Rock Rolls On In New Avatar
Pure rock is all but passé with youngsters in Odisha. And now, Bollywood tracks, Sufi tunes and Sambalpuri folk notes touched up with strains of rock,reggae, salsa and other western genres are the new trend in the state’s music landscape.
Billed as ‘desi rock’ by some and ‘hatke rock’ by others, this musical fusion has spawned a number of new age musicians who cater to the growing demand for such numbers.
However, occasional ‘pure rock’ bands crop up on college campuses to flaunt their creativity. But these bands by students are dismantled soon after their academic pursuits are over. Forsaken by these budding talents, their tracks soon fade away from public memory.
The fate of the first all-girl band in Odisha is a case in point. Formed under the umbrella of Bhubaneswar-based Abyss School of Music, the unnamed band faded into oblivion within a few years. “When the girls chose their individual courses of life, the band collapsed,” admitted an official of Abyss School of Music.
Another example is the rock band ‘Glasses’, which enthralled audiences in the state in the late 1970s, but slid into oblivion after a brief spell. The scenario has not changed and several professional rock bands have shut shop in quick succession.
The more tenacious ones seek newer pastures. “As it has not been a smooth run for us here in Odisha, we prefer to stage our shows in metros like Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore,” said Dichel Nayak, the guitarist of Bhubaneswar-based ‘Jewels Back’.
Given the changing taste, some younger musicians have tried and tested several notes to bring about a truce between Western pulses and Odia and Indian tunes. They have spliced the pulsating beats of rock, reggae, salsa and Western genres with folk, Bollywood songs, Sufi strains, Sambalpuri notes and even classical and semi-classical tunes. This ‘western-eastern mix’ has hit the bull’s eye with their young audiences.
“We touched up the Bollywood song ‘Roop Tera Mastana’ with beats from Blues. Similarly, the popular track ‘Om Shanti Om’ has overtones of the heavy metal. We have made several such experiments that promptly clicked with our audiences,” said Saatyaki Panigrahi, the vocalist of band ‘Deluge’.
Similarly, Sufi songs, Odia numbers and Sambalpuri tunes, padded with rock beats have captivated new age listeners. Kailash Kher’s ‘Teri Deewani’ and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Piya Re Piya Re’, punched with a pinch of rock by band ‘Vighnanz’ of Cuttack, shuffled out a different strain. Sambalpuri golden oldie ‘Rangabati Rangabati Kanaka Lata’ went for a new avatar with Bhubaneswar-based band ‘The Abyss’ decking it up with drumbeats, distorted guitar strums and piano pitch.
“Blending the East with the West to craft out new chartbusters of music is now the new mantra, and we do it successfully to enchant our listeners,” boasted vocalist Durga of Vignanz.
This fusion has also been the hallmark of several numbers by The Abyss. The Bhubaneswar-based band pulled up a feat when it brought about a sort of magical metamorphosis to A R Rahman’s Oscar winning ‘Jai Ho’ of film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ with the help of instruments like drum, keyboard and guitar. Similarly, it dressed up famous Sambalpuri song ‘Jai Phula’ with the beats of rock musical instruments and their Sambalpuri folk counterparts like ‘nagara’and ‘dholak’.
“We have to take this course as pure rock has proved too rugged to woo and win over the audience here,”said Niral Tirkey, the keyboard player of The Abyss and also the managing partner of Abyss School of Music.
The twists and turns of rock and reggae in different tunes still go on to enthral the young at heart, according to Nabjyoti,the drummer of band Heartbeats. “We used the beats of instruments like guitar, drum and saxophone to tinge ‘Roja Jaaneman’ of Bollywood blockbuster ‘Roja’ and it was instantly lapped up by our listeners,” he said.
Rock, reggae and the like are now almost eclipsed, but near-rock-and-reggae along with their other clones are ruling the roost in close proximity with Odia and Indian tunes. And the younger generations are going gaga over them, according to staunch music lover Kumar Mishra of Raja Bagicha in Cuttack,once famed as the culture capital of Odisha.