A musical journey

Ishq kutta hai is a power-packed song, in which I have used the breakbeats and punch of rock guitar, but in a classical Indian raag-todi manner, so it’s a combination of the two. A.R. Rahman is my inspiration and I love to experiment and merge Indian classical with western music. Lonely is another song which has a very simple tune, but in this, I have
merged synthesisers in Indian style. It is sung by Anu Mallik, which makes it standout and unique.

What kind of instruments were used for composing the songs in The Shaukeens?

We have used sitar for a major part and the guitar. While in programming, I have used choirs, synths, organs etc to make the music sound more racy.

How was it working with Mika Singh and Anu Malik?

It was such an honour for me to work with Anuji and make him sing to my tunes. He is a brilliant composer, so he knows what a composer is looking for and delivers it in exactly the same way. He is also a very kind person and whatever I say about Mika paaji is less — Singh is King, I guess. He is full of energy and positive attitude. I learnt a lot from both of them, especially on how to improve myself and my craft.

For a newcomer, is it difficult to survive in the music industry?

If you say this is a journey, then you should enjoy the journey. I started my career in 2007 as an assistant to Pritamda. I am quite happy where I am at this stage, but I am still not satisfied. I have to achieve so many things, experiment with so many different genres. The music industry is a tough place, but I love music so I enjoy it. You can call me a shaukeen of music.

How do you ensure that the tunes you compose are different in each film?

While every director and producer wants their film to have extraordinary music that stands out from the rest, it’s not always easy to come up with new tunes everytime. My producers, Ashwin Varde and Murad Khetani along with director Abhishek Sharma have been very understanding and have given me the freedom to work the way I want.

What kind of music do you personally like to listen; any song that is close to your heart?

I like the kind of music that touches my heart. But there isn’t any particular song that is close to my heart. Madan Mohanji is my all time favourite, and all his compositions are brilliant.

Where do you derive inspiration from when you experience a composer’s block?

Inspiration is in our subconscious mind, the more music you listen to, the more you can play with music.

What are your future projects?

I am in talks but cannot disclose anything till things are finalised.

karan.shah@expressindia.com