Music in a metro

Pritam Chakraborty8217;s space also reflects his temperament 8211; calm and collected
Four years ago, when he was struggling to make a mark in the music industry, Pritam had bought one of the top floor flats in the seven-storied Serenity building in Mumbai8217;s chaotic Oshiwara suburb. Four years on, riding on the crest of creative and commercial success, Pritam today owns all the four flats on the building8217;s seventh floor with work on to make the whole floor a single large unit. A predominance of wood sets apart his work place, as Pritam corrects, 8220;Not just wood, it8217;s my favourite, the sleeper wood. And, I don8217;t mind it being all over the place even though some complain of it attracting the mosquitoes. Wood gives my music studio the feel of space and brings in a sense of calm to its rooms.8221;

Incidentally, when the busy music director has to work at length on a project, he just hikes off to the real woods off Mumbai8217;s neighbouring hill station Khandala, far from the madding crowd and out of mobile phone coverage area. 8220;In Mumbai, there just isn8217;t any end to the calls anytime through the day. So I prefer working late in the night.8221; Normally in at his work place by noon, Pritam was shocked at our initial request of shooting at his studio at 9 in the morning. 8220;That8217;s my sleeping time. My peak work hours are midnight to five o8217;clock in the morning,8221; he says. The interiours though bare, are functional enough to accommodate his office staff of 10 and can be divided into four major rooms. There8217;s a practice room with a guitar courting the pride of position. 8220;I cannot compose without my guitar. I sing into a mike attached to my laptop,8221; informs Pritam. The Gen X music maker is tech savvy, and proudly displays that facet of his music making. A state-of-the-art recording room next to his practice room with flat screen computers contributes to that image.

However, it8217;s the yellow washed jamming room near the lift, where he holds court with his guests, interviewers, lyricists and singers. That8217;s where his famed band Metro 8211; with Soham, Suhail, et al of the Life in a Metro fame 8211; practice. The floors are bare, but the walls adorn large posters of Pritam8217;s idols 8211; Queen, Pink Floyd, Beatles 8211; 8220;They are my favourites and inspirations. I bought those posters from Amsterdam,8221; he says.

On the room8217;s lone wall shelf, rest his three ITA Indian Television Academy Best Music director awards for the serials Remix, Kashmir and Kavyanjali, sharing space with a Bhool Bhulaiya trophy celebrating 100 days of theatrical run. This may be one section with ample space to spare at the moment, but going by the prolific music director8217;s hit run at the charts, this is one wall that promises to make a difference to his otherwise minimalist studio.