I started with ‘Damal Chele’ off their eponymous album, and it was a good one to dip my toes in. Their music holds itself to impressive standards, and yet, builds itself around a nerve of casual serenity. There are numerous moments when it twirls on the edge of incoherence, but the effect seems almost purposeful and is perceived only after numerous replays. This quality, coupled with stellar production, might just be the perfect encapsulation of what this band represents – a thoughtful ease. ‘Kato Gai‘ toes the same line of sentiment, but dwindles into trippier phonetic territories. This altering of inclination keeps the listener in the throes of a pleasant anticipation that is amply satiated by the last song.

Bemanan started, as Diptanshu Roy puts it,

“I knew Sayatya and Zubin from their Jack Rabbit days. I guess they knew me as the mandolin player for Fiddler’s Green. I had met them a couple of times at various gig venues and at Sayatya’s music school called Space. At some point Sayatya called me to check if I am keen on playing with them as a part of a new trio, doing acoustic original music. That’s how we met and started jamming on a few songs, and very soon we came up with the name Bemanan and did our Choupahari sessions.”

The Choupahari sessions had the three guys standing in the green recesses of the Choupahari forest at Shantiniketan and singing to the accompaniment of their strings as well as the wind and the shiver of the leaves. As seen in the video below, they are entirely unperturbed by dogs lounging around or a cyclist whirring by. A better introduction to their sound could not be imagined.

Satyata Mallick sees it as :

“… freeing ourselves to record amidst nature. The sound of our voices and instruments among the trees, leaves, the fresh air and the open skies… our friends at Notsoabsolute Films made it possible.”

and Diptanshu Roy opines :

“This came before our first album and we intend to do more of these sessions. The idea is to record music amidst nature, outside the confines of the studio. I think the music we have recorded outside is more spontaneous, more relaxed and organic. In fact, when we went in to record the album, we kept the same aesthetics to get some of that energy and realness into the album. If you listen to the album, it sounds just as we do live as we haven’t done much post production polishing to it and we have recorded it live as well. ”

He also mentions plans about working on a second round of them.

In terms of their musical philosophy the three men with demanding careers in advertising, accountancy keep it staggeringly simple. One must allow Satyata’s words to explain :

“It is about playing live. Feeling the moment together when we perform. Its about writing songs that talk about the varied colours of the self within.”

As effortless as it sounds (and almost a tad cliched, for any of us who have been immersed into any form of art whatsoever), it has led to the emergence of admirable musical nuance and intrigue.

Their artistic camaraderie is also as succinctly summarized by Diptangshu Chakravarty :

“I have noticed that I do not have to explain myself too much. I just start and soon I feel that I am understood. Be it some tune on the bridge of a song, a verse, chorus, or some thought on album design, promotion, anything… we are almost always on the same page.”

Satyata seconds it with confirming the presence of a “Common source of ideas, feelings and thoughts which we discovered.”

I’d say they have it right. The interspersing of sounds is almost lovingly made in the strain of laying a tapestry of laid-back intimacy. Try ‘Deyaal‘ to see what I’m talking about.

When asked about contemporary strains of Bangla music, opinions differ but remains consistently valid. Diptanshu Roy says :

“It’s trying to hard to be Bollywood. We like some of the music that’s happening and we dislike some! Not trying to be diplomatic here…I think Bemanan stands out pretty much as something different… whether people like it or not, time will tell.”

Satyata Mallick says :

“Bangla music is a huge term. A galaxy doesn’t need a fort! But for new Bangla music, there needs to be an eruption of good heartfelt work. At the same time listeners need to give it its due. The problem nowadays is the sheer quantity of music that is happening. Before you can truly start appreciating something, you move on to the next! The question is whether the existence of any new music is fortified.”

While Diptangshu Chakravarty leaves it at :

“I grew up listening to Bangla music. Your deepest emotions are best expressed in your mother tongue, isn’t it? I am too much into it… be it Baul, old film songs, jibonmukhi, adhunik… About its existence, well I am incapable of answering that but we are trying. ”

While they wrote most of their own music, they have also covered some of the songs written by  by Arunendu Das of the legendary Mohiner Ghoraguli. I’d recommend that you start with the futility of despair as elucidated by Arun da in ‘Ki Labh Knede‘ :

The band is well aware of the distinctive nature of what they offer, an assurance evident in the comforting harmonies of  ‘Tumi Aalo‘.  They seem just as high on self-awareness :

“Bemanan certainly doesn’t have a 1:1 offer that would make you instantly high. But if you give it a few listens, you are likely to keep listening thereafter.”

Admirably, they stand firm in creative conviction in the face of inconvenience and lose opportunity. To quote Diptanshu Roy :

“We don’t aim at getting into the rat race to become superstars. We are honest in our approach. and we aim to do our songs to the best of our ability. We record them and arrange them like we want to… We don’t want to take any names but we were selected and then dropped from a festival schedule, because we didn’t want to use drums for our set!”

The trio list a profusion of diverse musical heroes and inspirations ranging from  Bill Monroe, Tim O’ Brien, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Dave Rawlings, Melonious Quartet, plenty of classic jazz and music of the Bauls  to Sachin Dev Burman, Salil Chowdhury, Sudhin Dasgupta, Kabir Suman, Nachiketa, Fossils, and Steely Dan and The Beatles, Pink Floyd to Leonard Cohen to Mohiner Ghoraguli ,Rabindranath Tagore,Bach, Mozart, Beethoven to S.D. Burman & Salil Chowdhury and Indian Classical Artists like Ali Akbar Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, Pannalal Ghosh, Nikhil Banerjee and many more.

With the promise of new material, the band assures that fans can find much to look forward to. To quote Diptangshu Chakravarty :

“People can relate to us easily because the songs are based on relationships, introspection, urban lifestyle, etc. At the same time we offer a new texture of musical background based on acoustic instruments. They cannot dance to our songs the way they do at a disco but we would leave a mark deep inside their heart. At least that is what we think!”

I leave you to make your judgments on the twists of melody that holds together a world of emotive multiplicity. I’m almost entirely sure that you will find something to relate and perhaps even make ‘your song’.

Check out their music at :

https://folkpick.bandcamp.com/

www.bemanan.com/

And support them at :

https://www.facebook.com/bemananmusic

Su Real is the alter ego of Delhi-based Suhrid Manchanda. In the realm of dance floors, he rules supreme whenever he takes over the DJ console. Belting out song after song in his trademark bass-heavy style, his knack at recognizing and delivering what the audience wants is commendable. He released his debut EP ‘The Grind’ in 2013, and quickly followed it up with his first LP ‘Trapistan’ in 2014. Not restricting himself to any one genre, Su Real has explored multiple avenues in his songs, which lend a robust, no-nonsense, beat-driven feel to them. His most recent EP ‘Brown Folks’ released last month, and he is currently on tour promoting it.  Read on to know how his sound has evolved in ‘Brown Folks’, how he transformed the sleepy Hauz Khas village into the party-goer’s destination, how he relaxes after a particularly tiring set and his thoughts on the perennial question of mainstream versus underground.

WTS: You are known on the clubbing circuit for playing really long, dynamic and diverse sets, that go down very well with the audience. How do you keep the party going?

Su Real: Wow, it’s nice to be known for something! Well, first and foremost, it pays to be prepared. I continue to be shocked by certain DJs who almost never rehearse or practice. It’s really like playing any live instrument and the art demands hours and hours of practice and preparation. Its like sure, anyone can pick up a guitar, learn 4 chords and get on stage – but if you want to do solos, write complex arrangements or just even be able to perform without making a single mistake, you have to practice!. If you look at my setlists or “crates”, by now I have over 100 sets organized by BPM, genre and theme – and I’m constantly practicing them and improving on them. That means that no matter what situation I’m put into, there’s a strong chance that I can adapt to the crowd’s needs at any time of the day or night. Secondly, it helps to be healthy! As a notoriously self-destructive personality, it’s been a long struggle to curtail my bad habits. But as I’m learning from friends like Reggae Rajahs who run and jump all over the stage, and also Nucleya who takes flying leaps from above the DJ console, being a live performer these days means more than just playing a song. If we look at a lot of the top DJs and pop stars – having super busy schedules and not being able to take time off for sickness or recuperation – they all have personal trainers who make sure they stay fit and healthy with a good diet and exercise routine. We are after all only human, and only  when the body is operating at 100% can we deliver 100% to the audience and fans.

WTS: What’s your idea of unwinding after a gig?

Su Real: I might not be your typical DJ in this regard… Not too long ago, I started shunning the after-parties in favor of a quick shower (Su Real shows get hella sweaty & dirty!) followed by some nice food and watching cartoons. Maybe a couple of close friends will be around with me, but definitely not a crowd. Sometimes I’m so pumped from the gig that I dive right into producing music until I finally pass out around sunrise.

WTS: Your recently released EP ‘Brown Folks’ has a more catchy, pop vibe to it as compared to ‘Trapistan’. Was it a conscious decision to change your sound?

Su Real: Yes, absolutely, it was a very conscious decision. First of all, the line between what’s underground and what’s commercial has blurred so much that it’s almost disappeared. The common listener might not realize this, but as a music specialist in a way it’s my job to understand this. Many of the artists whose music I spin in my sets or whose sound my production style is similar to went from being underground to mainstream in the last couple of years – from Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” blowing up to Major Lazer, DJ Snake, Dillon Francis, etc. At the same time my sets are largely based in hip hop – and so I’m working with Grammy Award winning or nominated artists – Jay-Z, Kanye, Drake, Nicki Minaj, etc. Even pop stars like Madonna and Justin Bieber are working with underground producers! So, after being underground for pretty much my whole life, we’re at a great position now where it’s possible for underground genres to seek wider commercial acceptance, and even mass appeal. Especially here in India, where the underground is a tiny niche compared to the massive mainstream, any artist seeking a viable, sustainable career eventually comes to the same realization. But at the same time, here in India now, because so much of this scene is brand new and there are still so many young people being exposed to these sounds, genres and cultures for the first time – and there is a demand for it – it’s possible to be the gatekeeper that connects the dots for the Indian audience, helping them better appreciate and understand what they’re dancing to.

WTS: You were pivotal in the transformation of Hauz Khas Village from a sleepy avenue to a one-stop partying destination in Delhi. Tell us about the journey; everything from the concept nights you introduced, to your stint as the resident programmer/DJ at The Living Room.

Su Real: Wow, that was a relatively short journey actually, but what I have to say about it could fill up a book! I think the main thing at T.L.R. was to support the local creative arts communities. At the time T.L.R. opened in 2009, there was still almost nowhere for local bands and underground artists to perform. We became a de facto live music venue and hub for all kinds of creative types. Part of this success in my honest opinion was also the training of the staff to respect and appreciate the artists. Also, waiters were instructed that it was OK if some guest was only there enjoying the music and not ordering any food or drink. The reasoning was that that guest who enjoyed his T.L.R. experience would then tell their friends and come back – not just for more gigs but also to spend money on dinner, lunch, coffee, meetings, birthday parties, etc. Unfortunately these days a lot of bars and clubs are under such financial pressures that prices skyrocket and customers are pressured to spend, rather than enjoy themselves. Our philosophy at T.L.R. was always the opposite: create a welcoming, safe and yet exciting and dynamic environment to appreciate the finer things in life and commune with old friends while making new friends – and eventually the financial rewards will find their way to you. It was a long-term strategy and for a while it really paid off. We introduced concept nights for Halloween, Carnival, Christmas and other occasions to expand peoples’ mindset about what event curation could be, beyond the banal “happy hours” concept! We had a small space and small budget but I like to think we pulled off some grand feats! All with the support of friends, regular customers and extended T.L.R. family who all believed that we could do great things together. Unfortunately, all good things must eventually wind up, and for reasons too complicated to elaborate here, I decided to leave T.L.R. as simultaneously while people were recognizing Su Real as a DJ, unfortunately T.L.R. the venue was facing numerous authoritarian pressures – and also intense competition as the H.K.V. area exploded from 6 bars to 60 F&B outlets!

WTS: Artists these days stick to their own sound and refrain from experimenting with stuff that will please the audience. Do you think that affects their careers? More importantly, to what length should a musician be true to themselves? Is there a middle ground where both the artist and the audience can be happy?

Su Real: What a potent question. Whether you realize it or not, this question frames very accurately a debate I often have with my fellow musicians and music industry types. It’s a basic conundrum probably as old as civilization itself: as artists it’s our duty to create meaningful art, but as entertainers it’s our duty to please the crowd… Although it is usually en vogue to criticize and make fun of mainstream artists, I have often been critical of Indian musicians who veer too deep into the underground. Unfortunately, 99.9999% of Indian audiences are just not sophisticated enough to appreciate it. And worse, sometimes it discourages audiences who are genuinely interested in new experiences and sounds. Inspired by music from the West, too many “underground” music followers in India are often ignorant of the socio-economic circumstances there that leads to underground music. For example, the last time techno was underground in my opinion was when poor African-American youth in Detroit ghettos were messing around with stolen and borrowed equipment. When upper class Indian kids spend lakhs on computers and equipment to party in chi chi nightclubs in 5 star hotels with other upper class kids – I wouldn’t accurately call that underground anymore! But also, one must be aware that it’s a cycle: EDM was once underground (Dutch House), Rock n Roll was once underground (Chuck Berry, Link Wray, Isley Brothers), even Jazz was once considered a freaky new form of terrible music created by “outsiders”. There’s a cycle whereupon some underground music breaks through to the mainstream – but I don’t find that sufficient reason to start hating an entire genre of music or a single artist just because they’ve been exposed to the mainstream! Anyway, it’s important to remember these two extremes are not the only possibilities – there’s plenty of space to position oneself between staying true to yourself as an artist and yet adjusting yourself to market requirements in order to have a viable, sustainable music career. Everyone has to decide for themselves where they lie on that continuum. Personally, I believe that if you have truly developed your own style of songwriting and/or performance, you should be able to play any kind of music and yet listeners can still recognize that its undeniably you. It’s also possible these days to use pseudonyms for different projects – so you can have one project that’s all your underground, stay-true stuff, and then an alter-ego for more commercial stuff. But it’s a reality in the creative arts that any graphic designer or stage actor or performing dancer will be quick to inform stuck-up musicians: if you want to make a career out of this, you will have to adapt to a large degree to what the client or audience demands… the trick is to get them to demand YOU!

“So gentlemen! We. Need. More. Money. We need gigs to be bigger,” he announces. “Why don’t you guys work harder? Just kidding! Welcome everybody, let’s start!”

Read on to find out which character Armin thinks he is from Game of Thrones, his thoughts(or none) on Mat Zo’s scathing Twitter comments and his clarification on how he never said he wanted to try Dal Makhani in an email interview with a certain leading Indian daily.

What does a normal day look like for Armin van Buuren?

AVB: When I’m travelling or when I am at home?

Tell us about both.

AVB: When I am travelling my days are spent very differently obviously. When I am at home I have children to look after, you know. My son and daughter, they need to be fed, bathed, taken to daycare or to grandma. I usually get up very early in the morning, because the kids wake up pretty early. So my schedule has changed from late studio nights to early studio mornings. I usually reach the studio around 9-9:30, work alone or with my studio partner, we work on all my music together. We have coffee, work more, we have lunch, finish around 5, go pick up the kids, play with them. In the evenings, I usually have to back to the studio to work on the radio show or I go work out. I should spend more time with my wife actually.

What has been your biggest inspiration in life?

AVB: I think life itself! It is a little bit complicated to answer that one, there is no definite answer to it, you know. But musically, my biggest inspiration is usually other music that I really like.

Any video games you love?

AVB: I really like Destiny, but I haven’t touched my Playstation in a couple of months, I have just been too busy.

You have recently done the remix for Game of Thrones. Which character would you be in Game of Thrones?

AVB: Ummm… somebody from the Stark family I think.

You have performed in India before. Did you get time to go sightseeing?

AVB: I wish! I mean I have been here a couple of times, but when I go sightseeing I really want to have my wife here with me. I don’t really enjoy sightseeing on my own, you know. Or with my tour manager, because he is usually busy, we are always buying shoes.

A few days back we came across an article in a leading Indian daily, which mentioned that you wished to try the Indian dish Dal Makhani…

AVB: What?!  I didn’t say that, no. I didn’t even know the name of the dish, you are the first one to bring it up. I’m sorry I don’t mean to be disrespectful. I would love to try it, but I didn’t even know that was a dish, to be honest.

Tell us about the influence of EDM on Trance in current music scenario.

AVB: I play music because I love music. Right?  I don’t care if it’s EDM or Trance or Dance, you know! But I do like that fact that production techniques are constantly evolving, new sounds are being developed, new plugins are being used, so that for me is really inspiring. I don’t really look at one particular style or genre, it’s more of a feeling I try to bring across and many people like to call it Trance. That’s a sound I really love, and I get influenced by all the new producers that bring new sounds. The problem with genres is that there is a lot of music, and usually the best tracks, or tracks that move the scene forward, can’t really be captured in one genre. That’s why I find two whole discussion about what is EDM, what is Trance, what is Electro (futile)… because everybody seems to have a different definition of it all the time.

What do you think of the underground Trance scene as opposed to the mainstream trance scene?

AVB: What for you is underground is mainstream for somebody else, and what for you is mainstream is underground for somebody else. A lot of people tell me that ASOT is underground dance music show, and some people say that it’s a mainstream dance music show. So, I am just lost for words you know, that’s my problem, hope you will understand!

Mat Zo has been talking about…

AVB: I don’t wanna talk about that, no. I don’t wanna talk about that.

How do you see the present Trance music scenario across the globe, and what factors are making a difference?

AVB: Well, at the moment for me, if I look at my weekly radio show for example, I see that there is so much great new music coming. I have always said to myself that if I wouldn’t like the music or if I wouldn’t feel the emotion and I wouldn’t find the stuff that puts me in, you know, a state of trance, I would stop the show. But at the moment there is so much great music coming out. I have a hard time, a really hard time, every week to make a radio show; not because I don’t have enough tunes but because there are too many tracks. Every week I have about 50-60 tracks that I want to play, but I end up playing 30-35. Right now there are so many producers making Trance, and making great sounds, and there is a big development in everything which is very positive.

Can you tell us more about ‘Who is afraid of 138?’

AVB: I found that with the change in music over the years, some producers abandoned that sound. Everything had to be 128 bpm or 130 or 132 all of a sudden, whereas a lot of DJs were playing a lot faster back in the days. I’m not judging by the way, I’m not criticizing, I am just saying that there are a lot of great tracks at that speed and I thought that they are a little bit put away, you know. So I just wanted to start a label that was home to that kind of sound, because so many DJs moved away from it and I still love the sound. It is not the only sound I play, but I just love that sound. Again, I’m not criticizing anybody specifically; I think every DJ can do what he or she wants.

ASOT666 was way beyond imagination. Will we see something similar soon?

AVB: I wanted to do something devilish with that episode, something different. In the future, we are looking forward to do other themed episodes. We have done a couple actually, not just the 666 episode. Yeah, there is a high demand for ‘Who is afraid of 138?’ themed episodes, so let’s see. If I have enough good music, then who knows!

Some people call the radio show underground, while others call it mainstream. When you first started it in 2001, what did you envision?

AVB: I want ASOT to be home for all kinds of Trance. Back in the day you had one particular sound, but now you have all these sub-genres. If you look at my sets from 2001-2002, you can see I played a lot of progressive stuff, right up to the 138 sound. Basically, the formula of the show hasn’t changed that much, I just think that the sound has moved on a little bit. Through ASOT, you get a window to look at what my vision is on the current state of Trance.

Did you imagine the sort of success you would have? Almost every week ASOT is trending, and you receive a lot of positive messages on social media.

AVB: No! I mean, as a kid I grew up listening to dance music thanks to radio. While riding my bicycle to school, I would listen to radio shows which I had recorded on these cassette tapes. That’s how I listened to music, because I was not old enough to go to clubs. I was 16-17 years old and I loved listening to radio. That’s what educated me, if you like. So I always promised myself, if I ever get the chance, I would start a radio show. And I did in 2001 when I got the right opportunity. And I remember a lot of people, some of my best colleagues and friends, said I was crazy to do a radio show. I am not going to mention any names, but some of my well known colleagues said, “You are crazy! A two – hour radio show?” And now these colleagues have their own radio shows.

What is in store for the next ASOT birthday?

AVB: We are already working on a new concept for 750, which is approaching pretty fast already, it will be early next year. Yeah, it is going to be another milestone, I want to do something else, something different. Because we started this off with the numbers, and we had special somethings for the round numbers. Now couple of other people are doing it as well, which is fine. But I want to move on and bring a new concept this time. Like what’s different this year is we have a festival, I mean I would be the first DJ who has his own festival, very proud of it. I never thought that A State of Trance would be that big of course, from a small radio show to its own festival. I think we will keep continuing with the festival concept, but we have to move on from there.

Have you heard of any Indian producers, and if you have, would you like to work with them in the future?

AVB: Yeah actually I have, in fact we just signed a guy; Sarthak his name is I think? We just signed him for Trice, which is a sub label of Armada. And I think there are many more Indian producers.

Anyone that stands out?

AVB: Not at the moment currently, from the top of my head. The thing is, when I play a track from a producer, I don’t care what country he or she is from. I am not looking at the name, like “Oh, this producer is from Spain! I should play him.” No, it’s because I like the music. So it doesn’t matter if the person is from India or Australia or America, if it’s a good track, it’s a good track, and that’s what I try to bring across.

What message would you like to give to the emerging trance artists in India?

AVB: Well, I want to start off by saying that it’s really amazing that there is so much support for Trance in India. Usually, a number of episodes for ASOT trend in several cities here in this country, which means there are many people listening to it online. And it really warms my heart because at the end of the day without the fans, without the Indian people, without you guys it would not be possible for us to be here, to do this radio show. It (the support) is a really great thing, and I’m really thankful for that. And for the upcoming Indian producers, I would say the same thing that I would tell any up and coming producer: Don’t be hung up on styles, try to be unique, look at others but try to make it on your own and hopefully I will see you soon at A State of Trance.

Back in the days of Orkut, Sriram was watching Ice Age and chatting with Tapass on a messenger from that age, Windows Live:

Sriram: Dude, the jamming’s great. I love how tight our band is! We’re gonna give a killer performance during our first gig.
Tapass: All that’s awesome man. There’s one thing though. We’re just gonna be speechless when someone asks us what we’re called. Our band doesn’t even have a name yet!
Sriram: How does Manny sound to you?
Tapass: No. Sid? Hehe.

Twenty minutes later:

Sriram: Scrat?
Tapass: That sounds nice! Let it be SKRAT though. You know, just to dodge copyright issues.

Eight years ago two buddies met after a long gap of two years. Skipping the hugs and pleasantries, Sriram got right down to business – to check if his friend, Tapass, was better at the drums than he was previously. And thank the Lord he was, because that’s when he began his guitar experiments. As all meetings go, they sat down and started chatting about nothing and everything. And as it always happens with guys who can play instruments, it struck like a bolt of lightning.

”Dude! We should so form a band!”

There were three others they knew who played instruments – one who played the keyboard and did vocals, another was a bass player and finally – a lead guitarist. Soon enough, they jammed. This group of young musicians transformed plain tunes into jaunty, spirited, feel-good music that got even the staunchest grey-haired man to revisit his juvenile past. Six days after the band was formed they bagged themselves a gig at Unwind Center, Chennai, where they had to open for Nerverek!

July 21st, 2006: This day was a big deal. The band arrived at the venue where the poster read: SKRAT OPENING FOR NERVEREK. The bassist – Satish, was staring blankly at what he had just read, “Dude, I thought we were the only opening band. Who on earth is Skrat?” And then it dawned on Sriram. “No! Tapass you were serious when you said you liked the name? Let’s go tell them that the name may be subject to change.”

The venue was packed, the incandescent lights, smoke, the energy –it was more than they had expected. They mused:  So this is what it meant to be in a band and play live. They got out of their reverie when their name was announced. “Macha, it sounds kickass. This is it. We’re SKRAT!” – Tapass was finally satisfied.

The series of events that followed would take anyone by surprise. Nerverek updated their status to: “That Skrat band played some pretty cool music!” Skrat’s fan following on Orkut increased to 400 members, and frontman Sriram fondly recollects this incident as their “Kolaveri moment.”

Over the period of one year, this alt-rock band worked their charm in a number of South Indian cities. Their euphoric music gathered a frenzied fan following and by 2007, their inboxes were filled with requests to perform. Skrat made sure they were remembered in cities like Vellore, Bangalore, and not to forget, Chennai. Then, fate decided to drop a bomb. Their keyboardist/vocalist decided to leave, and after some contemplation, it was decided that Sriram would take over vocal duties. With that, Skrat emerged to be a 4-piece band.

2009: Progressive metallers, Opeth came to India for the first time to perform at IIT Madras and satiated Chennai’s metal hungry crowd. That was not all. Skrat’s winning streak was noticed by none other than Swedish band itself! Tapass ran out, yelling “I GOT OPETH’S PEDAL!”

Nevertheless, fate could not resist the temptation of fiddling with them. This happy series of events was followed by the departure of their lead guitarist Chirag, who wanted to pursue his second love, cricket and conquer the business world.

2010: Amidst college life, studies and exams, a compilation of 8 tracks, under the album Design was released in 2010. High on all this success, Tapass decided to take a step forward and go to UK for higher studies. While he took Appa’s and Amma’s blessings to study for a year, the Skrat guys were going crazy without their drummer. And then with the lemons that life gave them, they ordered some tequila shots. Before they knew it, they were on the next flight to UK for a gig!

While still recovering from a mind-blowing crowd response, they returned to India but with the absence of their drummer. That particular period of time hardly presented them with gigs, only because they had a filler drummer to keep the momentum going.

2012: Tapass returned to India and everything went on perfectly again, until a there was a sudden turn of events. Abhinav, the lead guitarist of the band found rock music dreary and moth-eaten, while pop was as attractive as Scarlett Johansson. This was followed by his resignation, for he wanted to try his luck with India’s growing pop scene. Sriram looked at the rest of his group and said, “Tapass and Satish, we’ve been the only members who have been consistent throughout. I’m done with any more additions. It is just going to be the three of us now.”

Things did not look good though. Frustration gnawed at their insides as they were reaching nowhere. Their music was playing the devil with them, hanging around vapidly. Satish was the first person to lose it. “I AM TRYING AND TRYING BUT NOTHING IS COMING! (sic)” That was a moment that marked a change in the style of music they played. Rage directed Sriram to unplug his pedals and plug in directly to the amp while Tapass threw away his double bass and toms. They were back to the basics and what followed was completely insane as the trio came up with five brilliant songs in less than thirty minutes! Sriram was ecstatic. “That was perfect. After going through so much, I didn’t think giving up was the solution at all. This was amazing guys, let’s go celebrate now!”

2012: Rock n Roll fans were going gaga over new albums that were released by upcoming bands. Skrat did not want to lag behind in the rat race they were a part of and set to discuss plans to boost their name across frontiers.

“Should we release a new EP? Or maybe work on a new album?”
“Well, an EP would go unnoticed and what good would an album be? It’s going to get dismissed as just another album by the people. No, we need something bigger.”

How does a live video, consisting of five new songs, shot in a garage sound to you? No gaudy lighting, no ‘Indian masala’ – just a video with the band playing songs that gave people a glimpse of their sophomore album. Well, Skrat were dubious about it too. How would the audience take a 17-minute long video devoid of the tantalizing visuals or the typical incessant drama? However, the gripping music made everyone’s neck hair stiff as they connected viscerally with the music and the video. As always, with the help of the craftsman Mr. Toby Joseph (who has also worked with The F16s, Grey Shack, Franks Got The Funk etc), behind the sound, Skrat In The Shed was born. They decided to pool in all the money they had and flip the coin. The response was astonishing, with the numbers ratcheting upwards in terms of viewership. The transition in their style of music from funk to alternative rock hit the nail on the head. Fans increasingly started referring to them as Skrat in the Shed instead of just Skrat. What they did was groundbreaking in the independent music industry. Fans were eagerly awaiting the release of their next album, Bring Out The Big Guns.

2013: As badass as it sounds, ‘Bring Out The Big Guns’ sported the line-up and the sound changes that the band went through. Followed by the outrage of the indecisiveness of their past members, and the success of ‘In The Shed’, ‘Tin Can Man’ and ‘Smoke A Cigar’ hit the records and got the people to boogie down and bunny hop. Under the lining of the perky and exultant music, the lyrics and the instrumentation elicited something deeper. They underscored not-so-trivial issues, uproar and an ‘I-don’t-care-about-the-rest-of-the-world’ attitude. The album was their vent and their release. It celebrated the 3-piece band that Skrat is now, and the permanence of it. Overwhelmed, the frontman declared, “It’s just going to be us, our designers and our photographer. We are the Skrat family.”

A few months later…
Satish: “Machi, how cool would it be to perform on top of a bus? And it’s not namma local Chennai 5A, for your information.”
Tapass and Sriram were completely bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
And so they heard about the Red Bull Tour Bus Gives You Wings tour.

300 bands applied to play on the Red Bull Tour bus, and Skrat was one of them. 15 worthy bands got selected to play at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender on the bus! Videos were shot, uploaded, and the voting season began.

2014: Sriram goes mad with excitement and jumps on his très cher bed when he reads the numbers. Skrat had won 1,388 votes out of the nearly 5,000 votes that were registered, making them the winners of the Gives You Wings tour!

The band took the phrase “going places” to a whole new level, as they travelled almost 17,000 kilometers across the country. The most exciting part was when they entertained thousands of rabid fans and were having fun themselves while playing on the bus. It was an out-of-the-ordinary, unbelievable experience. Scoring an extensive and diverse fan base, Skrat’s gig record went through the roof. The Red Bull Tour Bus gig has carved a niche for itself in their memories. Climbing atop a bus and performing is no cakewalk.

Later in September, the band released their third album, the much awaited The Queen! Their captivating album art was splashed all across social media and the teaser made people stand on their toes eagerly looking forward to the release. Shortly after the album release, the band had a gala time touring across five cities, performing at various legs of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender along with their local buddies, the F16s. This is one tour the band would go on for years as they gathered a whole new Skrat family, geared up for months to travel on road from city to city, and performed to have one of the most unforgettable experiences of their lives!

These were people who used to sleep in the staff room of a college because of a lack of accommodation, performed without good sound and were victims to many other bad tricks played on them. They spent the night at a restaurant, waiting to play for their friends, and sometimes all they got was the stone cold floor of the lecturer’s quarters to spend the night. Everyone seemed to extract their sadistic pleasure from them, and the band doubles up with laughter thinking about those instances even today.

Sriram chuckles as he ends his story. “This is who we are! We are three different people who share varied musical interests, but have managed to find the common ground. Satish loves the Goo Goo Dolls, Head in the Heart, Noah and the Whale, while Tapass loves anything and Everything. The Foo Fighters have been my greatest inspiration. I’ve also developed my music taste from my dad, who religiously listens to the classic stuff every morning. Collectively, we love the Foo Fighters, The Raconteurs, The Vines, Supergrass and so on. We have performed at a lot of places, and in the beginning, I used to source our gigs. However, we now have our dear old friend Nithin, who has been managing us for the past two and a half years. And if there is one place where we would want to perform, it would be the UK…or perhaps Australia. The garage scene is really good there! But as they say, home is where the heart is!”

The band started off as bored engineering students coming together, and today, the 26 year olds are more energetic and enthusiastic than ever. Skrat is known for their mischievous antics on stage, with Tapass and Sriram fooling around and Satish strumming his bass as an added effect.

This band has now played over 170 gigs in the country, and the growth has been tremendous. They keep modifying their music according to the changing trends, and place great importance on getting the audience to groove. They play solely for the entertainment of their audience, and have not succumbed to the monetary perks the industry provides. This is exactly what keeps the music running in their veins for when a hobby is made a source of income, “the attractive Mahatma Gandhi notes begin to take over the sanity of the artists.” They have attracted crowds that number 5000 people and that speaks volumes about everything they have done. They do as they please without thinking twice about the repercussions and Skrat is completely alive in its music because of that.