Musical trio pays tribute to India's unexplored folk music forms

(Left to right) Randeep Bhaskar, Pooja Shankar and Rahul Mukherjee

(Left to right) Randeep Bhaskar, Pooja Shankar and Rahul Mukherjee

From the voices of tea-pluckers humming in their leisure time inâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Assam, unmindful of keeping their Sylheti connection alive, to the rhythmic vibrations emanating from the Ektara complementing Baul songs and the rare meeting of a Bhatiyali number with the finesse of sarod's strains; there are many compelling imageries in Antarman's debut album.

Antarman or the inner conscience that connects us through a variety of emotions to the unaltered truth of oneness is the simple foundation stone for this trio - Rahul Mukherjee, Randeep Bhaskar and Pooja Shankar. The band performs live with a set of 10 musicians but Antarman's core consists of three friends yearning to pay ode to Folk sounds. "The name was created after we finished production of all the six songs of the album. It was a conscious decision to name it Antarman as we were unknowingly exploring the inner conscious through our music," says Shankar.

The unbridled energy and rhythmic hooks in their songs make the compositions palatable to music lovers all across, language no bar. They have taken good care to keep the genre regimes in place while interpreting the influences into their originals. Antarman considers it a "humble effort… to revive the Folk forms that they grew up listening to; their own renditions interspersed with songs inspired from traditional folk mines of the likes of the legendary Lalon Fakir as also the Kaamrup land."

The album has six songs. Almost all the songs have been recorded live. "We have used the sounds of East. In the song Hobena, we have added a soft rock feel yet in songs like Marghat, Maati, Gaanja we have used sarod, sarangi and dotara. Tatar Patar is a track where we have incorporated the sound of khamak, an extremely traditional Baul instrument," shares Bhaskar.

Bairi Bindiya is the first video from the group. The song is inspired by jhumur beats. "We have infused the elements of Bihu folk from Assam. While the arrangement and song-writing is inspired by the genre, the song is an absolute original where we have used Blues as a strong influence," says Shankar. Maati talks about going back to one's roots. "We have used classical instruments like sarangi," adds Bhaskar. Marghat is a bhatiyali track, an East Indian Folk-form with in-depth use of sarod.