This weekend, the sleepy town of Uttan will come alive with sounds of saxophone, Electronica and Gujarati rap as a brass band, Hip-Hop crew and independent artistes celebrate Indie music
At a jamming session in a small apartment-cum-studio space on Goregaon Link Road, 23-year-old singer-songwriter Kavish Seth strums a guitar and rehearses the lines of an original composition, Farzi Marzi.
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They go, 'Farzi marzi hai yeh kaisi farzi marzi, pareshaan ho gaya hoon main khabar bhi tujhe nahi…' On cue, Roshan Worlikar blows on a trumpet while Slyvester Koli plays the saxophone. For Hindi Bolein, another original composition by Seth, Vrushab Koli and Prasad Warage join in on the keyboard and dholak respectively.
The musicians, along with six others, are second and third generation members of the Astik Brass Band Pathak, born in Worli Koliwada, back in 1959. This Independence Day eve, these musicians will collaborate with Seth's music project Zubaan for the Swadeshi Indie Music Festival, presented by Encore, to celebrate the spirit of desi music in Uttan, an hour's drive from the city.
Akhlesh Sutar a.k.a MC Mawali (right)
Brass effect
The Koli community of Worli Koliwada began Astik Brass Band Pathak, playing Koli Folk and Hindi tracks, as a means of entertainment during festivals. "Members used instruments like clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, dhol and dholak. The first band master, Nagrya Buwa, trained the band in such a way that they became masters in Classical and Carnatic music," informs Gunvant Koli (father of the 18-year-old Vrushab), who trains the band presently, like his father, Jagan Master, did before him.
The band has also performed at an event for the popular music composer duo, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, where they received praise from Lata Mangeshkar. Currently, it comprises 40 members with 11 saxophonists, three clarinet players, 10 trumpet players and 16 rhythmists, who also play with different orchestras in the city.
(From left) Dharmesh Parmar a.k.a TodFod; Sreejit Nair a.k.a Mayavi
Seth got in touch with the band through Roshan, who has been part of the live acts of Zubaan. "A brass band adds depth to the soundscape. Since they have been playing Koli music for a long time, they are different from the Western brass bands that we would generally think of.
The Swadeshi theme fits in with what Zubaan does — collaborating with independent artistes across mainlands to make new forms of music, consolidate the indie music industry and work on social cohesion," informs the artiste, who has penned two more original compositions — Delhi Dhol and Kandhe Hazaar — for the act. Koli performer, 56-year-old Chintamani, who played with Zubaan at Worli Fort last year, will make a comeback as well.
Kanishk Seth
The second act
The festival will also witness a 12-song set by a team of Hip-Hop artistes, who are part of the Swadesi Crew, known for performing 'Conscious Rap' in different regional languages. These include Akhlesh Sutar (a.k.a MC Mawali), who raps in Marathi and Hindi, Dharmesh Parmar (a.k.a TodFod) who raps in Gujarati and Shreeji Nair (a.k.a Mayavi) who raps in Malayalam.
"Mumbai has a growing underground Hip-Hop culture, which is not just about English rap. We formed the Swadesi Crew five years back, inspired by social activist Rajiv Dixit, who strongly believed in the Swadeshi movement," shares Sutar. Raising relevant issues through their rap, the crew will perform popular tracks like Hip Hop Seekha, Laaj Watte Kai, Su Che Karvanu, Gondhal along with new compositions such as Ekshe Aanth.
"Our Rap is not just about language but also rhythm and poetry. So, even if one cannot follow Gujarati or Malayalam, they can enjoy the set," he adds. The line-up also features composer-producer Kanishk Seth, who will perform his album, Trance With Khusrow, infusing Sufi music with Electronica.
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