Alternative/Underground Indian music artists
yeh that's a problem. If a band wants to play thrash, they will go straight for the typical slayer thrash sound, and not really explore a sound of their own. This is entirely the fault of the audience, a handful of them understand the music and can follow the lyrics. A large chunk are there just to headbang like they are possessed and have a good time irrespective of the music. Another section has no idea what is going on, can not appreciate metal at all, and are positively alarmed if a mosh pit forms. So to please the few fans who know the sound they like, these bands sound extremely generic.
Moreover, our audience cares more about technical proficiency rather than the song writing and composition process. Every band is expected to be "India's answer to _____ " - some internationally renowned band or the other. Even the people who organize the gigs, hold auditions or the judges in rock competitions will look at how well you played the instruments, how tight you were, and how closely you emulated the sound of the genre/ band you were trying to emulate. OCs are mostly ignored. No one really cares how good your original compositions were or how your band sounds. NH7's choice of artists is the biggest example of this. The few bands that do explore a sound of their own anyway, don't survive for very long (Aftertaste was one such).
Them Clones
[YOUTUBE]_UMB4Im6VQ4[/YOUTUBE]
Moreover, our audience cares more about technical proficiency rather than the song writing and composition process. Every band is expected to be "India's answer to _____ " - some internationally renowned band or the other. Even the people who organize the gigs, hold auditions or the judges in rock competitions will look at how well you played the instruments, how tight you were, and how closely you emulated the sound of the genre/ band you were trying to emulate. OCs are mostly ignored. No one really cares how good your original compositions were or how your band sounds. NH7's choice of artists is the biggest example of this. The few bands that do explore a sound of their own anyway, don't survive for very long (Aftertaste was one such).
Them Clones
[YOUTUBE]_UMB4Im6VQ4[/YOUTUBE]
OP
I have the whole Love.Hate.Heroes album by Them Clones. This is the only studio album they have. They are a pretty good but underrated band in India. Haven't had any updates by these people for a long time.
Before I forget, Bevar-sea from Bangalore. The only Stoner band I know in India:
There is a larger scene in the north-east side of India, but that scene is mostly isolated. Therefore, hardly know any bands from there.
Before I forget, Bevar-sea from Bangalore. The only Stoner band I know in India:
There is a larger scene in the north-east side of India, but that scene is mostly isolated. Therefore, hardly know any bands from there.
Mr.Kickass
In the zone
I used to tune in to that FM Radio channel Hit95 (Delhi) until they went kaput, quite recently. The best bit about them was that they used to play cool numbers spanning over a wide spectrum of genres. Be it EDM (my personal favourite), Rock, Jazz, Pop... you get the idea. I discovered some great bands, through them, and to my surprise, some of them were so obscure that even Google couldn't help me identify them.
Them Clones, is perhaps the only one I can recall at the moment worthy of my attention (kudos to their track, 'My Life')
So I'm throwing in a few I'm familiar with, starting with the taxi song
Tough on tobacco - Taxi Song
[YOUTUBE]MeHNKTnYnh4[/YOUTUBE]
Next up is quite an enthusiastic composition,
Junkyard Groove - It's OK
[YOUTUBE]hysn81F8fgE[/YOUTUBE]
Finally, the well known...
Indus Creed - Fireflies
[YOUTUBE]ie2crCnJQc4[/YOUTUBE]
Them Clones, is perhaps the only one I can recall at the moment worthy of my attention (kudos to their track, 'My Life')
So I'm throwing in a few I'm familiar with, starting with the taxi song
Tough on tobacco - Taxi Song
[YOUTUBE]MeHNKTnYnh4[/YOUTUBE]
Next up is quite an enthusiastic composition,
Junkyard Groove - It's OK
[YOUTUBE]hysn81F8fgE[/YOUTUBE]
Finally, the well known...
Indus Creed - Fireflies
[YOUTUBE]ie2crCnJQc4[/YOUTUBE]
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OP
I think something wrong with my browser, but I can't see the videos that are tagged with the [YOUTUBE] tag. Will check these out later.
Can you believe that there was a time when All India Radio used to play songs from bands like Alice In Chains, Pink Floyd, etc.?
Mr.Kickass
In the zone
Nope, I can't. I mean I did, back then, but I didn't realize how awesome it was to be able to listen to all that, on a Government backed Radio station, for free. I really felt sad about losing Hit95. The only saving grace for Delhi, at the moment, is 94.3 FM RadioOne (especially their 4 hour continuous megamix late into the night). I guess I'm now spoilt by web radio. I began using Radiosure to record streams from all over the world, my favourite one being 'Amsterdam Trance Radio'.
I still listen to alternative though, on some channels like
.977 The Alternative Channel
000Audio - Alt-Modern Rock
1.FM - Alternative Rock X Hits
181.fm - The Buzz (Alternative) (MP3 128k)
Alternative Addiction Radio (the best one during 2012)
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I got a story. I remember the look of shock and horror and utter incomprehension on the faces of tight bands who had sincerely practiced for hours, then came on stage.
An essential part of the puzzle fit in, out of the blue spoke to some sound engineers from that time (in mumbai, there is a DJ setup for the rock music), apparently they had problems with "heavy metal" in college festivals too
so when an orchestra is playing, you put everything on max reverb, including a reverb for the vocalist
now imagine a college band playing something similar to slayer on this set up
An essential part of the puzzle fit in, out of the blue spoke to some sound engineers from that time (in mumbai, there is a DJ setup for the rock music), apparently they had problems with "heavy metal" in college festivals too
so when an orchestra is playing, you put everything on max reverb, including a reverb for the vocalist
now imagine a college band playing something similar to slayer on this set up
OP
Some context please?I got a story. I remember the look of shock and horror and utter incomprehension on the faces of tight bands who had sincerely practiced for hours, then came on stage.
An essential part of the puzzle fit in, out of the blue spoke to some sound engineers from that time (in mumbai, there is a DJ setup for the rock music), apparently they had problems with "heavy metal" in college festivals too
so when an orchestra is playing, you put everything on max reverb, including a reverb for the vocalistnow imagine a college band playing something similar to slayer on this set up
now imagine a college band playing something similar to slayer on this set up
you know those local orchestras? there is possibly some local people who sing well, along with a keyboard, a drummer and like a bulbul tarang or something?
those kinds of orchestras, every performer, including the vocalist demands for reverb on 11 from the sound engineer, the guy providing the speakers and doing the setup, which is referred to as a "DJ"
now 2003-2006 rock festivals started becoming a part of college festivals, as in many colleges started incorporating rock shows for the first time
the sound set up used for these rock festivals on those colleges, involved an engineer who came in and set up a sound according to orchestra, when the sound needed a rock setup
the festivals are two part, there are eliminations or auditions and the main show. this is the elimination stage, the band comes in, start performing, and the crowd and the artists have no clue why they are sounding like that. The engineer meanwhile, has abandoned his setup and has run to the speakers fearing for their lives, complaining that if music like this is played, his speakers will explode. So the DJs get an engineer, X who can set up the sound for rock.
The next year, when a different DJ is given the contract, he has the same problem again, and calls the previous one to ask for the setup. In another fest too, they call X for the set up.
Remember one of the finals of the fest involved, the professors came in and stopped the fest after the opening band played its first song, the guitarist for the headliners came on stage with his guitar and refused to allow the sound guy to remove one of his monitors and deliberately played a few solos to the audience just because he had come there to play and had been paid, while the vocalist gave a small talk directly to the audience about how heavy metal is also music, and that there is a technique to it, and that it is not just "noise"
those kinds of orchestras, every performer, including the vocalist demands for reverb on 11 from the sound engineer, the guy providing the speakers and doing the setup, which is referred to as a "DJ"
now 2003-2006 rock festivals started becoming a part of college festivals, as in many colleges started incorporating rock shows for the first time
the sound set up used for these rock festivals on those colleges, involved an engineer who came in and set up a sound according to orchestra, when the sound needed a rock setup
the festivals are two part, there are eliminations or auditions and the main show. this is the elimination stage, the band comes in, start performing, and the crowd and the artists have no clue why they are sounding like that. The engineer meanwhile, has abandoned his setup and has run to the speakers fearing for their lives, complaining that if music like this is played, his speakers will explode. So the DJs get an engineer, X who can set up the sound for rock.
The next year, when a different DJ is given the contract, he has the same problem again, and calls the previous one to ask for the setup. In another fest too, they call X for the set up.
Remember one of the finals of the fest involved, the professors came in and stopped the fest after the opening band played its first song, the guitarist for the headliners came on stage with his guitar and refused to allow the sound guy to remove one of his monitors and deliberately played a few solos to the audience just because he had come there to play and had been paid, while the vocalist gave a small talk directly to the audience about how heavy metal is also music, and that there is a technique to it, and that it is not just "noise"
OP
Wow. Where did this happen?
I remember something similar happening in my engineering college. A metal band was invited to perform at the college's annual day. Now the guitarist had a Dimebag Darrell signature guitar and band was playing Pantera covers. If you don't know, Dimebag Darrell's guitar tone is somewhat shitty, iconic but shitty, and the bands guitarist was using that tone. On top of that, the sound engineer was a generic DJ sound engineer. So obviously everything sounded even shittier. But no one complained and everyone Was having a good time. The only ones who were bothered were the professors who never heard anything like that before and the shitty sound mixing wasn't helping. They were constantly complaining about how loud the show was.
During the 3rd song, one of the guys in the audience banged his head on the floor and started bleeding from his head. But that's not the reason why the show was stopped. The show was stopped because at one point the vocalist had said f***. Then the professors stepped in and said "this is not the culture here" and stopped the show.
Needless to say, metal bands were no longer welcome to the college any more.
I remember something similar happening in my engineering college. A metal band was invited to perform at the college's annual day. Now the guitarist had a Dimebag Darrell signature guitar and band was playing Pantera covers. If you don't know, Dimebag Darrell's guitar tone is somewhat shitty, iconic but shitty, and the bands guitarist was using that tone. On top of that, the sound engineer was a generic DJ sound engineer. So obviously everything sounded even shittier. But no one complained and everyone Was having a good time. The only ones who were bothered were the professors who never heard anything like that before and the shitty sound mixing wasn't helping. They were constantly complaining about how loud the show was.
During the 3rd song, one of the guys in the audience banged his head on the floor and started bleeding from his head. But that's not the reason why the show was stopped. The show was stopped because at one point the vocalist had said f***. Then the professors stepped in and said "this is not the culture here" and stopped the show.
Needless to say, metal bands were no longer welcome to the college any more.
Yeah, same reason. Not our culture here thing.
Mumbai. Old SIES is where the orchestra sound setup thing happened. Powerchords. Don't remember which band played in which year, but the band members (guess only Bhayanak Maut survives from that time there were many others) used to jam and hang out in the staircase between the chess/carrom room and the TT room.
The stopping and impromptu metal discourse happened at Ruia.
Mumbai. Old SIES is where the orchestra sound setup thing happened. Powerchords. Don't remember which band played in which year, but the band members (guess only Bhayanak Maut survives from that time there were many others) used to jam and hang out in the staircase between the chess/carrom room and the TT room.
The stopping and impromptu metal discourse happened at Ruia.