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In the ten plus years since Asian influenced electronica started making the musical rounds, the sound has gone in various directions. From the pulsating Indian classical-oriented tabla and bass to bollywood dub step, the music has evolved and morphed with other styles of contemporary and popular music. A prime example of this evolution can be found in Hello Hello<\/a>, <\/em>the most recent studio album put out by the New Delhi-based duo of Tapan Raj and Gaurav Raina, collectively known as the Midival Punditz<\/a>. Hello, <\/em>released on Six Degrees Records, <\/em>sees the evolution of Punditz’s engaging electro-desi sound into new directions I haven’t see the Punditz delve into in past albums. Don’t worry though, it’s mostly a good thing!<\/p>\n\n The album’s opener, Electric Universe<\/em>, is a strong tune, that marries a bansuri based melody with the now very-trendy vocoder lyrics and an up-tempo western dance groove. Universe <\/em>is a good start to a very good album, and serves as a nice introduction of the diverging sounds to come. The last track is an acoustic version of Universe<\/em>, except with unadulterated vocals and acoustic guitar by fellow Asian-massivist Karsh Kale. In fact, Kale’s influence on the album is heavily felt, with credits on more than five of the album’s 11 tracks. <\/p>\n\n With Hello, <\/em>it’s clear that the Punditz haven’t forgotten where they came from, or the type of music that has led them to be called “the sound of 21st<\/span> century India.” The album has the raga and folk influence I have come to expect and love from the Punditz, but also a classic rock and pop influence that one might hear in the nightclubs of Delhi, Bangalore, or Bombay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With songs like Atomizer, <\/em>and Har Ek Baat<\/em>, which combines the poetry of Ghalib<\/a> with the Punditz’s tabla and bass beat, the range of the album becomes very clear. For me though, it’s tracks like Sun Mere Sanam, Naina Laagey <\/em>(my favorite on the album), and Drifting<\/em>, that keep me listening over and over again. All three feature a skillful layering of traditional Indian sounds and instrumentation, and seamless incorporation of vocals (in the first two) and modern electronic production. (Six Degrees is offering SM readers a free download of Drifting<\/em> here<\/a>). And for the classic-rock fans, the Punditz have included their hommage to Led Zeppelin’s “Four Sticks,” which builds, quite nicely I think, on the Indian sounds of the original. <\/p>\n\n While I liked most of the album, I thought some things were off. On Tonic<\/em>, the folk-influenced vocal sounded disjointed with the beat, and the only redeeming thing about the amateurish rap was the line I chose for the title of the posting. But, one or two tracks aside, the Punditz come through with a solid album, which I’ve had playing on repeat for the better part of the last two weeks. Check it out (the album is available on itunes<\/a> and amazon<\/a>), and let us know what you think. For those of you on the left coast, the Punditz will be appearing this Thursday (4\/16) at the Mighty<\/a> in San Francisco, with Karsh Kale<\/a>. Nothing beats seeing these guys live. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the ten plus years since Asian influenced electronica started making the musical rounds, the sound has gone in various directions. From the pulsating Indian classical-oriented tabla and bass to bollywood dub step, the music has evolved and morphed with … Continue reading