New Gharana on the Block

He insists he8217;s being truthful and helpful. To solve the riddle, he leads the way into Khirkee Gharana. It is a band formed three months ago by Desai and fellow East India companion Kirti Prabar Das at the former8217;s pad at Khirkee Village. Khirkee Gharana unfetters electronica from commercial demands, says Desai, 8220;allowing musicians to play in ways discos don8217;t allow, to let loose their art without the pressure to sell club and pub tickets8221;.

Was Khirkee born out of frustration? 8220;Yes it was. No it wasn8217;t,8221; he replies. He grins, and clarifies: 8220;Khirkee wouldn8217;t have been possible if our main band East India Company wasn8217;t doing well commercially. With East India Company, we play popular music that8217;s for everybody, from kids to toothless grandmothers. But, there is a huge range in electronica that8217;s not for mass performance. That8217;s when we thought of Khirkee.8221; The tongue-in-cheek name, which purists may frown at, is drawn from the home addresses of Desai and Das. 8220;There8217;s humour in the name,8221; says Das, 27, who adds tabla beats to Desai8217;s laptop concoctions.

Khirkee8217;s first performance was in July for the Delhi Electronica Supply Unit DESU, a platform for experimental music. 8220;There was drum and bass, which we feel is sidelined in Delhi. The playlist wasn8217;t the kind of stuff you would hear on a regular night out,8221; says Desai.

Those who thronged DESU nights liked what they heard 8212; and the invitations started pouring in. They8217;ve had six gigs and have started refusing invitations, even as a beverages company plans to take them on a three-city tour.

Since CDs won8217;t be viable, there are no recording plans as yet. The 25 tracks in their laptop, however, are enough to keep the party going for a long, long time.