May 07, 2014
25 yrs of bonding over musicWe really like what we do and so we kept carrying on because the result that came out of making our music and playing together was extremely satisfying to all band members. And I say this because we make music primarily for ourselves that’s how we started and how we carry on. We do it to keep one’s own self and our own band members happy. At the end of the day, I think the joy of creating something for yourself makes you even more happier.Cutting their seventh albumThe last album we recorded was Black Friday in 2005. After that we did a lot of songs which we compiled in an album called 16/30 Khajoor Road which was released in 2010. ‘Tandanu’ finally happened after almost four years and we all are very excited about this new venture. It’s been a long while we have recorded a proper album, so this one is quite close to our hearts. Tandanu was pre-planned and recorded. We always wanted to do a collaboration album. The idea was to not do an album where we make the songs and the artists would come and feature on a composition made by Indian Ocean. We wanted them to co-compose the track with us. On working with various artistsIn Tandanu, we have recorded songs with famous artists such as Karsh Kale, Kumaresh Rajagopalan, V Selvaganesh, Vishal Dadlani, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Shubha Mudgal. The collaborators we have worked with on this album are all prominent in their fields. They have their own beautiful unique sound and style. Apart from this, we were also sure that all of them are also very interesting composers when it comes to putting out their own material, so we wanted to work with them and see what would happen if an entity like Indian Ocean would compose with the greats who do other styles of music. That was how this whole concept came along. Plus its a wish list of ours to collaborate with each of the artists. It was tough but totally worth the wait. The full album will be out during the first week of June. We will be releasing one song each week with a background story about the song on MTV Indies. Creating a fresh soundIt’s an extremely fresh and evolved Indian Ocean sound unlike our regular sound. Apart from our own style in the songs, each collaborator brought in their own style and sound. It is a very interesting path that we as a band have taken. Everyone is eager to know how we would sound post Sushmit Sen but that will be put to test the day the whole album is released. I think the band has evolved one step more in a very interesting direction. Change is good. The Pune connectionWe like Pune a lot. Pune is one of my most favourite cities in the country. Ever since I came to Pune in 1994 for a show, it blew my mind. I got out of the train station at 11.30 at night and saw women driving scooters and bikes. I come from North India where most women stay indoors after 8 pm. It’s a great feeling of liberation and freedom. Pune is a great young city with a wonderful vibe, colleges and education. Plus women feel safe. (The band will perform this month in Pune)