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Bringing it alive

Photo: Nagara Gopal

Creating history Indian Ocean in action

It’s a first in the history of contemporary Indian music. Indian Ocean has set a number of trends in the past. And here it is with another one. An audio CD of a live concert might be commonplace, but this fusion band is creating a precedent by launching a DVD of its live concert. Great idea? Then thank Amit Kilam, the band’s drummer, as the idea found its genesis in him.

“All of us felt it was a great concept and decided to go ahead with it immediately,” explains Rahul Ram, the bassist and vocalist.

The band members feel they perform better onstage than in the studio, and this convinced them to go with Amit’s suggestion. “We are basically a lively band. We know we sound better in our concerts than in CDs. We are not too happy in the studios. Our chemistry is enhanced onstage, which I feel makes a lot of difference. Even some of our fans have come up to us and said that. Anyway, this DVD is a celebration of the band for being together,” adds Rahul.

A concert at the Garden of Five Senses, Delhi, was the chosen one to be recorded. A cameraman friend, who has worked in Hollywood and Bollywood, came to their help with the technicalities. “We set up eight cameras to capture the show. Later we did a 24-track recording in two sets at a studio. But it is the editing that took a lot of time. We went to a studio in Varadapalayam in Andhra Pradesh for post production, as a DVD requires a 5.1 mix. Then we had to get a censor certificate, which every DVD requires,” says Rahul throwing light on the technical aspects.

With 11 tracks, the DVD runs over 110 minutes and is priced at Rs.300. Except for one song, “Bula Raha”, all others are from their previous albums. “Our songs, especially the live ones, are always long,” Rahul confesses and adds, “Even that one song has been performed innumerable times at our concerts, it is just that it has never been part of any album.”

Though the DVD was set for release a year-and-a-half back, unexpected issues delayed the process. “We took some DVDs along with us during our annual trip to the U.S. last year. But then we realised most people couldn’t open it as it was not compatible with some operating systems. So we had to work on colour correction and format again. Now, we will bring out 2000 copies to start with.” The album will be officially launched this month at the India Habitat Centre.

Though EMI has the marketing rights, the DVD, like their earlier albums, has been produced and released by the band’s own record company, Kandisa Private Limited. The members are hopeful about its success. Recalls Rahul, “When we wanted to release our debut live album, Desert Rain, no music company was ready to release it, saying there is no market for such stuff. But today, almost a decade later, it still continues to sell. In 2006, it was no. 2 on the iTunes U.K. world music charts.”

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