Interview: Advaita

New Delhi fusion act Advaita was in Mumbai a few weeks ago to record their second album at Yash Raj Studios. We caught up with them for a chat about when to and what to expect from it, the sonic evolution of the band, international gigs and exposure and their performance in the much talked about Coke Studio at MTV.

When can we expect the album to release?
We’re not looking to release it before October. That’s the target. It’s a long process. We need to take it out of India to perfect the production.

Where is the album being mixed and mastered?
The mastering was done in Metropolis Studios (London) last time. This time around, we’re still in talks, depends on the studio bookings (there). But in all probability the mixing will be done in New York this time.

Advaita has a pretty unique sound. Is there a concerted effort on your part to stick to one particular genre or type of sound?
We’ve not been thinking so much about genre and such things. It’s more about the sound as a band. Over the last couple of years, we’ve got to know each other better as musicians and as people, which helps in the creation of the sound as the final product.

There’s eight members in your band. What’s the songwriting process like?
There’s really no fixed pattern. A lot of songs are made with everyone being there during the songwriting process, and some are made with just two people in the room. Sometimes there are a few people, sometimes there’s just one person. Not that we meet and say, “Let’s make two songs today and get done with it.” Sometimes, someone walks in with an idea and then we work on it collectively, taking off from the idea that one person brings to the table.

Advaita @ Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai

‘Ghir Ghir’ and ‘Rasiya’ from Grounded In Space are now mainstays of your live set. Which songs from this album do you think have the potential to be those tunes?
All songs are special to us, but we really need to wait for the album to be out. The songs and the sound (of this album) is representative of new India. Westerners refuse to believe that India has towns and cities and have forms of music other than Indian classical.

Too add to that, the notion that India has only classical music or hardcore western music is a bad sign. Bands like The Raghu Dixit Project, Swarathma have a composite sound. In fact, every band that’s coming up now has a definitive sound. The Internet revolution and the unique sound, collectively has made a mark. Festivals, venues internationally add to the credibility and they’re right up there and in terms of equipment as well with the bands of the world, in terms of standards.

A little more exposure and we’ll see a lot more Indian bands coming up in the international forum. There’s more of a collective representation as compared to earlier when there were single musicians and session artists.

Also, there’s been a shift in the sound of a lot of new musicians. This (is the) setup which has made all the songs in this album, these musicians, the same people.

How was the Coke Studio @ MTV experience? How do you think the show shapes up against its Pakistani counterpart?
(It was a) fantastic experience. Almost like a dream come true, to put it that way. We were hoping for something which is just rooted in music will come by and change the scene. This seems like it.

There are a lot of artists in India and Pakistan with similar styles, but what they offer is different. It’s not fair to compare the (Indian) edition with Pakistan. We’re also focusing on Bollywood musicians and we’ll get to see them in a different avatar. It needs some time to grow.

The concept is great, definitely. We need to keep the cynicism aside. It just needs some time.

Which song from the new album are you most excited about?
‘Ga Ma Pa Ni Pa’, maybe. Or better, let’s just say, one of the untitled songs will be the song.

Advaita @ Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai