Ragapravaham launched

Vivanta by Taj gets into music

Following the successful launch of Divas Of Rock,Vivantas latest initiative Urban Folk represents the traveling wanderlust that seeks new places and cultures and a cosmopolitan experience.

Vivanta by Taj,the exclusive hotel brand,had introduced Urban Folk in November 2011fusion music comprising of eclectic folk and contemporary electronic genre in a new avatar.

The idea behind launching Urban Folk is to promote contemporary music composition for discerning audiences who crave for innovations. Urban Folk in its virgin version Folktronic,presented a performance in Mumbai on March 2. The show was performed by Gods Robots,which is a project spearheaded by San Francisco-based DJ and producer Janaka Selekta in collaboration with Taamara,who added Indian classical vocal melodies. They also performed recently at the Jaipur Lit Fest.

Soft launch for romantic album aims big

BIG Digital,the Digital arm of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. launched Love Is In The Air,an album of love ballads in the voices of Alka Yagnik,Shaan,Babul Supriyo,Javed Ali,Shankar Mahadevan and Neha Bhasin. The album was launched on March 1 at Mumbais 92.7 BIG FM Studios. BIG Digital will make use of multi-media promotions across different media platforms and networks including Radio,Television,Digital,out of home and also on-ground concerts with these artistes.

92.7 BIG FM will utilise 29 Hindi stations with a reach of 7 million to promote the songs. In addition,the tracks will also be available on live and customised mobile radio Airtel,Vodafone and MTS. There will also be tie-ups with other radio stations to play the music and also interview the artistes. The music will also be deployed online with music portals like gaana.com,flipkart.com,in.com and more.

BIG Digital will also be partnering with Indya Records and Moserbear for distribution of physical CDs across all leading music stores in India. Apart from this,live chats on mobile will give listeners a chance to interact with their favorite artiste and know more about the album. All of this will culminate in a live concert with all of the six artistes in the capital at the end of March.

DJ Khushi remixes Rahman hit

DJ Khushi,after remixes of chartbusters like Chammak chhallo from RA.One and Chikni Chameli from Agneepath,has now remixed A.R. Rahmans latest composition 8211; Hosanna from Ekk Deewana Tha.

Says Khushi,says,Despite so much success,Rahman-sir is so humble and I desired to work with him. God granted my wish pretty quickly! I soon got a call from Sony Music asking me if I can remix another track. To my surprise,it was Hosanna and being a part of his music is the best thing which has happened to me.

DJ Khushi Soni,a Mumbai / Delhi based DJ,had his first official remix in Rishte naatefrom De Dana Dan. Music director Pritam gave him his first break. A DJ for nine years since he finished schooling,Khushi says,DJ-ing was always a passion for me so I got into this profession for fun but later on I realized that this could be taken as a serious profession. Being a DJ was not easy for me.

Known for Bollywood,Retro,Hip-Hop,House and International Dance Music,DJ Khushi has played with Shah Rukh Khan,Kareena Kapoor,Vishal-Shekhar,Shaan,Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,Malaika Arora Khan,Sophie Choudry,Mika,Daler Mehndi,Nikhil Chinappa and Indian Ocean among others. He has also played at many events and runs a DJ-ing company called Sound Station. He now wants to collaborate with international artistes.

Disc check

Indipop in the movies

London Paris New York

Neither memorable nor fast-forward-able,to coin a term,this soundtrack has oh-so-trendy music and lyrics with a passing appeal akin to the latest Indipop album. Ali Zafar is a good singer with a rich tenor,but one could have done with some professional help in the lyrics,even if the words of Woh dekhne mein Ali Zafar are smartly written. As a music maker,he fares better with both the restrained arrangements and the catchy hooks,especially in his duet with Sunidhi,From London to Paris. But the songs do not have recall value once they are over 8211; even a glance at the inlay does not remind you of how the just-heard tunes went.

New arrivals

Bihu Strings

Sunita Khaund Bhuyan presents Assamese folk songs of the Spring Bihu season. She is the lead vocalist and the lyrics are written by different writers and include tracks like Bholuka baahore,Ranga nodi and others.

Sufi Masterpieces 2

Another compilation from the music label of their own tracks features artistes from both sides of the border like Abida Parveen,Shubha Mudgal and many more.

Thumri Funk

Abhijit Pohankar composes and his father Pt.Ajay Pohankar sings six famous thumris made funky for todays generation. The list includes Ab ke sawan ghar aaja,Naina more originally by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan,Yaad piya ki and Ras ke bhare tore.