Stories from Candyland - Komrebi

New Delhi’s electronic scene just got better and it’s because young lady Tarana Marwah aka Komorebi has slowly made a name for herself, thanks to her fascinating electronica tracks and album ‘Soliloquy’ that is gaining momentum all over. Besides being a songwriter and vocalist, the 20 something lass who left the shores of Vancouver in Canada for a music career in India, brings eccentric beats, layered with harmonic melodies and synth work that allows the listener to traverse new sounds and sonic worlds. On her album, she tells her stories in an intimate and hypnotizing way, almost as if luring us into Candyland, the imaginary realm that the album is set in.

Guru of Rock - Abhishek Gurung

If you watched The Stage season 2, you would have seen and heard of finalist Abhishek Gurung. He is the shy and ever-smiling young lad who gave you goosebumps with his powerpacked performances. With loads of self learning singing skills, he was surely the darling of the judges and maybe a few viewers too. Born and brought up in the beautiful town of Kurseong in Darjeeling, Abhishek showed us the talent that exists in the North East. Even though he missed the top spot he was surely a top challenger.

A Ray of Light – Aswekeepsearching

If you love listening to western bands playing post rock and thought that this would never appear on Indian shores, take a listen to aswekeepsearching, an experimental rock band that expresses their music through instrumental music and a bit of Hindi and Urdu lyrics. The band consists of Uddipan Sarmah on Vocals and Guitars, Shubham Gurung on Guitars and Keyboard, Robert Alex on Bass and Gautam Deb on Drums. The band recently released their second album ‘Zia’ and also completed an album launch tour. Four years old and they have made quite a name for themselves all over the country and overseas.

Alluring to the Stars - Alluri

The name might not strike a chord immediately, though we have seen him at NH 7 last year. This globetrotting young singer might seem like your next door neighbour. He’s got a musical talent which he is very passionate about, so much so that The Sex Pistols bassist followed him to India to jam with him recently.

Divine Intervention - Divine

He is s familiar face at many major music festivals in the country and has also made his presence felt aboard. A local boy from the slums of Mumbai, Vivian Fernandes who goes by his stage name Divine, has brought his own style of hip hop and is today regarded as one of the top rappers, songwriter and composer in the city.

A Brimful of Fusion – Maati Baani

If you think you know what Indian fusion music is, think again. There have been many Indian fusion concerts and collaborations that state ‘Indian fusion’, but the best example is that of Mumbai-based fusion band Maati Baani who shows you how Hindustani Classical vocals can be fused with any kind of sound under the sun and still sounds cool. Maati Baani’s music effortlessly combines elements of rustic folk, Sufi and various different genres of world music with Hindustani classical, funk and new age sounds.

Disco Funk - Madboy Mink

Mumbai-based funk-nu disco duo, Madboy Mink well known for their distinctly unique mash up of electro and funk with old school Harlem swing, consists of Imaad Shah (Bollywood actor Nasruddin Shah’s son) and Saba Azad. With scintillating live gigs at major festivals and soulful performances at underground parties, the duo present a pure and unpretentious love of music in their post-mod electro cabaret experience collection. The duo also incorporates live guitars, synthesizers, vocals and vocoders to create a sound of their own.

Sax in the City - Ryan Sadri

What characterizes Ryan Sadri, saxophonist par excellence, is an alchemical ability to put tone, texture and rhythm to the best use wherever he performs. His regular gig at Café Zoe brings about some futuristic stuff you may have never heard before. When members of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra showed up with their instruments at the Café over Christmas recently, Sadri broke all barriers of music and had a massive jazz set with their double bass player, trombonist, drummer, all jumping on stage with his band. Sadri knows so much, he can play whatever he wants. He's not flamboyant. He approaches the instrument to communicate, through the language we know as jazz and beyond.

Born to Sing: Mallika Mehta

Mallika Mehta is considered the Adele of Mumbai and rightly so. One listen to her soul stirring tracks from Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball, or Rihana’s Umbrella, Rachel Platten’s Fight Song, or any of her two original tracks War Solo and Flame is Gone, and you know you are listening to a singer with an ability to sing with good intonation and someone who is blessed with great talent. A promising singer who has a faboulous voice.

India’s very own Louis

“Man! If you gotta ask, you’ll never know!” Louis Armstrong once opined in response to the age old question, “What is Jazz?” This is as apt an answer you are likely to get if you should ask this question. But then we thought, why not prod the best ambassador of the genre, the Godfather of Indian Jazz, Louiz Banks and see what he has to say.