indie indian bands
by Aashna Aggarwal on March 17, 2015
Posted in: Music, My Shows, World
Inspired by a buzzfeed (ya, i know) post, I decided to dedicate this week’s playlist to indie bands based in India. I usually do songs from Bollywood movies so this was also a journey of discovery for me.
Read on for a summary of my playlist and also the artists. Some, if not all, of these artists are pretty amazing and it’s always nice to support independent music.
Max Godman – “Dear Mother”
An acoustic musician from India, Max Godman’s style is laid back. This instrumental number is a great way to start your morning. The disk spinning / scratching throughout the song is a little strange but definitely adds to the melody.
Tejas Menon – “Stationary”
A singer-songwriter from Mumbai, Tejas Menon works in digital advertising. He makes music in his free time and has just released his first EP called Small Victories. The song is v croony and reminds me of John Mayer.
Prateek Kuhad – “Raat Raazi”
A recent NYU grad, Prateek is now based in New Delhi, India. He has been described as “folksy soft pop rock” and immediately puts you at ease. He released his debut album In Tokens and Charms this January. The lyrics of Raat Raazi speak of a beautiful evening filled with love and happiness.
The F16s – “Blackboard”
According to their SoundCloud page, The F16s play alternative dance music borne out of frustration with a barren and flaccid cityscape. If you like Arctic Monkeys, Foals or Two Door Cinema Club, you’ll love em. The song starts off chill and progressively gets more dancy. You will be groovin’ to it.
Nicholson – “For What ||”
From Mumbai, this artist gives you a taste of electronic music. It’s great music to listen to while doing reading or while walking to class. The video is soft, sensual and you must watch it.
Dhruv Visvanath – “Rain”
A percussive acoustic guitarist, he goes by the street name of Guitar Spanker. A self taught musician, Visvanath works in New Delhi. Rain is an instrumental track and you can definitely hear Bollywood influences.
Meera Shenoy – “Dil Yeh Awaaz De”
Meera lives in Pune and has been performing since 2011. She sings in English, Hindi, French and Spanish, her specialty being “kick-your-feet-back/pour-yourself-a-glass-of-wine kinda music.” The title of the song means the heart is calling and trust me, your heart will be calling.
Parvaaz – “Beparwah”
Parvaaz came together in 2010 when Khalid Ahmed and Kashif Iqbal, childhood friends from Kashmir, met in Bangalore. They started jamming and lo and behold, a rock band slowly began to form. Since then, the band has performed a good amount and recently even opened for alt J!
Madboy/Mink – “Taste Your Kiss”
Madboy/Mink are a Funk-Nu Disco duo from Mumbai, India. They combine dirty electro and funk with old school Harlem swing using not only a live guitar but also synthesizers and soulfully destroyed vocals and vocoders to play a mod–nu disco anti aesthetic.
The Koniac Net – “Chasing After You”
Digging into their facebook page, here’s the explanation I found for the band name- “a paradoxical/oxymoronic optimistic & cynical representation of how life’s surprises/plans for you have reason & purpose, and are justified at random points of time in our lives, even though we might not be aware of it.” Who doesn’t love a rock band that loves philosophy? Also they’re from Mumbai and I’m from Mumbai and ya. The video is a crazy animation filled with shapes and creatures and goo.
Live Banned – “The Auto Tune”
Live Banned describe themselves as a concept and as entertainment. The album If You Park Here Your Tyre Will Be Air Out reflects a sound that has elements of South Indian music, disco, pop, electronica, rock, metal and even dubstep. They use a lot of satirical humor in their songs, which sometimes doesn’t go down too well, but other times is hilarious. The Auto Tune is the band’s take on the exorbitantly high fares asked by auto drivers in cities like Bangalore and Chennai.
tune in next week for more indie bands!
