Eliciting dewy and wistful harmonies from the sarangi, fiery-red sitar, and clinking khartal that is intertwined with morchang, well-known Jaipur-based folk-fusion band, Swaraag holds on to history while personalising the royal abode that we know as Rajasthan. Dusk falls on the romantic dusty flushed hues and the 8-piece music ensemble redefines the Pink City. The guitar riffs merge with soulful Sufi melodies for a hypnotic fusion of two distinct yet captivating genres of Western and Indian tunes. The audience is enraptured, swaying to the beat and lost in the music. As the performance progresses, the band’s instrumental melange takes centre stage, with each musician showcasing their mastery over each instrument. Readying to drop their first-ever single, Yun Sawarna, lead vocalist, Asif Urra tells us, “The piece is an epic adventure ride that brings on the Arabic folklore.” Besides him, the troupe’s line-up features Pratap Singh (founder and team coach), Arif Khan on sitar, Tashruf Ali on saxophone, Rey Rozar on acoustic guitar, Arif Khan Rodu (khartal/morchang), Sajid Khan Sabari on drums, Sahil Khan on bass guitar, and Saif Ali Khan on tabla.
Please talk about your creative process behind Yun Sawarna.
There is something truly captivating and magical about the romantic song, Yun Sawarna. The song is a perfect blend of electronic synth music with Arabic influences on Derbuka and strings. It is co-composed and produced by Akshay Agarwal and the lyrical work belongs to Dhanraj Dadhich. All of us complement the charm and beauty of each other.
What brought you into music?
In our family, everyone is an artiste; our forefathers were musicians, and they used to perform for Sikar Royal Family (today, known as Sikar District in Rajasthan). My father used to teach music. No one knew who would become a singer, sitarist, or tabla player but as time passed, everyone stuck to their passion.
How do you connect with your listeners while reviving the folk tradition?
Folk is in our DNA! All of us love the regional folk music cult and whether we directly accept it or not, our minds respond to folk rendition. Even at live stage performances, people try to ignore pure folk but as we mix it with some fusion style, they get attached quickly. If you see, most of the artistes are trying to experiment with folk. But we try to add some new standards in Rajasthani folk and make it easily acceptable by all generations. It is hard to come to a single line with all generations for any particular music choice. But we love to cultivate it.
Releasing on April 23 on all music platforms.
E-mail: chokita@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @PaulChokita