Trippy Mushroom!

As much as the headline screams the involvement of inebriating/ narcotic substances, this isn’t about it. It might have something to do with it, depending on what you like listening to when you’re indulging in the aforementioned activities, but let’s not lose focus here – this blog is about the music.

Welcome to the Mushroom Lab. Delicious lounge and chillout music. The kind you can keep listening to. The kind you want to play when you’re sitting on a verandah overlooking a valley, with an almost Pandora-ish feel to it.

Mushroom Lab is an offshoot of the Andrew Sonin project (famous also for Pillshop and Sleepy Bears). It explores the realm of psy chillout with dub and electro elements. The music is deeply relaxing, easy and literally transports you to another dimension.

Each track has a distinct feel to it and also generates vibes and almost all of them have strains of traditional folk music from the Far East. Critics have been inclined to diss it as just another “spa music” album, which is tragic, because Mushroom Lab goes way beyond the music that plays at spas. The beauty lies in the detail, and the precision with which it is placed in each song. The smallest tick, the strumming of the harp, the flute, the electro effects, the faint traces of something that resembles a table – this isn’t music you listen to over a noisy table filled with beer. This is something you relish, something that you trip on – in the true sense of the word. It is music that is inebriating and requires no accompaniment.

You might think the songs get a little difficult to differentiate towards the latter half of the album, and perhaps loses a little of the heady feel it gives you at the beginning, but all in all, this is one Good Trip.

Disclaimer: This post does not intend to encourage substance abuse.

Shankar Tucker and the Shruti Box

Listening to Shankar Tucker is like being in love. Your heart will skip a beat every single time.

Tucker is a non-Indian Indian. He captures Indian music like you’ve never heard it before. Almost all his songs are covers of either Indian classical music or songs from Indian movies (mainly Tamil and Hindi). Shruti Box is his online forum where he uploads his music for the public. You can stream videos of his tracks. Shruti Box also has a channel on YouTube, which is regularly updated and lets you know each time there’s a new track being released.

Please note that Tucker is a clarinetist and renders soulful background music to each of these numbers. All his songs feature young singers, presumably amateur, but incredibly talented. Each of them have such a unique voice, you will not know what hit you. Watch out for the Iyer Sisters, Rohan Kymal and Aditya Rao (just to name a few).

The first track I heard was this one called O Re Piya/ Rolling in the Deep by Rohan Kymal. A fusion of two amazing songs – O Re Piya from Aaja Nachle (starring Madhuri Dixit) and Rolling in the Deep (by Adele – another mind blowing singer). The song overwhelmed me enough to bring tears to my eyes the first time I heard it.

Tucker’s music has a lot of soul to it. And reaches out to those strings inside you and tugs at them relentlessly. The man has performed across the world and has also been part of Amritanandamayi Amma’s (a spiritual guru hailing from Kerala, India) entourage.

The latest is Manmohini Morey from the soundtrack of Yuvraaj (the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer directed by Subhash Ghai and music by AR Rahman). Aditya Rao has reproduced this song delightfully! Vijayprakash, the original singer of the track, had done a brilliant job with the original, but Rao is no less!

Few of the other tracks that are a “must-listen” are Ashai Mugham, Munbe Vaa and Nee Ninaindal (all featuring the Iyer Sisters) and Ja Ja Re. Tucker is very obviously influenced by AR Rahman’s compositions, but we’re not complaining now, are we?

Do check his website out for more information: http://www.shankartucker.com/. You can also download his music for a fee in excellent quality from this link. The other rips available are not great quality, but if you’re not keen on paying for music, it should suffice. You might want to check www.beatoon.com for Shankar Tucker, if the latter is the case.

Double thumbs up to Tucker and the Shruti Box.

Cafe Fluid by Naveen Kumar

With Cafe Fluid, Naveen Kumar has now officially caught my attention.

His first album, Fluid Grooves [http://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Flute-Grooves-Naveen/dp/B000N68JVI] sated my senses with his absolutely delightful rendition of Jiya Jale (from Dil Se). For those who have not heard of him, Naveen Kumar is an ace flautist and currently is part of Oscar winner, AR Rahman's stellar team of musicians. Naveen Kumar has composed music for music directors across India, and pieces of his work can be heard in various popular Bollywood numbers from movies like Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Dil Se etc. To know more about Naveen Kumar and his work visit http://www.flutenaveen.com/

Cafe Fluid is a must buy/download (for all those pirates out there) for any person who has a ear for music. The album is more in the Lounge genre, and has distinct lines of Carnatic classical influences. Please let that not be a deterrant - for those who are not into Indian classical music - because the man manages to make you groove to all his tunes. The album boasts of an array of top notch musicians, who have formed his team in creating the music in Cafe Fluid. The list includes well-known names like Louis Banks (ace keyboardist and jazz specialist), Matt Cooker (veteran freelance musician and member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra), Keith Peters (one of India's top bassists and Rahman's favorite!) apart from other equally talented musicians.

Each track hits a different note. Heartflute is soulful, and yet dark in its own mysterious way. However, Sinbad vs. Kerala takes you to an altogether new level. There is something distinctly malayalee about the piece (my untrained ear is not adept enough to put a finger on it!). The track is my favorite in the album, and personally speaking, is the perfect number for a beautiful contemporary dance piece. Tranceflute reminds you of Rahman’s Mr. Romeo. Never Say Goodbye is an obvious take on Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’s title track, and is inspired from the same.

My personal guarantee on this album. To say the least, avid Rahman fans will absolutely dig Café Fluid. Five stars to this one.