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Devotion with fusion
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Uday Shankar gives a new spin to time-tested classics. ‘Fusion Ramadasu’ is his new album
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New notes Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar knows he’s on a tricky path. A careless error might end up trivialising timeless compositions. His first album, Fusion Annamayya, presented Annamayya compositions in a blend of western notes, Sufi and Carnatic music. “I wanted to explore a new area in music. I cannot compete with the stalwarts of Carnatic music and I cannot make devotional music sound like film music. I wanted to make devotional music enjoyable to the younger generation. Without breaking the ethos of the compositions, I tried to do something different,” he explains. Fusion Ramadasu is the latest in his fusion music series.
He gave up his 18-year-long white-collared corporate job and took to music eight years ago. “I’ve been an avid listener of music. Listening to music is different from understanding the science of music. I wanted to become a composer and learnt Carnatic music. I wanted to understand the notes, the ragas and the nuances,” he says. “Having worked in IT companies, I made the best use of technology. There is a lot of information on the net — a number of free websites where you can listen to and learn music. I learnt Hindustani music through a number of tutorial CDs.”
When he started composing, he was clear he didn’t want to be one among the many wannabe musicians trying to make a mark. When he put forth his idea of fusion devotional music, it met with mixed response. “The younger lot I spoke to thought it would be a good attempt but the elderly said I shouldn’t be meddling with the ragas. It was a challenge. I thought devotional music can be appreciated by anyone across the seven seas since any form of music basically makes use of the seven notes.”
The response to Fusion Annamyya, released in 2007, made him work on Fusion Ramadasu. “I changed the ragas and blended in western notes. All the songs apart from Paluke Bangaramaye have different ragas than the traditional versions,” he explains. Fusion Ramadasu has found its way to music websites, including humma.com where it registers more than 400 clicks per day. “The feedback has been encouraging. Youngsters write to me saying ‘Hey Uday, you rock’. They don’t know I’m not so young,” he laughs.
Next on Uday’s agenda is Fusion Thyagaraja, which he says will be his toughest task till date. “Saint Thyagaraja is unparalleled for his compositions. I cannot change the ragas for the songs but can change the use of the ragas.” His different take on traditional music has also paved his entry into films. He will be composing for new projects to be directed by Sridhar and Ravepalli Rambabu. “These directors are looking for something out-of-the-box. That suits my outlook.”
SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO
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