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Genre no bar

Luke Kenny releases a compilation of his favourite songs

NO RULES Luke Kenny's album makes you take note

He is regarded as the unbeatable production whiz kid of Indian television and entertainment media industry. He began his career as a music producer, turned a video jockey and then content producer for a popular music channel in the country. His rise to fame is evident in his in-depth knowledge on the rarest of music albums, artistes and musicians, cutting across all possible genres and sub-genres of music. Luke Kenny's name will sound familiar if you scroll through the after-show title credits on Channel V.

Telecast every week

His latest contribution to the channel is `Luke's After Hours,' telecast every weekend post 11 p.m. The show has no VJs and does not interrupt the viewer with too many ad breaks. The `no rules, just good songs' show plays back-to-back music videos with no categorisation whatsoever.

This means you can hear (or rather watch) Pink Floyd's `Another Brick in the Wall,' followed by Modjo's `Lady.' You don't get your regular dose of Ricky Martin and Britney Spears too often, but the show features an excellent collection of songs, which can best be described as `mature.'

Songs that make you sit up and take notice, make you hum along and sometimes tap your feet, or even exercise your neck. Luke explains his idea on the website of the show: "It was a dark night, and all civilisation had retired to the comfort of their cosy homes.

Those with an adventurous streak ventured outdoors to the local discotheques and clubs, but even there, sounds and mediocre melodies ruled the ambience. The people were hungry for a sonic release, a salvation from mundane, and a revolution in the choice of music. Someone had to save the night." The show has been hugely successful, and cashing in on its popularity, Luke has released a compilation album of 17 tracks that are his personal favourites.

Variation in mood, tempo

`Luke's After Hours: The Album' (EMI, CD, Rs. 395), at first glance is a compilation, which lacks consistency, as there is a lot variation in mood, tempo and genre between each track. But, once you begin to listen to the album you tend to admire the musical genius of Luke in handpicking one particular song to match a specific sentiment.

Kicking off with `Hey Boy, Hey Girl' by The Chemical Brothers, one of the darkest and captivating dance songs of recent times, the album glides into a track by Arrested Development called `Mr. Wendal,' a foot-tapping but hugely meaningful track about loneliness.The album also features Go West's `The King of Wishful Thinking' and Whitesnake's `Is This Love,' and `Eyes Without a Face' by Billy Idol.

A detailed observation of the chosen tracks reveals a deep sense of darkness, fear and unhappiness. But each track is a gem, and the actual darkness is hidden underneath the good melodies and explosive sounds.

A. VISHNU

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