After a long time, Bangalore-based folk fusion band Swarathma made their way to the city for the tour Dus Minute Summer. Kicking the tour off at Five Mad Men in Sector V, the band made their way to Jadavpur University and then they were off to Mumbai and Bangalore. The five-man band is known for their fun presence on stage and quirky music videos. A t2 chat with the independant band.
How was the Dus Minute Summer tour? There was a big gathering at Jadavpur University.
Vasu: Yes, it was nice to be back on the Dus Minute Summer Tour. The highlight was definitely the Jadavpur University show because of the brilliant reception. People loved the kind of music we make, they vibed with the stuff that we talk about; it’s not just about jumping and dancing, it’s also about understanding the music and the subjects that we speak about .There were 4,000-plus students, and in the middle of the show it rained but the students waited for 45 minutes.
Kolkata saw you after years. What is it that you enjoy about the audience here?
Sanjeev: We have fond memories of playing in Calcutta. The audience here loves good music and has a taste for varied types of music. Calcutta has retained that old world charm and we can feel that vibe and energy when we come here every time. When that energy comes from the audience, we are able to perform better on stage.
You recently dropped a new music video for Dus Minute Aur, which looks like a fun doodle. What’s the concept behind it?
Jishnu: When we came up with Dus Minute Aur, we knew that the song had the potential for a fun video, and an animated video is something we have never tried before. We joined forces with our friend and collaborator Aasuma Noor to imagine what being stuck in an endless, sleepless loop might feel like. She came up with the characters of Billoo, Chhotu and Didi, people like us who are constantly racing against the clock.
How was the song written and composed?
Vasu: The initial progression came from Jishnu and Varun — they were just jamming and Varun came up with this nice lick and then I added the main melody. Initially we thought it was folksy, and thought we’d probably write in Kannada or some other language. But then it also had a lot of disco elements, and a pop-ish feel. And we were thinking: “What should this be about?” Satire is something that comes very naturally to us. So the first idea that we came up with was Chakhna Khatam Ho Gaya, or something like that. It was a great satirical idea but it didn’t go down well with the rest of the band members.
And then came this idea of how we celebrate not being able to sleep. That idea was brilliant and then we went ahead with that and once we got the lyrics written by Syed Aslam Noor, it just fit so well with the melody and the feel of the song.
You all launched NFT collections of demos, artwork and videos. Do you think venturing into crypto will open up more opportunities for the music industry?
Jishnu: Yes, I think this is a new exciting space that will open up new avenues for artistes to express themselves and connect with their audiences. For us, NFTs are not so much about the world of crypto or the technology, it is rather a tool to engage with fans. That’s why we put so much heart into curating a collection of rare demos and artworks that are not available anywhere else. We ended up selling the Dus Minute Aur collection, so I guess it did work out just fine.
Can you tell us about your upcoming projects?
Varun: We are currently working on the Rhythms of the Earth project in collaboration with Tata Steel Foundation which involves recording and producing tribal songs written by tribal groups from across the country. Apart from this, we’ve been in the process of recording a new set of songs which we’ve been working on for a while now. We also just wrapped up the audio part of a collaboration we did with a Rajasthani folk artiste named Jumma Khan as a part of the Equal Sessions by Anahad Foundation.
You recently did a trek in Panchgani. What did you see?
Jishnu: The Panchgani trip was part of our continuing engagement with Tata Steel Foundation. They run a tribal leadership programme for the youth and we were invited to be a part of the sessions.