Genres can give music a vocabulary, but labels can also narrow how we hear it. For over a decade, Surat-based ensemble The Tapi Project has remained genre-fluid, drawing from traditional music while exploring the concerns and realities of contemporary life. Named after the Tapi river, flowing through their hometown, the band features acoustic guitarist and lyricist Yogendra Saniyawala (fondly known as Yogi), lead vocalist Swati Minaxi, drummer and sound designer Gaurav Kapadia, and bassist-keyboardist Biju Nambiar. Ahead of their long-awaited Chennai debut this weekend, we spoke to Yogi about the band’s genre-fluid sound and what audiences can expect from their live set.
Formed in 2014, the band refuses to fit into conventional stylistic boxes. “The Tapi Project is a genre-fluid music group that doesn’t think of music in different boundaries and categories,” Yogi shares. “Our concerts are immersive live experiences that are poetic, oral, and visual in their storytelling,” he says.
For Yogi, the live visual identity is as crucial as the music itself. “If you see The Tapi Project live, you see a lot of colours,” he says. “Besides the visuals played during the concert, you see people wearing their personalities through the experiences they’ve had. Swati, for instance, is a performer, not just a singer—she moves, dances, stitches her own clothes, and wears different makeup and flowers. The four of us create a distinct ‘Tapi Project personality’ as a unit,” he tells us.
One of the pieces Chennai audiences can expect is their most recent release, Ud Jaayega, an intuitive composition rooted in the mystic verses of saint-poet Kabir. “Ud Jaayega arrived in the form of simple harmonic arpeggios while Biju and I were jamming,” Yogi explains. “Kabir’s poetry seeks the deeper layers of reality. The song starts like an empty road you walk on, encounters different layers of emotions, and turns into a celebration of life and death towards the end,” he says.
While the group has previously passed through Tamil Nadu for tours, taking the stage in Chennai marks a special milestone. “Chennai is a great cosmopolitan chaos, but it is also deeply rooted in ancient culture,” Yogi notes. “It is going to be our first live gig in Chennai, and we are eager to see how the city receives our music,” he enthuses.
For anyone looking to experience contemporary Indian independent music untethered from mainstream formulas, this debut gig promises an unforgettable voyage. And what does Yogi hope listeners take away from the night? “A life-altering moment,” he concludes.
INR 649. September 5, 5.30 pm onwards. At The Nook - Music and Entertainment, Anna Salai.
Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com
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