4 min readPuneJun 7, 2024 06:33 PM IST
First published on: Jun 6, 2024 at 01:53 PM IST
“Taambdi Chaamdi chamakte unhatna” (“brown skin shines in the sun” is the hook of the current track 22 on Local Pune Pulse on Spotify.
It is a single by Shreyas Sagvekar (27) and DJ Kratex (29), are the faces of new genres in Marathi Indie music, where Kratex’s house music meets Sagvekar’s rap music.
Sagvekar had to run a lot of errands in the scorching heat of this summer.
“I used to step out of the house and sun rays would pierce through skin and make me all sweaty by the time I reached the studio. I saw how the sun rays would make my brown skin shine, that’s where Taambdi Chaamdi gets its hook from”, he said.
About the rap, Sagvekar says, “It is about a middle-class Marathi boy going about his day, stopping in the middle of the commute to splash water on his face to feel better. But it is also about what me and Kratex, as Marathi individuals, are trying to achieve in the music industry. It is about admiring that struggle and the dream of taking it forward internationally”.
Sagvekar is a songwriter and rapper from Mumbai but is currently based out of Pune.
He is known to Indianise Hip Hop by telling stories that are connected to his roots.
About his track “Bharlela Taat” (“A plate full”), he says, “The genres in which I write, most of the songs tell stories about people for whom it is difficult to put food on their table. But that was not the case with me. I am grateful my parents could provide me with a roof over my head and food everyday. So I write about other challenges of a middle class Marathi boy”.
His recent songs Paristhithi, Bharlela Taat, Kapasacha Kaalij collectively garnered more than one million streams overall.
Sagvekar owes his interest in making Hip Hop music to two things: Internet and Eminem.
“It was around 2007-2008, like everybody else, I was introduced to Hip Hop through Eminem. My starting 2-3 years were trying to learn from these western influences. But once I started writing and figured out what I want, I never let those influences become my identity”, he said.
On the other hand, Kratex (29) has made a name for himself in Maharashtra’s club scene, where venues once refused to play Marathi music.
“When I started a lot of people, including DJs said people don’t listen to Marathi. But I liked doing this. So I did it for myself and then I started getting messages from non-Maharashtrians too that they are liking it,” he said.
Sagvekar and Kratex both say that a lot of non-Marathi speakers appreciate their music.
“Sometimes it is about the genre of music that people are drawn to. People who like house music like listening to my music. But it’s a bonus for Marathi people because for them it’s more personal and relatable”, said Kratex.
They also say that they have realised the Marathi diaspora is a huge demographic across the world, so their music listeners are not limited to the boundaries of Maharashtra in any way. Kratex hosted a “Marathi only” on the last new year eve party.
To make the club scene more Marathi, Kratex went beyond just the music bit and started an event titled “Dhumacool,” where traditional Marathi wear became the dress code for a club event.
“People came wearing saree and indo western clothes and kurtis and topis. I had informed security too to not bar anyone for not wearing formal shoes” said Kratex.
Both Kratex and Sagvekar are engineers, who eventually left their corporate jobs to follow their passion for music.
Sagvekar said, “I understand the computer world and technology very well, excel sheet and all we make at a super fast speed, we are used to working things out”.
Shreyas Sagvekar (27) and DJ Kratex (29), are the faces of new genres in Marathi Indie music, where Kratex’s house music meets Sagvekar’s rap music. 
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