Shafqat Amanat Ali with Pankhi

It’s a show that’s wowed audiences in Pakistan and Brazil with a unique palette of artistes and genres. Come June 17, India will get a taste of Coke Studio@MTV — a show that will explore new boundaries of Sufi and soul, baul and rock. A t2 chat with Leslie Lewis, the show’s musical director.

What’s your role on Coke Studio?

Unlike other TV shows this is not a reality show. It’s just about music. There are no contestants and I am not a mentor, but the musical director. Every bit of music on Coke Studio@ MTV has been created and composed by me except for two songs, which I didn’t want to tamper with.

How was it creating for the show?

I’ve used Indian instruments like sarangi, mandolin, bul bul tarang (banjo) and veena. I have managed to get some of the masters to come on board. I have opened the song with whatever they played, with nearly two minutes of solo on that instrument, for the next generation to witness how these instruments sound — especially when played by the masters.

You’ve been living in the studio ever since recordings began…

This has been the most trying of all my sessions till date. I have been working 22 hours a day. My day is spent between rehearsing with the band and meeting singers to decide on what they are going to sing and their respective scales, considering there’s more than one artiste in each song. Post-midnight, I start composing and creating the music, which gets done by 5am. I then get to sleep till 8am and start on the same schedule again!

What did you have in mind while mixing and matching musicians?

When I was asked to compose the music for Coke Studio, there was a given list of Bollywood names. Victor and Neha at Red Chillies were my support team and we collectively went through a lot of artistes before zeroing in. Most of the folk artistes were brought on board by me — such as Chinna Ponnu who I featured with Kailash Kher, Khogen Gogoi who I featured with Shankar Mahadevan, Mausum Gogoi who I featured with Sunidhi Chauhan and Praful Dave who I featured with Colonial Cousins. The Wadali brothers and the Sabri brothers had already sung for my Tamil films, so getting them on board was a natural extension.

Anyone to watch out for?

Some of the new talents, like Megha from Jharkhand, Saurabh Mandal, Chinna Ponnu, Mathangi and Harshdeep Kaur. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment in Coke Studio — being able to guide the biggest Bollywood and folk singers into a new zone and surprising everyone with untapped talent.

How are these cross-genre collaborations different from regular fusion stuff?

I have tried to make it sound simple, where you hear Khogenda singing an Assamese tune intertwined with a Marathi tune sung by Shankar Mahadevan. Though they are very different, the glue that makes it sound seamless is the Delta Mississippi blues riff playing underneath. It’s complicated when you analyse it but simple when you listen. A typical Leslie Lewis trademark.

Coke Studio Pakistan was a big hit. How different will Coke Studio India be?

If you take a car and drive north, south, east and west in Pakistan, what you hear there is what you hear on Coke Studio Pakistan. Likewise, if you do the same in India that’s what you hear on Coke Studio India. But you must remember that India shares its border with Pakistan so you will get to hear some of that sound too. It was a very clear brief from Coke and MTV that it should have a root India sound.

What is Coke Studio@MTV?

It’s a unique jam show that brings together all kinds of performers — folk and mainstream, rock and qawwali. The show, a super success in Pakistan and Brazil, will go on air on June 17 in India. The half-hour performance every Friday at 7pm will be followed by an hour-long video later in the evening, giving a peek into the studio and the making of the music.