Sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee has an important tool in his arsenal — the electric see-tar, an instrument he commissioned, and it has been built and designed by Belgium-based sitar-maker Klaas Janssens, who runs a shop called Sitar Factory. What you get is a Plexiglas (acrylic glass) electric sitar which has a lightweight body that changes colours when played and emits a resonant sound.
Of course, the musician is also working on several projects. During an impromptu jam in November last year involving percussionist Taufiq Qureshi, the British-Austrian drummer Bernhard Schimpelsberger and the sitarist at the Purbayan Art and Artists Music Foundation (PAAMF) studios in Mumbai, the song Two Thirds was born, and it released a few days ago.
“Many generations of musicians, especially in the south have electrified their instruments. The advantage of running your sitar through a processor is that although your playing technique remains like the sitar, you can achieve great variety tonality wise. I like to play the see-tar on songs that require a more edgy electric vibe, when I feel it will sonically enhance a song like Two Thirds,” said Purbayan.
Here’s more from the man before the first public showcase of PAAMF students in Mumbai on April 7.
Let’s begin by talking about the collaboration with Taufiq Qureshi and Bernhard Schimpelsberger and what makes Two Thirds special?
I feel like Two-Thirds is the beginning of a new phase in my musical thought process. I am beginning to want to use the see-tar more in songs and therefore beginning to delve into genres like trance and house which are perhaps more youth-centric. This instrument offers edgy tones as well as beautiful ambient tones which can be the perfect foil in these genres. Also, in a live concert scenario, I feel this instrument is visually stunning and adds a lot to the aesthetics on stage.
The see-tar. Tell us about the design and how the instrument was born.
I am extremely grateful to Klaas Bouma for having executed my concept so beautifully. I am beginning to think a lot about the visuals for a performance and will use this instrument more and more to enhance the visual element in my concerts.
I am sure you have been using the see-tar for a while in the sense of tuning and perfecting it. How did the instrument evolve?
The electromagnetic pickup used in the see-tar is extremely unique. It’s very accurate and works with my FX processor to create some ambient tunes which were very dreamy and can convey a lot of different emotions. Due to the presence of this instrument, I have been able to inculcate a couple of different playing techniques which make the best facets of an electric instrument stand out.
How are variations of the sitar received among those who are conservative about their taste in classical music?
I am a great lover of Kishore Kumar’s song Kuchh to log kahenge. Whenever I see a lot of artistic judgement around me, I remember this song and laugh to myself. I strongly believe we should do things which appeal to us and express what we want to express. Of course, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. But as I said earlier, I use an instrument for a song or a live concert situation according to the demands of the genre and the kind of music that is being played so often, although constructive criticism is welcome, I would request listeners to qualify their judgement on the basis of the needs of the song and the genre.
The sitar maestro during a session with other musicians
You are also trying to improve the digital footprint of your music. How are you going about it and what are the lessons you are sharing with young musicians?
The music industry has undergone a sea change in the last decade or so. Every artiste, irrespective of genre, has to be digitally conscious and the most potent way of putting your music out there is to use digital means because consumption is mostly on streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and so on. Through my Foundation I try to teach my students the value of tradition and traditional formats of music, but I also help them stay in touch with the needs of the day and there is a strong emphasis on building an effective and viable musical career. They must do what it takes to get their music out and generate enough work from it, so as not to feel better or helpless in the years to come. As their mentor, it is my job to show them the real picture and guide them on what needs to be done. But this process of guidance is often two-way. I learn a lot from those who are 20-somethings as they know a lot more about what works in the present day.
What are the short- and long-term goals of Purbayan Arts and Artists Music Foundation?
The foundation seeks to create a potent platform for the propagation, digital and otherwise of Indian art forms, specifically music, with a bit of an emphasis on instrumental music. I feel that great instrumentalists have so much to offer and often, although they are happy to take a somewhat secondary role in a band, the best in a piece of music will not come out without each person in the band adding their bit to a song. I want to work on enhancing the presence of each and every instrument and instrumentalist. In addition to that we want to be able to educate people in our country and in our culture about different types of music and the beautiful musical diversity that exists in our country.
Lately we have seen some great apps come up in the classical music space, like NaadSadhana and Apple Music Classical. How important are these developments to the entire community and do you have any plans to come up with an app or collaborate? Maybe even a podcast?
Through the Foundation, I would certainly like to engage the larger cross-section of music-loving people, especially in our country. I feel like we can try to show them that traditional forms of music can be a lot of fun. The way innovative masters try to push boundaries within the parametres of traditional music is in itself very, very challenging, engaging and if the processes are somewhat demystified, it might help understand and enjoy the music better. I strive towards developing a test for this kind of music which is improvisational and made in the moment. The vehicles that you have mentioned in the question are very potent vehicles, so whether it be a podcast or an app, I believe that the end will justify the means.
What’s a usual day for you like?
I strongly believe in a sense of grounding when it comes to my daily life. I get up in the morning and try to follow some kind of routine with a great deal of help from my wife Gayathri as between the two of us she’s the more disciplined. Obviously, a large part of the day is occupied by the pursuit of music, whether it is in the form of practice or in the form of teaching students of the foundation. But then there are simple ordinary day-to-day things that we do like watch movies or go out to have a meal at a restaurant. The one thing we try to do every day without fail is some form of exercise, usually in the form of a long walk. I am also a bit of a tech nerd so there come these days when I will have access to a new gadget and then I will sort of take a break from everything and dive deep into the features and facets of this new toy. But this phenomenon is a lot less now in the present then it used to be in the past.
What’s next for you in way of albums as well as shows?
I am working on a very exciting trance music, the first venture like this for me. This collaboration will feature a couple of international award-winning musicians. I am also working on the next version of my project from yesteryears, Shastriya Syndicate, and this time this album is going to feature a bunch of new young exciting talents. It’s also going to have a greater degree of music production so as to be able to bring my audience new sounds. Ever since the days of CLASSICOOL, I have always tried to feel the pulse of not only my contemporaries but also of the generations that have come after me. I believe that my music has to reflect what’s going on in the world at large.