MUMBAI: Musicians and music lovers are set to harmoniously mark one of the most important dates in their calendar- 21June or World Music Day. One can expect, especially in the metros, pubs and clubs to be packed with revelers enjoying the music of local talent or established names. Auditoriums and open air spaces have also been booked for shows that will last till the wee hours.
The country’s music industry, especially the indie artists, have made it a point to mark and celebrate the event over the years with shows, release of their works or jamming with fellow musicians.
“We all are musicians; and what more can I say? We live for music and so, it’s a very special day, a day celebrating, what we best- play music,” says Parikrama’s Subir Malik.
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Parikrama will be performing in Pune on this day, as a part of their 22nd anniversary celebrations. They are currently on a five-city tour.
“Music means the world to us. It’s not a job but a passion, a passion for which we live. It’s life for us. It is our prayer it is our spiritual connect.We’ll be performing at a newly opened club- ‘39, Hauz Khas Village’. We’ll concentrate on tracks from our debut album ‘Ampersand’. Otherwise we’ll also do some French material and funk. We have a very special connection with French so we always end up performing a few French materials,” says Delhi based Adil and Vasundhara.
“It’s a great idea to have music as a celebratory event. Music is one of the great expressions of the self and it’s great to be able to have a day to remind us of that. I follow music every day of my life; so for me, I celebrate it all the time, says the musician, actor, programming head of a music channel, Luke Kenny.
A little over 30 years ago, an event to celebrate the summer solstice which falls on 21 June, gave birth to World Music Day. The concept was initiated by American Joel Cohen in 1976 who proposed an all-night music celebration to mark the beginning of the summer solstice. The event only saw the light of day (or the glow of the night sky) in 1982 when the first World Music Day or ‘F?te de la Musique’ was celebrated in Paris.
The central idea behind the day is to make all concerts and music events free to the public.
The event has quickly caught on so much so that it is now celebrated across 514 cities in 104 countries around the world.
“To be honest, everyday is World Music Day for me. Not in the patronizing ‘World Music’ gentrification sense of the term of course, but in the sense that music is what drives me to do what I do and be a part of our independent music scene. The last few years have been very exciting for indie music in India. That excitement and enthusiasm has led to some the creation of some amazing experiences, powered by a growing pool of world-class artists. Unfortunately, it has also led to, in a few places, people having unrealistic expectations of what the opportunities and the possibilities are in this scene at this time. And when those expectations aren’t immediately realized, it’s easy to get cynical and jaded. So on World Music Day, I wish everyone in the music scene (artists, promoters, managers, journalists) to stay grounded, be cool, and listen to music that isn’t on TV, says Mumbai based musician, writer and co-founder NH7 Arjun S Ravi.
Chennai based IndiEarth is marking World Music Day by releasing an exclusive one hour cloud cast –‘Sounds of the Indian Ocean’ – mixed exclusively by Bombay Dub Orchestra. The mix will feature sounds primarily from across the Indian Ocean region – Australia, Comoros, Reunion Island, India and Indonesia.
Not just the artistes and labels, but radio stations, music channels and sites have also joined in the celebrations. While cynics may see this (just) as a commercial venture of an event, the programme heads are making it a point to give music lovers full value of their time for their passion.
Radio City is having a nationwide offering of programmes across their Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Nagpur stations.
The content will include unplugged versions, popular songs with quirky twists, unheard versions of hit songs, mash-ups, music cocktails, tribute to greats like AR Rahman, re launch of popular programme ‘Radio City Antakshari’ and makeover with PlanetRadiocity sporting a brand new station sound with more than 100 artistes featuring throughout the day.
“The best, rarest and purest of music is what we promise listeners on this ‘World Music Day’. The unplugged performances ensure listeners get to hear something never before heard, on radio,” Radio City national programming head Kartik Kalla says.
On the other hand, Radio Mirchi’s RJs Meera and Suren, have got innovative exploring the contribution of instruments on contemporary Bollywood tracks on their popular ‘Sunset Samosa’ show since 17 June. The show culminates on World Music Day, naturally.
Interviews will include guitarist Ehsaan Noorani of (SEL), saluting the works of the Asad Khan who played the instrument for various songs of AR Rahman and interacting with the Flautist Naveen Kumar who has worked with the biggest names from the industry, the station informs.
Following the spirit of the day, international music channel 9XO is celebrating World Music Day by airing the best of World Music from across the globe.
“9XO has created a special programming band titled ‘Out There – A World Music Day Special’, that will air music videos by international artists from Spain, S Korea, Italy, France, Egypt among others. These videos will be aired all through the day on 20 and 21 June 2013.”
“The youth today doesn’t just stick to popular music but is constantly exploring the music from across the world. We at 9XO are celebrating this special day by presenting our viewers with the best of world music from across the globe,” points out 9XO channel head Luke Kenny.
9X Media has also created a music video titled Tung Tucking Ting that will be aired across all 9X Media’s music channels on 21 June to celebrate World Music Day. “The music video beautifully conveys the message that music is contagious. The Tung Tucking Ting music video will definitely resonate well with music lovers,” channel said.
Leading online music provider Hungama.com is also playing melodious music and is celebrating ‘Music Week’ showcasing all styles and genres of music, beginning with pop to ghazals to the super duper hits of the 90’s, retro hits and much more.
