Slap, rap ’n’ tap

This weekend with UK-based musician Shri, rapper/beat-boxer jc001 and percussionist Vivek Rajagopalan as they experiment with beats, bass lines and grooves

Slap, rap 'n' tap

This weekend with UK-based musician Shri, rapper/beat-boxer jc001 and percussionist Vivek Rajagopalan as they experiment with beats, bass lines and grooves

Come this weekend, treat yourselves to a Brit-Asian mash up like never before. Multi faceted musician Shri (Shrikanth Sriram), rapper/singer/beat-boxer jc001 and percussionist Vivek Rajagopalan will be jamming it up, playing reinterpreted tracks from Shri's solo albums as well as improvised jam sessions.

Shrikanth Sriram
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It would perhaps be like searching for a needle in a hay stack to find an act this experimental with its sound. It all started in 1993 when British producer Simon Dove discovered Shri's solo album Inspirational Satisfaction in a record shop.

Shri moved to England on Dove's request where he collaborated with several artists of renown and gradually established himself as one of the leading artists in the British-Asian music scene.

Shrikant Sriram has been trained in both Hindustani classical and Carnatic classical music and took to playing bass guitar when he discovered the genres of metal and rock 'n' roll. Juggernauts like Iron Maiden and Rush, he says have had a huge influence on him and the music he plays.
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"I have been working with British rapper jc001 for the past sixteen years. He is very good at pre-empting my music and gelling with me musically.

Vivek Rajagopalan, is an old friend from Bombay and is trained in playing the Mridangam. Musically speaking, the both of us see eye to eye. We like playing tunes differently","says Shri as he introduces his band mates.

Talking about his nebulous sound, Shri tells us, "I've always been bad at describing my sound but if I were to say anything at all, I think I'd go with break-beat, hip hop, drum and bass which is improvised and spontaneous."

Not to mention the fact that he will be performing along with a rapper and percussionist at this gig. "We will be playing tracks off my collaboration with DJ Badmarsh from the UK called Mela and Barbwire Butterfly, a selection of tracks that will suite the trio," he adds.u00a0 Known for his improvisational skills, we can also expect an impromptu jam session from the trio.

Talking about the fusion techniques that are evident in his music, he says, "I don't really try to fuse music. I try to find a way to naturally fit two or pieces of music together, irrespective of genre. There's no big secret to it. I don't try to intellectualize my music.
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It's plain and simple. Be it Western or Hindustani classical music, there are more often than not, instances where there is congruence of notes and scales.
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I take advantage of this to blend them together, seamlessly." "For example, I would play a bass line and then build beats around it. I then add bits of say the violin or guitar which naturally fit into the musical parenthesis," Shri adds.

Shri's accolades don't end here. He is the proud inventor of an instrument that is a hybrid between a bass guitar and a violin. "There were three reasons for which I decided to make myself a bass guitar. Firstly, I couldn't afford one.

Secondly, I love fashioning and crafting things. It's a hobby I've enjoyed for years. Thirdly, I wanted a sound that was unique only to me."

"I found my Carnatic violin's bow lying around the house and thought of trying it on my bass. I liked how it sounded. I found an old piece of teakwood outside my house, weathered and almost perfect for the project I had in mind.
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I began to shape it and had made my very own custom bass guitar in 1991. I haven't used any other ever since," Shri recollects.

People are different everywhere you go. Their music sense and tastes differ widely given cultural and social divides. But in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore, we wonder how such an experimental style would be greeted. "Given any audience, if things are done dynamically and dramatically, people will enjoy themselves.

I've played to audiences that had come to listen to good music and they've had a blast. On the other hand there are those who are there simply for a drink and to unwind. They don't really focus on the music. Hopefully the latter won't be the case here," says Shri.