KARISHMA
D’MELLO
MALIK ARSHAQ
DOCUMENTING
INDIE
IN INDIA:
Chapter 1: Indian Independence and Jazz
You’ve had your history lesson on how we got to independent
ruling, now it’s time to learn about the dawn of independent
music! This episode goes into the origins of jazz during the
early 60s, the influence of political agendas, British rock
bands and hippie culture. It also features interviews with
great musicians such as Louis Banks, narrating charming
anecdotes about their experiences during that time.
Chapter 2: The Rise of Beat Music
This one delves into rock during the early 70s, battles with
mainstream media and the spawning of new publications.
It is about the sheer raw talent and passion that drove these
musicians to continue performing through every struggle, be
it - the lack of proper equipment, Indian societal pressures
(Some things never change)and the growing dislike towards
anything “Western”. Also - some back story to a few great
bands and a great story involving Led Zeppelin!
Chapter 3: Building of Color
This is about the heavy metal awakening in India; when
the rock community began to grow and the metal bands
of the north east entered India’s indie scene. Lou Majaw’s
subliminal blend of passion and rebellion, the effects of the
war, the disheartened yet inspired musicians of that time,
the growing popularity of “Bangla Rock” and stories of some
truly amazing bands!
Chapter 4: Rock N’ Roll Renegades
The late 80s were defined by the emergence of bands like
Euphoria, Indus Creed and “rock n’ roll renegades” – Rock
Machine. Along with great musicians also came – MTV
– which in turn gave rise to the otherwise alien concept
of music videos. This episode also features Amit Saigal’s
incredible influence on music in India by promoting and
encouraging original music from bands who were largely
“cover centric” at the time.
Chapter 5: And then, the Internet
Written and directed by music journalist and musician, Arjun
S. Ravi and co-produced by OML and Red Bull, “Standing
By” is a six part documentary series about the origin and
evolution of Independent music in India. As described in
every episode - “..this is not the story of popular music in
India; it’s about those unpopular few, who rocked out in
the face of adversity.” It tells the stories of a lesser known
dimension of Indian music and the struggle and persistence of
some incredibly badass and remarkably talented musicians.
Each episode documents a different time period covering
genres like jazz, electronic, rock and heavy metal. However,
if you don’t fancy going through each one of these (though I’d
strongly recommend that you do), here are brief overviews on
each episode to help you decide!
This episode is all about the 90s and popularization of the
internet; the growth of rock communities, the influence of
Gigpad and fun stories about accessing music before the
internet. Bands like Zerotell their own charming tales about
their bands and how they came to be. Electronic music
during the late 90s, remixing, dance music, the growth of
psychedelic trance are all covered in this one.
Chapter 6: The Call of Metal
This one is for the metal heads. Rebellion, empowerment,
angst and art, all of these contributed largely to India’s
heavy metal scene. This episode goes over all the struggles
of being an aspiring heavy metal band in India - from the
budget constraints to run-ins with their parents and the
church, to whom the entire concept of “Heavy Metal” was
alien and way beyond their comprehension. It also goes over
the emergence and growth of music festivals in India.
Available on: YouTube
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