Add them to your playlist and they will take you on a wonderful musical journey!
Great music has no barriers! The Indian music scene is evolving immensely and is starting to look extremely promising. Independent music in India wasn’t making much noise until now, but we see a change where it is oozing towards a big change with a ray of sunshine. With a growing presence at music festivals and going viral on Youtube, the young musicians are changing the way music is made today.
With their fresh ideas and path-breaking experiments, new- age musicians are blowing our minds away! These musicians are inspired by the greats and are bringing in new styles, soulful lyrics and are steering away from the commercial music. We are lucky to witness the new milestones in music and Indie artists who create music that speaks to our heart and resonates with a spectrum of generations.
The F16s
“Our inspiration comes from dog and cat memes, the internet in general, lawnmower reviews on YouTube. Aside from that, bands like the Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, LCD Soundsystem.”
Lyrically rich with melodious and soothing music, The F16s refuge us from the mundane lives we live. Capturing all our emotions, the Chennai based alternative band they uplift our consciousness to new levels, where we start feeling healed and restored.
What’s next on the cards for them? They will be releasing a 4-track EP this year called ‘WKND FRNDS’, which will be accompanied by music videos.
They have also recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for future projects their website www.thef16s.com, with Instamojo. Fans can contribute as much as they want or as little as they can!
Instagram: @thef16s
Aditi Ramesh
Lawyer turned musician, Aditi Ramesh is a jazz/blues Carnatic vocalist, songwriter, bandleader and producer based out of Mumbai. She is known for her stronghold on tonal modulations and has a knack for mixing classical Carnatic music with jazz. With a magnetic and spellbinding voice, the singer-songwriter’s beautiful music is what you would truly call luminous, and in just a few seconds she will radiantly evoke your emotions and take you on a serene journey.
She began her musical journey in 2016 and has since then performed at numerous live shows, created her home-grown label ‘Nrtya’, released an EP ‘Autocorrect’, plays keys and sings with Ladies Compartment and Jazztronaut and is a part of acapella and beatbox ensemble Voctronica. With her admirable energy, soulful voice and exemplary verses, she surely won over our hearts, giving us goosebumps while we are transported into an external world.
About what inspires her she says “LIfe around me, my experiences, surroundings, thoughts, emotions and circumstances inspire me. Observation of society inspires me, many times this happens when I’m travelling on the Mumbai local trains. What drives my work is my desire to experiment with different sounds and genres as well as my need sometimes to express myself.”
Currently, she has a few experimental concepts involving food and music in the works. She is also working on a full-length album and with her band Ladies Compartment, she is about to start recording their debut EP. Another band I’m a part of Voctronica will be releasing some original music as singles in the coming months. She will also be playing at a number of festivals this season including NH7 Pune and Shillong, the Echoes of Earth Festival, Orange Festival and Redbull Tourbus.
Instagram: @aditi_ramesh
Prateek Kuhad
Weaving beautiful tunes and melodies together, Prateek Kuhad is already making everybody swoon. Creating aphoristic music with the natural goodness of soulful and poetic lyrics, Prateek conjures the material and spiritual world we live in, with a voice that melts hearts.
When asked about what Inspires him, he said: “Humans, stories, the process of writing songs, the very short-lived but warm feeling you get when you put a record out, my own thoughts – just about anything really that moves me emotionally and/or intellectually.”
With his melodious voice and his beautiful words, he has a fan following that connects with the emotion of love and heartbreak through his songs. He has not only cleaved his craft with intricate musicianship but a voice that has found an audience – both English and Hindi.
What’s coming up next for you?
“I’m doing a short tour through Germany in November across 5 cities. Driving around in a tour bus, just me and my guitar – let’s see what happens! Apart from that, playing select shows across India. We also have a couple of other things in the works coming out in the next month or so, the details of which I’d rather not give away, and big plans for 2019!”
Instagram: @prateekkuhad
Maalavika Manoj
“We live in really interesting times, with so many environmental and political changes happening around us at such a constant rate. A lot of us get jaded by it and still crave something simple, emotional and soul-stirring that I believe Music has the ability to provide. To create an oasis of beauty in a desert of dystopia.” says Maalavika when asked about what inspires her.
Going by her stage name Mali, her music with seamless patterns reflects honesty and love garnering applause from all around. Her lyrics combined with her mesmerising voice, tug on our heartstrings.
“The need to create music that’s timeless and that will always be relatable. I like to tell personal stories through my music and so it’s very important that I find a way to articulate what people may have experienced in one way or another, and still present my take on it.”
She is currently working on a single called ‘Mango Showers’ a song about intuition and being able to judge a dangerously toxic person before something negative actually manifests.
Instagram: @maalavikamanoj
Peter Cat Recording Co.
“We are in the process of establishing ourselves as a unique cultural force in the language of music and film and more as we proceed. Nothing inspires us.”
Giving us the vibes that they are in the true sense ‘wise’ and know exactly what life is about, Peter Cat Recording Co. sure does inspire us! Clearly unfiltered by cultural heritage, they create futuristic music, that is a blend of Jazz meets Rock meets Electro and a little bizarre, still sounding divine. And then there are visual arts by them, which, while not necessarily easy to connect with, it is still unique and path-breaking. and could even open up new avenues that bands could potentially explore thanks to the very daring experiments that the PCRC fellows have been attempting not just through their music but also via their forays into the visual arts. It’s a small sign, if nothing else, that there’s a space for an experimental sub-subculture within the indie music community.
A glass of wine, some romance and soulful Jazz music from the band is all you need for a perfect night. Though a little non-conformist, their music makes us feel nostalgic, yet has a contemporary touch to it that makes it relatable.
In other news, they tell us that they are releasing a new Peter Cat Recording Co. album by the end of the year as well as new videos and some surprises.
Instgram: @petercatrecordingco
Lands
On what drives their work, Sohrab and Rohan say “Everything! Life inspires art in our opinion… music expresses things words cannot!“
Beautiful storytelling combined with melodious electro-organic tunes is what sparks the minute you hear Nicholson. These Mumbai based artists have a laidback cool attitude and languid sounds that make their music sound gentle, relaxing, and are a refuge from the real world. Fantastically likeable, they have a distinct melancholic sound, with glistening melodies, and harmonious vocals.
It’s a genre that is sort of hard to define, electro yet very organic and authentic. They create music that seems familiar and original at the same time and make us want to fall in love. We definitely can’t wait to hear a lot more from them.
“We have been working on our album, so that should be done soon. We are also gearing up for the nh7 weekenders in Shillong and in Pune.”
F
Instagram: @landslandsmusic
The Local Train
Ramit Mehra, Sahil Sarin, Raman Negi and Paras Thakur are the four members of the band creating all original alternative rock music. The Indie-Rock band based out of Delhi is not afraid to flaunt their love and passion for slow rock music, in an era where electronic music is all the hype. True to their name, they stick to their roots with Hindi music and prove that rock music will always stay. With a distinct sound, echoing percussion, majestic and glistening melodies, and harmonious vocals, they create music that seems familiar and original at the same time.
Their soulful and nostalgic lyrics make it very easy for people in the country connect with them on a deep level. Staying true to the kind of music they love and produce, with every new endeavour, their creativity keeps getting better. Fantastically likeable, they have a sound that speaks to the soul, yet makes you sway to the heady beats. They’re in their true element when they play live and are the finest crowd-surfers you’ll see.
Instgarm: @thelocaltrain
Go ahead! Add these 7 to your playlist, and follow them Instagram and we promise you they will take you on the most beautiful journey ever.