Drum Step Inc

Musician Vivek Rajagopalan will perform with his new drum kit for the first time in the city.

Musician Vivek Rajagopalan will perform with his new drum kit for the first time in the city.

Back in July last year,when musician Vivek Rajagopalan began experimenting with the tasha and chenda in place of his standard equipment snare,hi hats,mridangam and looper he found the earthy and raw sounds fascinating. This,combined with his regular instruments,paved the way for him to try a new sound,which he says,as a musician is very important. While he is no stranger to performing in the city,it will be the first time Rajagopalan will bring his new drum kit here at The High Cookout,High Spirits,on Sunday. I have been experimenting with the instruments and I found the sound very different. In September last year,when we tried it all with a live crowd for the first time and everyone loved it. The thing with instruments like the tasha and chenda is that they allow a musician to merge them easily with a lot of modern instruments and technologies while retaining their own sound. It gives a wonderful layer to the music, he adds.

Rajagopalan will be performing along with Finix Ramdas on the violin (western and Carnatic),Shovon Mukherjee on bass guitar,while he will be on drums. Veronica,a vocalist from Greece will sing Greek folk songs,while another singer named AC Loy will also perform.

Taking time out from his rehearsals to praise his new kit,Rajagopalan says,I have added them to the snare,hi hats,mridangam and looper. Since I am using the loop,it helps create a secondary sound in the background. I am combining all of these with vocals,which will give it an alternate music,sound and vocal effect.

Rajagopalan mentions that the urge to create was not born out of a notion to be cool. I get that a lot. People keep telling me how the sound is really cool and all. But for me it wasnt born out of such a need. Instead,it was about experimenting with a new style. It provides a lot of possibilities to merge music and technology. While on one hand we have traditional sounds,on the other,we also have the modern music styles and electronica. The scope of this music is wide. Traditional artistes can create new styles and genres along with other forms of music, he says.

About having an afternoon gig in Pune,Rajagopalan feels it will be a fun experience. Usually,I do evening and night gig. This is a first for me in Pune. But I know for a fact that people are really fun and appreciate good music here,so it should be a fun affair, he says.

Vivek Rajagopalan’s Rhythm Labs and Veronica will perform at The High Cookout,High Spirits,from 2.30 pm onwards today.

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