Noisy pop, rap and mostly Punjabi singers dominate what we call the Hindi music scene today. But standing out and making its presence felt since 2012 is Delhi band Antariksh. Composer, singer and guitar player Varun Rajput's brainchild, Antariksh, creates a fresh and innovative sound, merging rock, pop, reggae, Carnatic and even funk.
For this progressive rock/fusion act, 2021 began with a bang. The band’s brand new single 'Quest' features guitar’s living legend Marty Friedman - formerly associated with heavy metal giants Megadeth - boasts lyrics in both Hindi and English. Rajput says that the song is an attempt to bring together his western and Indian influences in a coherent and cohesive manner.
A take on society’s fragile foundations, the song touches on the topic of breaking the illusions of 'me' and 'mine' that most humans live with and get attached to. Its introspective lyrics question the true cause of our existence, and how ego, lust for money, power and greed blind us from perceiving reality. The track's animated video has been created by Bengaluru-based illustrator and visual artist Pratik Day.
How did the collaboration with Friedman - one of the most influential and respected players in the world- come about? "While at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender Festival in Shillong, I watched Friedman play. The next day, I met him at the Delhi airport's baggage collection belt. Introducing myself, I asked the guitar great if he would play one of Antariksh's songs," he says. Rajput sent Friedman some of the band’s music, and the rest is history.
Interestingly, 'Quest' was conceived during Rajput’s college days in 2008, when he played with his friend and former band mate, Mridul Ganesh, in a band called Feedback. In the original demo, Ganesh had played a very Indian-sounding guitar solo.
It was only in 2019 that Rajput revisited the song. “The idea was to play around with Carnatic music-influenced guitar riffs and breakdowns as well as write a big and wide-sounding Alterbridge-ish chorus,” he says.
As the composition progressed, he decided to include a Hindustani sitar solo by Dhruv Bedi from Parikrama. Always fond of complex rhythms and time signatures, progressive rock is a genre very close to Rajput’s heart.
With Antariksh, he resolved to expose as many people as possible to its beauty. In order to make it accessible to a wider audience, he consciously began writing music in Hindi, including nuances of progressive rock neatly hidden in the layers of the song.
In fact, the band itself was born out of an experiment - to bridge the gap between progressive rock and Indian contemporary sound. The band's song 'Fanaah' was an experiment with synth-pop music, 'Jee Le Zara' had a lot of alternative rock and dubstep elements, and 'Raahiya' was inspired by 1990s pop. A journey that started with a strong Hindi approach has evolved to embrace the multi-lingual tag.
Up next, Antariksh is looking to finish its second album, which is likely to release by the end of March or early April. Besides, they also have another new single in the pipeline and are in plans to put out live versions of some of their existing songs.