After EDM and reggae, music forms like soul, trip-hop and acid house are making their way into the Delhi music scenario. The popularity of these experimentative sounds is largely due to the growing number of venues and influence of the Internet, musicians tell Shrabasti Mallik
It was not the normal headbanging weekday at Defence Colony Social with a band playing some popular Bryan Adams track and songs of a famous boy band. One section of the crowd seemed to enjoy the ‘new sound’ being played by Eshaan Trivedi. What sounded new to the listeners was the acid jazz genre, which originated at the london club scene in the mid-80s. “It’s not new to the world. But the genre did not get much exposure in India,” says Trivedi.
Genres like EDM, reggae and alternative funk are already popular in India, owing to popular music festivals like Sunburn, VH1 and Emerge, featuring international artistes. But there are some unexplored genres like acid jazz, psychedelic and trip-hop, that a few Delhi-based musicians are experimenting with.
Know your genre
Most of the genres that are surfacing now in the Delhi music scene have been around for quite some time but mainly through their subgenres. According to Delhi-based musician Vinit R Rai, genres like acid jazz and acid house have been in India since the mid 80s but “started becoming popular among the audience when they were presented in the forms of their subgenres like trance and psychedelic rock.”
Trivedi, on the other hand, believes in educating his audience and creating awareness about the new genres “because there is a rich history behind the origin of every music form which music lovers should know.” For that, he started a project called Fool’s Errand seven years ago. He adds, “It was and still is an attempt to explore depths of these genres.”
Soul music originated out of the Black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel, rhythm and blues. “There were many blue-eyed soul artistes, notable among them was Sade,” he tells us.
Trip-hop is a form of electronic hip hop and originated in the UK in the 90s. “Trip-hop is not just restricted to a DJ or to a rapper unlike hip hop. It is little complicated because it has melody, synths and a lot of sampling (where a musician takes sample of a composition and uses that in the song). It is a different production technique,” explains Trivedi, adding that most of the music he plays involves a lot of sampling.
The modern day pop music is largely influenced by acid house, a subgenre of house. In the 90s America, it was an underground genre. But now pop stars like Kanye West, Madonna and Britney Spears have used acid sound in their tracks.
Influence and acceptance
Influences of some of these genres have been there in Indian music, especially Bollywood, since the times of RD Burman and Anandji Kalyanji. Bollywood music of the 70s used funk elements and the song Bachna Ae Haseeno, sung by Kishore Kumar, is one of the many examples. Says Trivedi, “Indian musicians have used these genres in their music, sometimes even without realising it.”
It has been tough for the practitioners of new music forms to find an audience. Rai mentions that Indians have been listening to live and electronic music for the past two decades. “But the entire music scene was different back then. Most people did not know about jazz and disco but they enjoyed Bollywood songs composed on these genres. I feel that somewhere psychedelic music is, in a little way, influenced by Indian classical music because of the beats,” he says.
These are all experimentative genres, mentions Trivedi. “This is the right time for experimenting because there is a section of music lovers who are opening up to this kind of music. This is the best time to push new genres and educate people,” he says. Rapper Anshit Sharma feels that there is a niche audience for these genres and that there are a lot of artistes pursuing them. “The Indian audience always had a specific section of listeners who followed new genres. They encouraged new musicians to experiment, explore and practice new forms of music,” says Sharma.
All of them agree on the fact that the acceptance is coming about largely due to the influence of the Internet, which is also prompting budding musicians to try and delve into lesser-known genres.
Spot that!
In the 80s there were roughly two places in Delhi that offered and promoted something new — Ghungroo and Fireball. But with the advent of musical shows, concerts and the influence of the Internet, there are many places popping up in and around the Capital. Trivedi credits the rise in the number of musicians for the increasing number of venues. “With listeners opening up to new styles and genres, there has been a demand of places to play this kind of music. There are many places at Cyber Hub and Hauz Khas Village that promote new talent,” he concludes.