Samved, a Mumbai based band which was formed in late 2013 has proven to be one of the most promising and innovative bands in the music scenario today. The Electronic Music project seeks to explore and delicately fuse upbeat electronic dance music with Indian classical music. The band has recently released their debut album ‘Rlung Ta’ on Universal Music India.
The name of the album is inspired by the colorful Tibetan prayer flags. The intensity and mood of the album flows much like these little flags- robust in flight with strong winds and comforting and smooth in good weather.
The White Horse is one of the symbols in these prayer flags, which is believed to take your prayers to heaven as also the guiding thought behind one of the tracks of the album- ‘Wind Horse Flight’.
The album features 8 tracks which take you on a euphoric trip where you experience a melting pot of genres and sub-genres of music – from upbeat Electronic music to Indian Classical music.
This is what Samved said on the thought behind the album.“Fusion to us is a collaboration of different sounds, different cultures, different soil and different colors just like the Rlung Ta... Rlung Ta has variant colors and yet there is uniformity. Our album ‘Rlung Ta’ is a result of all that we have heard, learned, seen & captured during our travels. A heartfelt gratitude and thanks to Team Universal for being such a strong & supportive medium for us to communicate our expression with the every one of you.”
Devraj Sanyal, MD Universal Music group, South Asia on ‘Rlang Ta’: “Electronica is emerging as a strong favourite in the country and it’s only fair for more choices to surface and give listeners a wide variety to enjoy. Samved's debut album is replete with endearing Indian Classical music strains, infused with energetic electronica.
Samved was nominated for Radio City’s Freedom Awards. Their song ‘Love Science’ was chosen as one of the top 5 nominations for the Best Song Award in the Folk Fusion category- among 700 bands.
Samved is also running a project parallel to their album which features some of the best Indian classical musicians to record video tutorials that will teach people how to splay classical instruments and various ragas. The classical music fraternity has showed great love and support for this project. The group will be following this with tutorials on Electronic Music which will feature renowned international electronic artists.
The band line-up includes:
Ritvik Joe - Programming, Keys, Effects, Samples, Guitars – Ritvik is a live music protagonist for the past 7 years and a well known name among the well known names in the electronic music.
Abhijeet Hedgepatil - Bass, Programming, Effects – A former DJ with many prestigious medals on his shoulders. Abhijeet has a deep understanding of sound, composition and zeal to experiment with recording and mixing has made him the pillar of Samved’s music strength.
Zeeshan Khan - Vocals – A renowned classical singer in the industry and the son of Ustad Maqbool Hussain. A pro in classical singing since the age of 3, Khan has won many prestigious awards like the Surmani Award and Pt. Vishnu Diganbar Paluskar Award. Zeeshan brings a classical blend and traditional flavor to the electronic grove of Samved.
Christie Bourcq – Celtic Vocals – A professional from stage school of art from Paris, Christie is a pro in singing, dancing and acting. Her Celtic vocals, fills in the liquid space of Samved’s set.
Sangeet Mishra – Sarangi - A renowned sarangi player in the industry and the grandson of the late sarangi maestro Pt. Narayan Das Mishra. His improvisational skills and his innate style of playing the Sarangi complete the texture and sounds of Samved.
Chandan Raina – Guitarist, Manager – Chandan has been working in the music scene for the past 12 years and has been playing the guitar since he was 15. Chandan is a guitarist, artist manager, production manager, tour manager, programmer and sound engineer all rolled into one.
Kirti Prabar Das - Tabla and Percussions – Trained under the well known percussionists Nitin and Anup Shankar, Kirti can play varied instruments such as Djembe, Bongo, Shakers and Timbal among many. Kirti has also been associated with Papon & The East India Company and The Midival Pundits and musical festivals across India such as NH7 and Coke Studio Season 2.
Album Tracklist:
1. Kama Unit
2. Love Science
3. Anamudi Access
4. Eastern Clouds
5. Maal Kuusa
6. Wind Horse Flight
7. Infinite Days
8.Gyratin’ Solang
Watch the band promoting their album through a launch tour: