Guitarist-composer Subhagata Singha, known lovingly among his peers as Rivu, recently released his first solo album titled The Incredible Journey Of Light and is playing shows supporting it. The electro-rock album has all the nuances that rock music listeners with an affinity for synths and electronic elements would enjoy. t2 caught up with him for a chat.
AT A GLANCE
Name: Subhagata Singha
Born on: July 28, 1993
Resident of: Tollygunge
Studied at: St. Xavier’s Collegiate School and St. Xavier’s College (mass communication and videography)
Album: The Incredible Journey of Light
Stream now: Sky Fi, The Incredible Journey Of Light Pt. 1, Kepler Sunset
How’s music going on for you?
If I wasn’t being entirely selfish, I could say it’s treating me pretty well. As of now, I just want to concentrate on producing the live gigs in support of my album.
Tell us about your album…
I’ve been wanting to record an album of instrumental guitar music for a long time. There was a lot of music going on but none of the music that I made before was cohesive enough for an album. It’s the first time that I had a sound in my head and I knew I had a vibe that would help me come up with something. The idea for the intro of the first track came to me in a dream, as cliched as that might sound. I woke up and immediately recorded it. That’s when I knew what the album was going to be about and where it was heading.
What’s the theme of the album?
Since it’s an instrumental album, to attribute any theme would be abstract. The sound is like 1980s’ retro-synth wave music along with ’80s rock, making it a combination of retro sci-fi with rock elements. It’s all blended together to seem like these genres are having a very nice conversation with each other.
What has the response been like?
The response has been good. I hadn’t anticipated a demand for physical copies but people are asking for it.
How do you go about writing your songs?
It varies. Sometimes I hear a musical idea and just record it. If I’m at home it makes things easy. If I’m outside, I record a close approximation of it on my iPad and then put it together when I’m back home. But there’s nothing specific that you can put your finger on. It’s a combination of techniques.
Any reason you choose to play with a laptop instead of a band?
I’m in the process of working out a trio. So it’s not that I’m always going to be playing along with the laptop. One of the reasons I haven’t been with a band is because I’ve been quite busy otherwise. It’s been tough scheduling rehearsals until now.
Nikhil Sen
Picture: B. Halder
