believes that there is no language barrier in music. He says, “It is all about conveying your concept, your emotions and everything you feel to the audience. When you listen to musical masters like Mozart or Beethoven language does not come into the picture, people make a connection with the music. ”
Dharmajan has performed at various college festivals along with his bands Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate and Motherjane. As a part of the latter band, he has also opened for Megadeth and Opeth in 2008. In 2013, he collaborated with Karsh Kale and other big indie artistes during the NH7 festival in Bengaluru. He disclosed that he probably will perform in Kolkata this year, being quite unsure about playing in other cities.
Recalling the experience last year he said, “Collaborations are about connections and different vibes. For me, they are very personal, understanding the artiste and his experiences. Performing with each other is about creating a different kind of music; making music is about getting each other. It is just like playing in a band. Karsh kale is brilliant as a person and a musician; I was fortunate to have played with him.”
The ‘God of Small Strings’ has also worked with the folk metal band ‘The Down Troddence’ about which he expressed, “I love working on different kinds of music projects. I do not really listen to metal but I like those guys and I loved the track ‘Forgotten Martyrs.’ Doing something different is always an adventure like trekking or rock-climbing and so much fun.”
He laughs when you mention that he is one of the pioneers credited with popularising Carnatic Rock, “I do not really know a lot about Carnatic music. It feels humbling and terrific that people have shown so much love but I do not think I deserve that kind of a status.” Being a self taught musician, someone for whom music was the most natural thing, he considers himself to be a musically ignorant person theoretically.
The brilliant guitarist has been influenced by musicians from all over like John Anthony of KARNATRIX, Steve Vai, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani and is also a fan of Indian musicians like Illayaraja, Naushad and RD Burman.
While explaining the crossover from Rock to Carnatic Rock he explains, “During my childhood, my dad was a big fan of ghazals and Indian classical music; so I grew up with that. That influenced me and it is very easy for me to play a Malayalam song, understanding ragas and incorporating them with western music.”
The artiste is also positive and wishes to see the young generation become passionate about Indian music. He exclaims, “Everybody is recognising Indian music now. People are over the phase of imitating their foreign counterparts and want to do something different. Musicians want to compose their own original music and it is amazing that they are getting into this genre and field of music.”
As a fairly active social media user, Dharmajan believes in keeping up with technological trends. He said, “Today everything is digital, the internet has become extremely important. Social media is a powerful medium; the most convenient way to interact with the audience.”
Syndicate’s forthcoming album will only be released online towards the end of August this year and made available for download and purchase.
