CHENNAI: For a band of seven that has stayed together for 20 years and still produces new work, Oxygen has had quite a remarkable journey. The band's latest album Metagen is touted to be its flagship project as it enters its 20th year.
Like previous albums, Oxygen, in its newest project, incorporates elements of music from other genres ranging from oriental, jazz and funk to Tamil and Bihu folk music.
The album also features an elaborate string section courtesy of Tenor Strings, a 20-piece string orchestra headed by Francis Rozario. Speaking about the new project, C Girinandh, founder of Oxygen and keys player, remarks, "The idea of an indie music band collaborating with a string orchestra is pretty novel, but we decided to do it anyway."
Audio-visual feast
The most significant aspect of Metagen will be its focus on sound design and aesthetic lighting. Advances in sound technology have enabled the creation of a more immersive experience, and Oxygen here seeks to explore the various sonic and spectral capabilities the latest technology makes possible.
"Our live theatres aren't yet equipped to show the full range of Dolby Atmos, so for the best experience, one might have to go to YouTube or Apple Music and play it at the highest resolution to get the full sonic experience," he emphasises.
The group has launched two songs from the six-song album - Northern Lights and Saraswathi - and have used the occasion to introduce the audience to aesthetically designed lighting that served to elevate the overall experience.
"A musical concert is usually focussed on the singer and the orchestra, and the lights are arranged accordingly, not something noticeable from the perspective of a layperson. We wanted to try out the lighting as a part of the overall aesthetic experience of the composition," he said.
Speaking about Northern Lights, Girinandh explains, "As the name suggests, the mystical patterns appear in a clear night sky as swirling rivers of greenish-blue light. They move and dance unpredictably, sometimes barely perceptible, then suddenly growing vivid. Eclecticism is the word that best describes the spirit of the Northern Lights. The visual experience of this composition is a fusion of music and lights, a real paradox of same-yet-different."
Looking back
Oxygen was launched in 2003 as a trio when Girinandh was in Class 11, and by the time it put out its first album, the band was already touted as the youngest in Asia. In a short period of time, their reputation had risen enough that by 2009 they were collaborating with AR Rahman, who produced and released the album Ooh La La La.
"We started out as an indie band in the early 2000s, when the concept was hardly known in Chennai. We had no inhibitions, we started out with an organic approach trying to create original compositions at a time when most other bands were usually bringing out cover versions of popular songs," he recalls.
At a time when fusion music was mostly Carnatic mixed with Jazz and Blues, Oxygen brought in elements of Irish, Funk, Oriental, Arabic, Latin, Symphonic and various folk traditions from around the country. The band expanded to seven musicians pretty quickly and have stayed together since then.
"Our band has stayed together because we gave each other the space to branch out into other projects, and we would come together only when we were working on a project. We have been together performing since we were school students, and the bond has pretty much remained," shares Girinandh.