Bridging the Octaves: IndiEarth At The Park
“I definitely think it’s high time I get down to recording some of my original music and put it up online,” says vocalist Shakthisree Gopalan. “It’s been quite some time since I last released a track that I produced!”
This past Saturday night saw Shakthi performing at IndiEarth At The Park – IndiEarth’s independent live music gig series. She brought together her myriad influences to perform some of her own original music – something she hasn’t done for quite a long time in Chennai. “It felt fantastic to be performing at an independent music gig here in Chennai again after a long hiatus – and it was fabulous to see so many people who came to watch us perform that evening, and also to see so many dear friends!”
Shakthisree Gopalan
While Shakthi has made a name for herself as a vocalist in her collaborations with A.R. Rahman and also by lending her voice to many Tamil film hit songs including Rahman’s Nenjukulle, her future plans include many more collaborative endeavours and independent gigs. “My inspirations and influences include A.R. Rahman, Nina Simone, Norah Jones, James Blake, John Mayer and U2. I’m looking forward to collaborating with more artists in the future, and doing a lot more live gigs in the indie scene.”
Next to shake up the stage at The Leather Bar was Sapta aka Marti Bharath – an electronic artist based in Chennai and equipped with an arsenal of original material designed to get his listeners moving. “The IndiEarth At The Park show was a very important event for me,” he said after the show. “I had watched a couple of them before and I always wanted to be on the stage with their productions. I was rehearsing everyday for nearly 14 days straight. Sometimes I would swing by Leather Bar just to feel the vibe of the venue. This always influences and inspires my setlist for the show. And I would picture myself standing there and nailing the show. And 7 days prior to the event, I knew exactly what I had to do to keep the crowd active and let them know that this is original music that you’re grooving to.”
Sapta’s performance was an electric explosion of sound and synthesisers, with music influenced by the likes of Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers. “Man, I got so many plans for Sapta,” he told IndiEarth. “This is Sapta’s seventh year, and since Sapta revolves around the number 7, it’s going to be mental. I have some amazing collaborations and productions coming out real soon. A small spoiler: three more records this year (I don’t know if I should let that secret out).” So lots in store for this versatile talented young artist.
The next edition of IndiEarth At The Park will happen in September 2014 – line up to be announced shortly, so watch this space. In the meantime, check out all the pictures from the last edition here.
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