The Beat Nation

Free-Spirited Individualism Of Alternative Rock And Sub-Genres

August 18, 2019
Vaishali Adwant

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What is your worldly view?

Is the sin of being too real your sinew?

Alternative rock rings the bell of your soul?

You are so undone,

Originality is the religion you dole?

Show your flaws without fear…

Is your inner self, you wish to hear?

Are you too solemn to want to be pretty? Seeking your higher self through the no-nonsense, no-bullshit persona within the music and lyrics of Alternative rock and sub-rock genres. Is your nirvana searching for a deeper meaning? Willing to swim across the tides of tricksters, beguilers, and dissemblers? Evolving from the poltergeist chains of grunge rock as a stereotypical teen to sublime emotions of the classic rock ballads. A musical genre, a lifeline your heart beats to, living under its belly vicariously, to germinate into an eternal free spirit.

As depressed as Kurt Cobian relating to Nirvana, backstroking through identity crisis as a teen and taking penance in rebel of Linkin Park, mellowness of Bryan Adams, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, through the discography of Lynard Sknyard, Pearl Jam, and the list goes on.

When Pink Floyd overthrows conventional education, The Beatles pave a way for eternity exploring thoughts and emotions, Def Leppard singing a motley of meaningful things in life we experience. There is always more to love than sweetness and beautiful feelings. Love is the toughest thing to deal with when its real, coz love lets you discover your inner daemons and gives you strength to fight them off, because you want to love to the highest purity, breaking away all the flakiness.

Unbound to the ways of the world, living by your imperfections, flaws, gumption, learning and unlearning, Alternative rock is a wide spectrum of thoughts and emotions in poetry and lyrics with upbeat music score that ignites the realm within you. Discover yourself over and again in the musical fete of rock genres with a bang that screams to say anything but unreal.

For those who dare to wear vulnerabilities on their sleeve, and get up and go with a vastness in your soul, because you know that being unbound is your journey through different dimensions. Beyond the veil of superstitions, false faith, conditioned notions, lays a realm, the penultimate opening up your inner self destroying misleading ideologies, coz everything in life is too real to experience and keep evolving.

The Spirit And Legend of Elvis Presley, His Iconic Style And Rock-N-Roll

May 6, 2019
Vaishali Adwant

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Elvis Presley, the king of rock-n-roll, had developed a distinct musical style so uncanny, that it still has an impact on masses. Think of a retro or a rock-n-roll theme and the hairstyle or costume of Elvis Presley would come to your mind. Every rock star is endowed with a disturbed personal life, so did Elvis Presley. If you were meant to be an artist, your personal mayhem lets you soak yourself in the depths of your soul to create beauty through art, music, and all the creative fields. Elvis grew up in a broken home, that skewed his emotional well being. Gifted that he was, he got his musical talent from his mother, Gladys who was known to have musical and dancing skills.

You don’t always have to get talent from the genes. But, Elvis did, and sensationalised the rock-n-roll genre that is now synonymous to his very name. Thinking of how talent in the current times is shallow, picking up personality traits from someone else to create a public image instead of developing something on their own, says a lot about how the essence of originality has gone a few notches down. In current times you have to prepare a personality for an artist and serve it to them, that’s the sad reality of reality shows, music, and all the jazz of showbiz works ( kyoun ki business to chalana hai bhaiyya, ethics, originality jaye bhaad mein). It has all the condiments to cook up personalities with almost no calibre and present them to the world.

In times like these, all that made Elvis Presley for what he is, is truly inspiring. If you listen to the discography of Elvis Presley, you can see that his style, musical arrangement, and singing is unrivalled in every aspect. A slow, romantic number, “can’t help falling in love,” is unlike any other romantic track. With a leisurely, uncomplicated musical instruments playing together, this is a track that never gets old. Looking at the distinct variety of tracks that Elvis Presley gave us in the rock-n-roll genre, it makes you wonder if today, artists have even an iota of dedication and passion like the legends of the yesteryear did.

Today’s music is hurried, like it wants to get instant fame and gratification using electronic gimmicks and call it a composition. There is no love for maths that blends with the art and science of music, that you see in most of the tracks of Elvis Presley and his contemporaries. Music is beautiful, when it sounds unhurried, like its taking its own course of time to evolve into something eternal and beautiful that stays in the heart of the people forever.

Elvis started exploring the music scene as young as a ten year old and participated in a contest at that age. He listened to many styles and especially, explored the rhythms and blues, which is a major influence on most of his tracks. He invested in developing a musical style as well as his appearance. He experimented with fashion as much and created a unique style that he employed through-out his career. His clothing had become as iconic as his hairstyle and music. This is what a true artist does. They develop themselves, not borrow traits from others and promote themselves as original using PR gimmicks.

If you are truly talented and have originality, you do not need a PR telling you what traits to show and what traits to develop. A gifted artist has their own thinking and it is original in every aspect. That is how legends are made. Elvis made bell-bottoms, and flared pants with chunky belts iconic to his style. A shy child as a kid, he brewed his own personality and taste creating a stupendous image of himself is role-played even today.

When you have passion, grit, hours of dedication to master your craft, you do not need a PR gimmick to develop a personality, like the humbugs do it today and only see business more than art. Elvis Presley knew what he loved and created a style for himself, his personality is from his own gumption, not borrowed from someone else. That is what makes him Elvis Presley who has given music our hearts and senses celebrate.

Elvis made movies, and acted in them, 33 of them. The hilarious bits are when you see the king of hoax, Andy Kaufman imitate him. Elvis composed musical tracks with various stories and themes, like the Dog’s life, Adam and Evil, and so forth. Elvis takes you to his laid-back era, where everything took time to create with beauty, thought, and soul. Those where the times when you see a man put his soul to work and create masterpieces, over and over. Those who we call old, are legends, and good at everything. Studying them we learn, the essence of life and all that makes creating so soulful and euphony personified.

Hariprasad Chaurasiya- World Music- Ushering Harmony

October 9, 2018
Vaishali Adwant

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Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasiya started his sojourn in music since the age of 15. The flute maestro breathes life into world music with the composition of flute and a mixed bag of digital and classical music. The mood his flute playing in the world music sets you in is, here and now, enjoying the serenity of the present, that the present wants to present to you. Romancing flute with tabla, and other stringed instruments, this discography is a blend of esoteric with an urban twist, for the new and the old, and the one that loves to celebrate life through music.

The sitar in the background bespeaks of the 80s puritanism in emotions that inspire music. Settling in the harmony of flute music based on Indian ragas and the background of world music symphony is what your soul might get nourishment from early morning. Flute ragas have a reason to be the early morning glory, because each day welcomes a new inspiration to be an extension of your better self beating the banality of existence per se. Indian ragas and western classic romantic music are a world apart like oil and water; but in the cosmos of music, this oil and water find an avenue to blend through symphonies and portmanteaus.

Celtic flute music is enamoring, and has a different beat. Celtic flute music usher you into a dream state of transcendence. Indian ragas in flute let you stay in the here and now of existentialism, for that is what we are here to be, to exist in harmony. When you listen to the bliss hidden inside the Indian ragas through the Maestros flute compositions, you are not thinking, you are sailing to a higher philosophy in your mind that disconnects inessential.

The land of Uttar Pradesh has some magic, legends are born in that sacred land and they give the world ecstatic music. Unhurried, at its own pace letting you know how life takes its own journey pace by pace. The music you listen to has a psychological effect, more of a ripple effect. Not that rock is a bad genre of music, its dynamic, that contrasts with the peaceful instrumental music. As much as the fiery rock music minus the negative lyrics (a lot of rock music has positive, meaningful lyrics too) has its own element, flute music sets a rhythm to the subconscious mind.

Early morning ragas are a melodic feat, a symphony from an eon older than the Earth. Exploring the mysticism of the aura these ragas beget, seeps a calm of the sacred mountains, dew of the leaves in lush jungles, and the salute to the morning sunrise that is a gift of every mortal. You know when that happens, and often, it opens avenues, new paths, asking you to explore them, seeking all that is unheard to unravel them.

Or maybe just enjoy the moment, if depth has still not touched your happy soul. When you are happy and content, its like you are not looking for new beginnings, and nobody can judge if that sort of limitation is intimidating. Nirvana is not the only key to bliss. When you live in the moment in peace, unruffled, its a higher state to ascent. World music with a magic of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurisiya ascends you to that higher realm.

Away from the cosmos of item numbers, EDMs, and commercial music, is this sacredness of this music of the mountains, river streams, and an admission into a natural world to a novel beat.

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The Legendary Kishore Kumar had Trees as his Best Buddies

July 20, 2018
Vaishali Adwant

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The humans of Bollywood and creative fields are a separate species altogether and function at diverse and complex emotional and mental levels than you can imagine. Loneliness is a creative paradox that every creative genius suffers from and Kishore Kumar was no different. With an extraordinary success as a celebrated musician, he was always a loner at heart coz nobody was capable of understanding the depths of his tumultuous personal life that he told the journalist that his only best buddies are his trees.

A common heartache which most of the people in the industry share and yet swallow the pain despite its being a common place reality that it is hard to find true friends in the industry. Which is such a painful reality to experience, given the fact that the industry binges on creativity, and expression, and to express yourself creatively only to be further misunderstood and get stashed in the web of desolation.

Kishore Kumar married 4 times, created evergreen dulcet music that you can never get bored of, that’s why its called evergreen. Nobody can bring quality and life into music that he did in most of his songs. This comic, eccentric legend for the rest of the world had sadness in his heart. Paranoid about not being paid, he also worked for free for Rajesh Khanna and Danny movies. He also sent money to the family of Bipin Gupta, actor-producer after his death. A host of eccentricities, made him a difficult person to deal with yet loved for his dedication and devotion for music. Who could guess what his heart was missing, not even the 4 women he married.

When you are born to create divine artwork through music and cinema, it unjust to judge a creative genius for his eccentricities and failed marriages. It takes a beautiful heart to create symphonic music that gave lyrics its life. People should stop matching personalities and behavioural traits to talent coz these two are separate things, and a hackneyed way to judge a person by what they see. Creativity is no science, creativity is divine with no structure and method. It takes a genius to dwell in randomness and put your heart on sleeves and be vulnerable knowing the ways of the world and still not lose your inner sanctum of following your divine path and true calling.

The discipline of creativity is an entire encyclopedia not for the logical mind, but for a heart that generates emotions so large than life in their intent, that the entire cosmos settles in them. It takes a genius to understand the bizarre, and the mist of obscure with clarity to create structured artwork through music and cinema.

P.S: People who are too sensible, you do not belong the creative field…..the blend of madness and creative genius is the prerogative of creatives.

Rock Versions of National Anthem For the Young and Dynamic India

June 5, 2018
Vaishali Adwant

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National Anthem’s original tune and intent melts your heart, and evokes patriotism no matter in which part of the world you have settled. A.R Rahman came up with his version of Vande Mataram a few years back. The best part of the new era musicians is they explore and come up with tunes and compositions with oomph and dynamism. That is what the rock versions of National Anthem do to you, raise your energy and vibration, and beckon your attention into your very identity and the soil you were born into.

We yap about government and politics mindlessly, and pass away time, without giving a forethought about change starts with us, and our will to bring transformation within. The metal version of National Anthem is bombastic and deep. It connects you with a feeling of solidarity, and the fact that what we are regardless of the urbanisation is still not lost and retained ubiquitously as a reminder of times that people forgot.

Struggle and devotion were divine virtues that time of digital world has forgot. Rock and metal versions of National Anthem delineates a time and values through wonderful renditions and compositions that we still inherit the virtues of this land and through our arms open for a revolution that brings a better change in the very thought of the citizens to open up and explore and yet not forget who we are originally and where we belong.

We as a diverse culture bring variety and traditions in its utmost sweetness and welcome ethnicity from any dimension to expand our consciousness. We as a country are a mass of consciousness and not populace alone. When you hear the scared tunes of National Anthem in rock and metal versions, the folksy inside you aligns with the earnestness of what progress in thought and consciousness.

Enjoy this wonderful version of our National Anthem

India Needs More Creativity in the Orchestral Music Genre

June 1, 2018
Vaishali Adwant

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The symphony of orchestral and chamber music in India is at an incipient stage. Musicians are so ga-ga about going mainstream, overtone of this genre is blissfully brushed aside, only making episodic appearance. Orchestral music is a genre so vast, you could spend a lifetime exploring and innovate music never heard before. Chamber and instrumental music is epic and a platform for innovation to create symphony so dulcet, it would take the listener to higher realms.

Chamber and instrumental music is purity in the art of making music and composition. A true musician at heart will wilfully attempt symphonies, even if not bitten by the classics of Beethoven, Maurice Ravel, and the ilk of the classic romantic era of music where renaissance in art and music was limitless and had no commercial bearing.

This is the music that time forgot amidst synthesizers and auto-tuners. Chamber and instrumental symphonies show the love of the musician for its art at its heart. You do not need an opera setting, only talented musicians who like to explore and not stick to the commercial nitty-grittes alone.

On any given day, classics of Mozart, Beethoven, Maurice, and many other classic Italian composers of the romantic era introduce you to finer world than what the sorry likes of Bollywood item numbers did to the very essence of music. “Munni Baadnam Hui” and the grade of such songs are not music, but an ugly trace of the sorry state of commercial music.

Apart from individual bands, musicians have stopped exploring music, running behind record labels, selling their talent and their soul in the name of commercial music, and lost their art amidst the rigmarole. Chamber music is not as celebrated as commercial music but deserves its place in the heart of music. If only this genre is explored, the world will have a new wave of compositions and something new to hear.

The drama of emotions through the overtures and symphonies that only orchestral music can create. enjoy the fantasy epic orchestral piece.

Bollywood Music- A Distinct Musical Genre

May 28, 2018
Vaishali Adwant

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Most of the Bollywood music over decades sums up to love songs and sad songs with a dash of Indian classical meets urban background score. Bollywood music is distinct and has a unique tonality. A cult in itself Bollywood still needs to explore vast music genres and go beyond love and sad themes, minus the sing-dance songs. What Bollywood has given its audience is a motley of various music genres, yet remains in its nascent stage. Lyrical and poetic in nature, Bollywood lyrics are poetry in motion, sometime deep, sometimes skimming on the surface.

Talking of music of the Hindi cinema, classics were composed without a lot of background score. There was more singing and less of noise. The mainstream music genre that appeals to masses in India has a cusp of qawwalis,pop, disco, folk, and ghazals. Bollywood music relies heavily on poetry.

Lovingly called PanchamDa, R.D Burman composed evergreen retro hits wanting to make you live through that era over and over again. His songs had spunk of the 60’s and 70’s and the element of joy and happiness. The romantic and dance numbers had an urban twist for retro songs pictured in simpatico settings. Using, most of the musical instruments of the Indian origin, he created magic in the retro Bollywood music.

Lakshmikant-Pyarelal duo composed Bollywood music using folk and rock and roll style of composition. Using a mix of western and Indian instruments, they created melodies that can never get old or outdated. One of the distinct styles of the duo was to combine Indian and western stringed instruments and create original melodies in singing and dance sequences. Not as celebrated as other legendary composers, Bollywood songs composed by the legendary duo rocked the 70’s and 80’s era through the 90’s era. Could you ever get bored of Jumma Chumma from Hum movie composed by the duo? Most of the songs played in the popular radio program of the yesteryears- Binaca Geet Mala played most of the songs of this legendary duo.

Bappi Da brought disco to India and reigned in this genre creating a portmanteau of Bollywood meets disco. You can still have some fun listening to his compositions starring Mithun Da and Anil Kapoor. If you are a millennial and still live in the 90’s, most of the songs that remind you of your days of yonder were composed with a western style by Jatin-Lalit, Annu Mallick, and Nadeem-Shravan.

You can learn Indian classical as a distinctive musical genre, but you cannot specifically learn Bollywood style of singing unless and until you have a base of Indian classical music. A.R Rahman has not composed a lot of Bollywood songs, but the niche that he has created has a signature style of his composition. He is a music director, a true legend, who goes beyond Bollywood music, and explores various genres, to create melodies and symphonies that are magic to the ears.

Pritam, Vishal-Shekar duo, Salim-Suleman duo ushered the 21st century of Bollywood music that has been a cusp of EDM, house and pop music. Today what you hear is not the authentic Bollywood music that the legends of the yesteryear’s had created. The compositions today in Bollywood are assorted genres, and lack purity. They sound mellifluous, but lack the purity is apparent compared to the authenticity of music in the 60’s and the 70’s Bollywood music. That was the era of awakening. Music all over the world was awakened taking you to different realms, and so did Bollywood create its mark in music with these celebrated musicians.

Musicians are too limited in exploring musical genres and stay limited to boundaries of safety net that brings them commercial success. There should be no guilt attached to making music commercially viable. But then again, lack of experimentation in music and lyrics in Bollywood is an epidemic without a cure yet.

The only hope remains is with the musicians and composers of the new wave and new generation who I hope still give regard and pay respect to the classics and do not forget to explore.