Blog

Gavri makes it on a Klub Kids Compilation Album. 

Back in 2011 Klub Kids label boss Kid Kenobi started a little mix series called 'Soulsteps' (Just for the love). It covered off some of the deeper dubstep and 'future garage' vibes that were emerging at the time and soon became a firm favourite with both himself and his fans. Little wonder then that the Kid has always been keen to stamp these sounds on his own label Klub Kids.






Mix Tracklist:

01. Walk Away (Original) - Nick Lynar
02. Dark Moon (Original) - Darper + Dark Moon (Rektchordz Remix) - Darper
03. Fiction (Original) - Darper
04. Make U See (Original) - Another (EXCLUSIVE)
05. Closer To You (Kid Kenobi Remix) - Gavri feat. Anushka Manchanda
06. It Could Be (Original) - Kill Light feat. Kashii
07. Cherry - Kill Light
08. True Love (Motez Remix) - Nick Lynar + True Love (Philly Blunt Remix) - Nick Lynar
09. Rays (Original) - ParaKord (EXCLUSIVE)
10. Tekken (ParaKord Remix) - Alex Preston feat. Xamplify (EXCLUSIVE)
11. Inner Soul (Original) - Myli D (EXCLUSIVE)
12. Perfect 10 (Hugga Thugg Remix) - The Mane Thing & Sazon Booya
13. You Take Me There (Diamond Lights Remix) - Aquasky feat. Diane Charlemagne
 

Picking up a Remix by Modern Legends. 

Today I  took a drive down to Byron Bay to met up with the guys of EDU (Elemental Dark Underground). Under the guise of Modern Legends, they've been working on a Remix of the Gavri track "Closer To You" for the soon to be released single. Meeting up with the guys in one of the studios at the SAE where one of them works was a bonus, a great listening environment and time to hangout and get a better understanding in how these guys work. I even got to sit in on a class the guys taught on Production and got to answer a few questions the students threw at me.

 

I got to say it was a very refreshing and inspiring experience. It's great to meet artists who really have a deep understanding of their equipment, especially when it comes to manipulating  old school analog hardware, working to midi clock and performing it all live without the aid of a computer driving the whole thing. It's definitely an adventurous approach and one that pretty much guarantees that a performance will never sound the same twice. For me, allowing an element of the unknown always adds to a performance, and working like this in a studio environment can often produce some amazing results.  

 

 

Hearing the Modern Legends remix of "Closer To You" was a blast ! Sonically lush, full and brilliant, with a 130bpm minimal techno vibe it features the vocal talents of Anushka Manchanda and flute performances by Himanshu Nanda. Due for release late April 2013……

Varanasi. 

A city not for the faint hearted, especially in June. I managed to time my visit with a heat wave that was scorching the northern interior regions of India. Days of  47 degree (Celsius) were getting hard to bear, and the nights were not really a big relief, still quite a sweaty experience.















A place of many colors and many religions, also many cows and many rickshaws. Varanasi is situated on the Ganges river and is said to be India's holiest and one of the worlds oldest cities. The old town is a place full of holly men, cows, burning bodies, beggars, musicians and traders all willing to sell you something....you don't need. It was through talking to one of these traders that I managed to setup a meeting with a Flute player by the name of Disip Shankar. After explaining my Gavri music project to him, he was happy for me to record a short performance for a modest fee.



Our recording location ended up being too noisy, so after a false start we relocated to my hotel room. A quieter location except for the mooing cow which strangely was in the same key as the music being recorded. The piece of music was a morning raag for flute, played with the backing of an electric Tambura. Recorded to DAT (digital audio tape) via a stereo mic, it really captured the atmosphere of the moment, a beautiful piece of music, played from the heart.

 

After a brief chat and exchange of contact details we parted ways, both enriched by the experience. I hope to shine a light on Disip's performance at some stage in the future through a release on IC.Zed Records...........stay tuned !

Dinner and a Jam. 

 What a treat ! Invited to Indira’s place for dinner and and a evening of live music. I was asked to bring my recording gear to capture the event. Slowly the room was filling up with family and friends / musicians. After a drink and a chat, we all found our places to perform, and in my case to record the session. I could sense a kind of excitement in the room for the music we were about to hear. The instruments in play were, Flute, Sarod, Violin, Tabla, Harmonium & Vocals by Indira, and Spanish guitars by Paul George & Carey O’Sullivan of Australian band Tijuana Cartel. Also not forgetting the electronic Tambura, set to a particular key and creating the drone for all to play to……
































It was a very interesting and improvisational session for all of us, the recording process was much the same. With limited resources both Carey and I at times resorted to being human mic stands, moving mic's around from instrument to instrument for different solos and to feature the diverse performances. We weren't really setup to record the event properly, it was more the spirit of the evening we were trying to capture.





























Everyone had there moment in the spotlight including Paul and Carey who performed an original song for everyone. It was a very spirited and heartfelt piece of music that was very much appreciated by everyone. After the music session you could really feel the joy in the air, a feeling of celebration. Then came a wonderful home cooked meal, my first for over a month........oh...yea!


It's not often you find yourself in a room with people who posses such talents. This experience was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to India, and judging by the response, a pleasure for everyone involved that night.


Introducing Anushka Manchanda. 

What a sweet and sexy voice this young starlet has. Heralding from an Indian pop girl group called VIVA, now disbanded, Anushka lends her voice to singing songs for Bollywood movies and doing live performances. Her mobile phone seems never to stop ringing and her work commitment involve a busy travel schedule, performing live around India and also working as a photographic model.





























Photo by Nitin Patel.





























The only hurdle has been trying to get hold of this elusive and understandably busy talent. Unfortunately it seems that I may be left with a half complete song, needing one more recording session with Anushka to complete the track.........I got to say it's been a frustrating process trying to get hold of Anushka, let alone getting her to find the time for that final session. Our first recording session was constantly interrupted by her mobile phone, which she couldn't bear to switch off.


There's still some time so I remain hopeful...........


(Update: Unfortunately I wasn't able to pin down Anushka for that elusive final recording, looks like the track I had in mind will be getting reworked a little.)





























Photo by Nitin Patel.