BENGALURU : Percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar (31) has been blending a mix between his many genres of flexibility ranging from jazz to indo- jazz which has distinct influences. Born in the US, brought up in India and based in London, Korwar grew up in a household of musicians. His parents, who were singers, encouraged him to take lessons at the age of 10 with the tabla, followed by the drums. “By the time I was 17, I could play at a certain level where I could pursue music as a profession. Moving to SOAS University of London in 2009 actually solidified that idea,” he said.
On Saturday, Korwar took to stage at the Echoes of Earth music festival with a scintillating set showcasing his work, which has been a reflection of his widely acclaimed Indian classical and Western jazz influences. On July 26, Korwar released More Arriving, his second full-length studio album, prior to which he released Day to Day in 2016 with various singles in between. He said his second studio album took more than two years. “A lot of collaborators didn’t reside in London but were based in Mumbai, Delhi, Abu Dhabi, etc. The idea of the album was to feature various South Asian voices to drive home the point that there is no one South Asian voice. More importantly, there is no one brown identity,” he added.
More Arriving features New Delhi-based artistes Prabh Deep and the Delhi Sultanate, Mumbai-based MC Mawali and London-based poet Zia Ahmed, to mention a few out of the diverse circle of collaborators. Bol, which features Zia Ahmed’s poetry, has been one his most admired tracks from the album, whereas Mumbay featuring MC Mawali, talks about a dual identity of Mumbai and plays on its colonial past.
The smooth-flowing elements of the album, which showcase a distinct sound in Indo-jazz genre, have been critically acclaimed since its release. Korwar said its title speaks about the immigrant crisis across the globe and also of the everyday racism and prejudice that he faced since arriving in Britain close to a decade ago. “People ask me if I have ever been racially abused. It’s not really a case of being racially abused but more of where you see yourself in the society and what privileges one has. A person of colour in the UK is aware of what privileges are given to you and what you need to fight for, whereas, here in India, the scenario is suddenly different, and I wanted to communicate these points,” said Korwar.
Speaking about his upcoming projects, Korwar looks forward to putting out his next EP, which comprise songs which didn’t make it to the previous album. “I think I’m going to make a sci-fi album, which comes from the idea where everyone around the world wants to build a future that is based on a nostalgic memory of the past. I think it’s dangerous to be thinking on those terms and all these fundamental questions, including music. That’s the starting point of my new project,” said Korwar.