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Indian Ocean performs song from Peepli Live
Fusion band Indian Ocean, who have scored two songs for Aamir Khan's upcoming film Peepli Live, say Bollywood filmmakers respect the orginality of their music and have never asked them to change their style. "We are usually approached by creative people who have Indian Ocean's style of music on their mind. They have never asked us to make it sound like general Bollywood music," band member Susmit Sen told PTI.
The Delhi-based band has scored two songs for the Anusha Rizvi-directed film, Desh Mera from their album Jhini and the second being Zindagi se darte. "It was basically Anusha who wanted us on board. She pushed us much before Aamir Khan came onto the scene. We later came to know that he is also acquainted with our music and that his wife Kiran is a big fan," said Susmit.
"Even Aamir did not ask us to change our style for the film," said bassist Rahul Ram. The band, which currently has three members after the death of founder member Asheem Chakravarty last year, has also scored music for Anurag Kashyap''s ''Black Friday'' in 2004, which was their first full-length feature film.
They are now gearing up to release their latest album 16/330 Khajoor Lane, named after the bungalow in Delhi''s Karol Bagh where Indian Ocean has been practicing for years now. The band is currently on a tour across the country to promote it in association with UTV World Movies.
Their last album was released five years ago and the band blamed their movie projects for the delay. "The delay happened because these film people approach us to make music, but due to some reason they are not released and our time is wasted. We were working on a film called Bhoomi, but it was shelved after we had already composed four songs," said Susmit. The new album has seven songs - Shunya, Chand, Bula Raha, Jogiya, Sone Ki Nagri and a Bengali track Bondhu.
The songs will be available for free download, one in each month starting from July, on the band''s official site. "This is the first time that a band is giving out a complete album for free.
Mostly we guys don't get our royalties and our rights are taken away (in a record deal). By giving it for free on our site, we are making a new format of working and want to reach a greater audience," said percussionist Amit Kilam.
In twenty years of the bands life, Susmit says that this is the most difficult phase they are going through, now that Asheem is not with them anymore. "It is definitely a vacuum that he is not with us anymore and this is the most difficult time for us, but we haven't got the time to realise it fully yet as so many things have been happening ever since," said Susmit.
The band was touring when Asheem fell into coma and subsequently succumbed to a cardiac arrest in December. Two new members, Tuhin Chakraborty and Himanshu Joshi are slated to join the line-up of Indian Ocean.