Mumbai is playing to a new beat

Mon, May 12 02:52 AM

Sometimes the sun shines even on a dog's behind. After a decade-and-a-half of performing covers and imitating trends from the West, Indian rock acts, electronic collectives and deejays are composing original music, disseminating the material through all possible channels. The chicken-and-egg story accompanying this boom is the launch of several, genre-dissolving record labels, mostly in Mumbai and in several instances, set up by the artistes themselves.

If you want to crack the code, come to Mumbai.

But first, what does a tiny, independent record label offer that the biggies, like Sony-BMG or Universal, can't? A lot, according to Neysa Mendes, label manager, Counter Culture records (set up in 2002, but fully active only since March last year). "They own your soul," she says, sounding like a character from Mortal Combat. Pitiful royalties, complete commercial ownership, pay-for-your-video policies, outrageous artiste control and three-album deals, besides dealing with A&R-their interference means that even bands like Indian Ocean would rather switch to an indie.

As the city gears up for the launch of another high quality record label-Blue Frog Records-later this month, there are several trends that point towards the future. Their model integrates artiste management, provides gigging space and their distribution networks leverage the best of indie and mainstream.

Ralph Christoph, 39, organiser of a pioneering music festival in Cologne, Germany, who was recently in the city to understand the scene and scout for talent, was more than happy with what he saw. Aditya Anand of Chill Om Records, one half of ethnic-electronic duo Tatva Kundalini, was part of the roll call on Christoph's itinerary.

"Our artistes are promoted rurally and internationally. We want to help the artiste's revenue, help them quit their day jobs so they can sustain themselves making music. We're starting regular nights for them across the country," he says.

The booming economy has in no small way contributed to the happenstance. If India is shining, so is its music scene. Disposable incomes, more venues promoting live music, the launch of MySpace India last month, all augur well for the artist.

Electronic musicians, so long confined either to the DJ booth or the four walls of their homes, have benefited just as much as say, Pentagram or the Raghu Dixit project. DJ Pearl released an album under Defected Records, an international record label of repute, who have also entered the Indian market and as you read this. Brian Fernandes, the wildly successful trance music artiste, has set up a digital store, for his Temple Twister record label.

Even Bollywood seems to have been subsumed by the machinations of the indie. Exposed to new sounds, the industry is on the verge of entering the era of the producer-not the guy who pools in millions, but the artiste putting together sounds that define the music videos and the soundtrack. More often than not, deejays or musicians who've gone without sleep for several days, and someone the media, hopefully, will turn its pen or lens toward soon. Long live the revolution.

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