Sound Impact

When the British Council began the project Soundpad in November last year, the intention 8212; to showcase the best of Indian rock 8217;n8217; roll 8212; must have caused a chuckle in some quarters. But that was precisely what got Leckie and producer Dan Austin interested and to begin the talent hunt. 8220;I decided to be a part of this only because it involved bands from India. I was curious to get to know the local talent that has been creating some buzz around the world,8221; says Leckie, who has been spending all his time at the Yash Raj Studios, staying up until late night, recording with his new finds: Delhi bands Advaita and Indigo Children previously The Superfuzz, Mumbai8217;s Medusa and Bangalore8217;s Swarathma.

Leckie, who started his career at Abbey Road and worked with Pink Floyd Meddle and Wish You Were Here and the Beatles John Lennon Plastic Ono Band and George Harrison All Things Must Pass, has seen and heard the best of Brit rock scene. Now, he has fast-forwarded through Indian rock as well, listening to over 40 bands from across the country. While he was inspired by his chosen four, he brutally says that several others were nothing short of pomposity 8220;It is essential for a producer to be inspired by the music of the artist he is going to work with and these four bands did give me something that I wanted to delve deeper into,8221; says Leckie.

While the barefaced rock of Indigo Children and the electronica of Medusa reminded Leckie of the artists in the UK, he was impressed by Swarathma8217;s theatrical display of Indian folk weaved into Kannada and Hindi lyrics and the serious fusion of Advaita.

Each band has recorded two tracks with Leckie, and an album and a tour are well on the way. The album, British Council8217;s Soundpad, which will be released early next year, will have tracks such as Advaita8217;s Colourful and Just enough, Indigo Children8217;s Sing to me and Swarathma8217;s Jamba and Yeshu Allah aur Krishna.

The bands agree that the journey with the Brit has been one exrordinary experience. Advaita8217;s keyboardist Anindo Bose says, 8220;Though he is a league apart, John was not keen on changing the sound of a band. He just tweaked the notes to make it sound richer.8221; After the hustle and bustle of studio sessions and the album release, the bands will tour India and the UK, starting with The Great Escape festival in Brighton in May. Meanwhile Leckie will be back home to try some new sounds 8212; with some Mexican guitarists and an American band. But he sure will be still thumping Indian rock.