Singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Raghav Sachar pays tribute to his favourite video game, Super Mario Brothers, in his signature style. By Ayushi Sharma

Can you recall those days when engaging with Super Mario’s adventures, typically in the fictional mushroom kingdom, after school was our prime entertainment? Mario was often joined by his brother Luigi, and occasionally by other characters. The player runs and jumps across platforms as well as atop enemies in various levels of the game. For sure, by now the 90s kids must have pictured every bit of the video game, right up to the dragon and rescuing the kidnapped princess Peach from the primary antagonist, Browser.

Undoubtedly, Super Mario has been one of the most influential games for multiple generations. And singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Raghav Sachar has paid a tribute to it in his signature style where he is dressed as Mario and Luigi. The main instruments used are the alto, soprano and tenor saxophones along with some other woodwind instruments like piccolo and flute. The trumpet adds bass, and all of this is blended in with electronic instruments like the guitar, seaboard and the keytar.

How did you first conceptualise it? What was the idea behind?

I always wanted to create my own rendition of the Super Mario Brothers theme as it was such an amazing melody. It had a lot of nostalgic value for me and, I am sure, for every child born in the 80s and the 90s. The idea was to do my best to showcase the variety of instruments that I play to emphasize the different stages and melodies of the game. To take things a notch further, I am even dressed up like Mario and Luigi playing various instruments in the video. I wanted the audio to sound larger than life and ended up creating a massive wind symphony of the music. It’s my tribute to the makers of the game and the creator of the theme who composed it only with 8bit sound as that was the only thing available then.

Since Mario was a video game of the 90s primarily, do you aim to cater to that age group only? If not, how do you think rest of the audience will relate to it?

Mario has been developed over the years and a new cooler version is available for the millennials to play. It does not have the same theme though but they might be able to relate to the character. However, it will hold a lot more nostalgic value for the people who have played the original game because my rendition is a tribute to that version. I hope that the youngsters and musicians see my video from the point of view of a musical extravaganza.

You have used various instruments for this composition. How difficult was it to synchronise them together so that one doesn’t overshadow the other?

I have recorded over 100 audio tracks and featured 11 different instruments. It was crucial that I identify which section would feature which instrument in the foreground. Since it is a wind symphony, woodwinds like saxophones and flute along with trumpet (brass) take centre stage with drums and percussion keeping the energy alive and electric instruments giving the modern vibe. Synchronising all the instruments was very difficult. Mixing and mastering 100 live tracks and making everything heard at the right place was tiring and cumbersome. I would do a mix and hear it on various systems like my car, headphones, small speakers and more. It took many attempts and days before I was satisfied with the final video.

What is peculiar about the video that you have created?

The most peculiar thing would be that the game is a part of the video. I wanted it to evoke that feeling of nostalgia among viewers when they hear and watch it. The editing process took ages because finding the right clips and then inserting the sound effects of the game along with multiple other screens of me playing so many different instruments was a huge task. The process of creating this audio and video took more than six months, which is the longest that I have taken to create anything so far.

You do a lot of film tracks often, how is your creative process for them different from the songs for albums?

Private albums and single are an artistes’ true calling because he/she is not directed to create it. Creation of Mario has been a passion project for me and it took much more time than I had initially anticipated purely because it’s musically very challenging and complicated. Film work is very different and is very ‘agenda’ oriented. The makers always need a ‘HIT’, which frankly no music director can confirm 100 per cent. I feel when you approach music from a commercial point of view rather than a creative point of view, there’s a lot of imbalance and the process is more mechanical rather being organic and intuitive.

Most of the industries are suffering because of the pandemic. Do you think the music industry is affected as the songs are already online?

This is an unprecedented situation that no one had foreseen. Frankly no one has any answers to what’s going on and when will it end. The industries worldwide have been hit and it will take a really long time for all of us to bounce back to our regular routines and for the fear to go away. Music as an industry has the highest demand during this time. In fact, it can easily be classified under essentials because people rely on it to relax themselves, meditate, feel spiritual, reinforce love, experience heartbreak and become positive in their overall outlook towards life. Creating music and releasing it is not as difficult if you are a producer like me who pretty much is self sufficient. If I want any singer to record on my audio, then I can send files to them via internet and mostly everyone who is engaged in making music has a small setup at home. It is also easier to release audio tracks without videos because it can literally be done from home and does not require manpower. We don’t do that as much in India because every artiste wants a video to go along with the audio and that costs a lot more money and time while involving many more people.

Is there a specific reason you planned to release it now amid this global crisis? Do you think it will affect its viewership?

This track was supposed to release in March with a big press conference and a performance on various instruments by me for the media to capture. Initially, I wanted to wait and release it after the lockdown but then when I realised that there is uncertainty about how long we will be stuck like this, I decided to entertain the audience while they have fewer distractions. I think it will be a very uplifting video for many and I am expecting huge viewership because the game is not limited to India. It was a huge success worldwide and there are many communities who love Mario. I wish the circumstances were different but life still goes on...