The No’Mad Projekt is city-based musician Praveen Sparsh’s idea.
Praveen Sparsh
The lilting notes of a tambura and the cawing of birds is all that you hear at first, like a curtain raiser, revealing Rithvik Raja singing Manasa Sancharare with his back to a river. If you close your eyes, you can even hear the river humming and gurgling to the music, maintaining an indescribable rhythm. The video is tagged under The No’Mad Projekt on their Facebook and YouTube accounts. Rithvik is among other Carnatic musicians, like Sumesh Narayanan, Vignesh Ishwar and Vishaal R Sapuram, to feature in this unique initiative conceived by Praveen Sparsh, independent musician and mridangam player.
Just back from yet another kutcheri for the Margazhi music season, Praveen settles down for a late night chat about the No’Mads. The addition of ambient and natural sounds is the point of the project, he explains, which is a platform for artistes to explore true acoustic music. “The whole idea started last year, in the month of May. A bunch of friends, all Carnatic musicians, and I headed to a hill station to unwind. I took my guitar along and one of my friends brought his violin and half an hour into a trek, we began playing.” That impromptu jam was a revelation of sorts — “We were completely free, weren’t being judged, no stress of being in a concert blocking us. The fun we had on the road, the people we had interacted with, and the food we had eaten, it all reflected in how we played,” says Praveen, who is also known as Tanjore K Praveen Kumar in the city’s music scene.
That experience scratched itself into an idea in the 23-year-old’s mind. “Classical music has lost its organic element and has changed completely. Before you had one mic to record sound, but now, for any performance you have so many gadgets accompanying each instrument. My idea was to remove all these electronic equipment and put the artiste in a natural environment.”
Taking to the outdoors was the obvious step, as nature, Praveen believes is music’s greatest muse. It gives artistes so much more scope as they are no longer bound by the rigid rules of performance or how elders in the field will perceive it. Recorded with just one mic, the tracks contain no post-production and have a raw feel to them.
While the completed sessions featured classical musicians, The No’Mad Projekt doesn’t confine itself to this genre alone. “So far, the sessions were with musicians who were my colleagues, or friends. The Projekt is basically a platform for deserving artistes to experience something new. Since I’m a musician myself, I can curate the whole event, but I want them to choose what they play,” he adds.
The whole concept was inspired by TM Krishna’s film One, and things came full circle when the renowned musician listened to the recordings and was among others who came forward to appreciate the project. So far, Praveen says, the project hasn’t been for profit, but that could soon change with his plans to register it as No’Mad records, invite artistes for concert trips to exotic locations and try out some innovative things. With a bunch of friends behind him, including Sean Roldan and Susha Raja, who functions like a partner, the sky is the limit.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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