Festivals, almost by definition, ought to be egalitarian and collaborative. Music festivals in particular, since art is a great leveller. In a cultural milieu, it actually doesn’t take much effort to break class and caste barriers. The Hindu’s upcoming 10-act musical event aspires to achieve exactly this by bringing musicians of diverse genres on a single platform
The two-day celebration will explore Chennai’s music ecosystem, which is known for its proclivity to tradition, but is evolving to embrace new settings and sounds. The festival also marks the culmination of The Hindu’s 45-day Made of Chennai campaign to commemorate Madras Day. The campaign was about looking back (385 years) and looking ahead.
At the festival, classical, gaana, hip hop, rap and film songs will give listeners a peek into this city’s distinctive ethos.
Says Badhri Narayanan Seshadri of MMM (Motta Maadi Music) fame, who will be performing at the festival, “Though Chennai is popular across the globe for Carnatic music, there is space here for other genres too. Independent musicians have tapped into it with great success.”
Motta Maadi Music has moved from the terrace to the global stage | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Gokulakrishnan Photography
The now nine-member group, which began performing on motta maadi (terrace) for fun, has moved onto the proscenium and now travels around the world. “Wherever we go, we create the atmosphere of a thiruvizha to showcase Tamil music,” says Badhri.
Beyond boundaries
With Chennai’s rasikas becoming more receptive to innovative presentations, Carnatic musicians are looking beyond the repertoire to engage with the art form in exciting ways. Classically-trained playback singer Haricharan, who has been performing with bands for more than a decade, says that though music festivals in Chennai have sealed their place in Carnatic music history, they have, of late, been sparking future visions. “Musicians seem to be experiencing a new-found freedom as they are stepping out of their comfort zone to create a novel soundscape.
For the past one-year, Haricharan has been performing with the Drums Kumaran Collective. “I put together the collective led by drummer Kumaran. They are all excellent musicians. I have been recording with them. I have already released three songs and there are more to come. Though we are now working on covers, we plan to come up with some originals soon,” says the singer.
Singer Haricharan with members of Kumaran Drums Collective | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Songs of resistance
Shaped by broad cultures and cutting-edge tech, modern music festivals echo with repressed voices and rarely-heard sounds. That’s how Chennai’s rap star Arivu found a medium to sing his songs of resistance, highlighting the social and cultural isolation of subaltern artistes. At musical events, along with members of his Ambassa band, Arivu connects with the audience through his message-driven gaana and folk paatu. Through his rebellious singles and albums, he has shown how music can be used to speak one’s heart out.
Singer Maalavika Sundar is delighted about how festivals are turning into sites liberated from conventional rules. A regular at ‘Poti’ (she participated in Super Singer season 3 and was a finalist at Indian Idol), which incidentally is the name of a track from her soon-to-be released album Yezhundhen Nimirndhen Nadandhen. “Ironically, ‘Poti’ is about how each one of us is unique and there is no need to run the rat race,” says the singer-actor.
The Tamil rapper Arivu has been making waves with his songs of resistance | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Maalavika credits the city for her cultural orientation. “Art is embedded in its ethos. My Carnatic music grounding has helped me realise my creative strength. It also gives me and my music a distinct identity in the indie world, and it’s great feeling. What’s most heartening is that both the music fraternity and listeners here are now open-minded. This has made life easier for artistes like me, who love music without boundaries.”
With the scope of festivals growing over the years, many have diversified, blending music with food or adventure. At The Hindu festival too, choicest menu from 40 food joints will be served. It’s all about variety in tune and taste. And that’s Chennai.
The rocking line up
Haricharan and D Kumaran Collective
Motta Maadi Music
Arivu and The Ambassa Band
Maalavika Sundar
Emcee Jesz
JHANU- Tamil Metal band
Paul Jacob and Isaivani-Gaana
Office Gaana
Gowwli- The Band
The festival will held at Island Grounds on September 14 and 15 from 4 p.m.
Published - September 05, 2024 12:34 pm IST
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