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9.30am on a Thursday. Stage one of the Reliance MediaWorks Studios at Filmcity in Goregaon is already set. The cameras are meant to start rolling post-noon but the floor is abuzz with team this and team that putting things in order before the lights come flickering on the swish console.
If Coke Studio@MTV started with a whimper and made up in the second season with seven hand-picked talents who managed to reinstate the real flavour of the cult music show, the third season (which is currently on air) is producing a few big bangs with a cracker of a line-up comprising some of the biggest names in music. Sample this: A.R. Rahman, Ram Sampath, Amit Trivedi, Clinton Cerejo, Salim-Sulaiman, Papon and Hitesh Sonik. Do we have your attention now?
t2 brings you snapshots of the new multi-producer slot this season featuring up-and-coming musicians…
They might be dressed in traditional Rajasthani gear but Rajasthan Roots are a ‘kool’ bunch of seven musicians, each their own kind. If Fela from the Northeast brings on the reggae, bass and grooves, Arenla brings in gospel and harmonies. Kusumkar, a Brahmin pandit, plays the flute. Muslim Manganiyar musicians Bismillah Khan and Kutla Khan from Jaisalmer wow with their mastery over the rustic vocals and kartal. And founder Aditya Das, a Punjabi from Pakistan brought up in Rajasthan, keeps the band in control apart from singing and playing the dotara.
Rajasthan Roots, the eight-year-old band, has been known for taking in inspiration from Latin American harmonies to Spanish flamenco to contemporarise the folk songs of Rajasthan.
An operatic voice blends into the dramatic interludes of a raw and rustic Rajasthani folk chant of the manganiyars as Anta bahar written by 16th century Sufi saint Bulleh Shah comes to life on Coke Studio. “The Sufi thought is loved and revered in Rajasthan and we chose this particular song because of its beautiful message and philosophy,” smiles Adi.
After lunch, it’s time for Orange Street, the 19-year-old Delhi electro-fusion band that had once spun out of action but are now ready to rock this season’s Coke Studio. A mix of bass, mandolin, funk and alaap define the song they call Naash with lead vocalist Anirban Chakraborty, better known as Baan, calling the shots from the centre of the stage.
“It’s an old song that we’ve reworked to make it more eclectic and in-your-face, loaded with a lot of energy,” says the Bengali boy who grew up in Delhi and moved to Mumbai seven years ago and scored the hit Mar jayian in Vicky Donor.
lSerene and poignant sounds of the sarangi and tabla break the silence. An earthy voice, Urdu-influenced lines, heavy bass follows. It’s singer-songwriter Winit Tikoo and his band. The name is unlikely to ring a bell. They are the guys who leapfrogged to the merit list after winning the grand finale of LeapFROG to Coke Studio in June, an initiative by Blue Frog and Coke Studio to give an upcoming band the chance to feature on the multi-producer episode of Coke@Studio MTV Season 3.
Behind-the-scene trivia
The set this time has undergone a dramatic change. A little more fancy, or well, let’s call it a mix of kitschy and mystic. Mystical because of a tree, carpets and leather couches on one side. Kitschy factor because of the giant gramophone speaker and woofers piled up on steps, multiple guitars strung together on one side of the wall and the backdrop wall-papered with old newspapers, retro television sets and a kaleidoscope of digital images going crazy on the other end.
While a minimum of four takes for each live session is a must, the maximum for this season has rolled on to seven, during the A.R. Rahman schedule. Trust The Perfectionist!
Nine cameras trail every move.
True to its name, there’s Coke flowing all over the sets.
Around 150 people on high alert on the floors at all times.
Stress factor: Getting artistes to stand still and keep them from escaping for loo/ chai breaks.
Stressbuster: A bit of friendly swearing each day keeps stress at bay.
