New Age Vibe

Mido, today I’m writing on a very special music album (at least to me): Soundscapes, Music of the Seas, by Bhaskar Chandavarkar. Believe it or not, I’m listening to this album for almost 7 years in row (3 yrs non-stop, till the tape breathed its last, and 4 more years in cds till date at irregular intervals, but still often). Even today I listen to this album with the same pleasure (sometimes even more) with which I listened to it for the first time. Isn’t it special then, Mido? Yes, definetly. (not a great thing, I agree, for those who claim to see their wife as beautiful as she was on their marriage! Mido, let this be between us, I don’t really believe such open lies!)

Seas has lived through quarter of my life and will increasingly live further. Starting with the track Deep Blue, the album moves towards the shore rather than deep sea. Deep Blue is serene, undisturbed, reflecting the self-same nature of Seas beyond shores. Anyone listening to this track(or the album as a whole) cannot forget the impression that bamboo flute makes. It lives in my heart as a treasureable memory. How do you expect the next track to be, Mido? more serene? If it is, then i’m sure you’d be rather listening to my snoring this time (did I forget to tell you? I do that exercise when I listen to Al Gromer Khan’s albums)

The second track is Coastal Garba, a very festival mood track tuned for a Garba dance. Garba is more like the western social dance taking its roots in Gujarat, India and is more spiritually connected. Dancers go round a focal structure (mostly idol of Amba, goddess, or a lamp) clapping their hands at regular interval. Coastal Garba imitates this scenario. Like the painless, strainless dance movements, the rhythm goes smooth, less stressful, more relaxed, let-go. I label this track D2O! (pardon me, Chem was hammered too much into head in my schooldays… I mean the track is a Dancing gas).

More than 15 years have passed since Seas was first released. Still it’s one of the best selling new age albums. Music Today, recording label, calls it “multi-platinum best-selling album.” For all this, and for my personal liking, I’m writing on his album in a series. Rest of the tracks will be covered in other posts. On my part, I make sure that I don’t sing you a lullaby in this series (like, next only to my mother, Al Gromer Khan does to me when I listen to him) nor drive you crazy (as Trilok Gurtu does often with his drums, tempting me to play next.)

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