The best of both worlds: MIDIval Punditz and Kutle Khan

MIDIval Punditz is a veteran Indian electronic band consisting of Delhi-based musician duo, Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj. They’ve made quite a mark on the Indian music scene with their fourth album Light, which is just out, and too-many-to-count live performances spanning more than a decade. The band’s USP is their ability to not only play around with electronic percussions and sounds but also bend it so to meet the conventional resonance of Indian folk music. They were in town recently to give a preview of their latest album and we caught them deep in the act –collaborating with Rajasthani folk singer Kutle Khan. We sat the two separately and grilled them over how the hell they do what they do!

Describe your music to us.

Our music is a culmination of our environment and, while much of our expression has been through Electronica, it keeps evolving into something new… even acoustic, depending on the mood that particular day.

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What is the purpose of mixing different sounds with folk?

We want to create a new sound, but keeping both the worlds of music intact; by keeping both sides of the spectrum safe in their purest form. However, there are some tracks that don’t have any Indian side to it and are just our expression through western electronic music.

Why not collaborate with western music? Isn’t that more natural?

What comes naturally to an artist is actually the most fulfilling route to take. Once you go down that road, it starts to become easy. In our case this happened with Indian Electronica.

How is recording in a studio different from performing live?

The main difference is the ability to take multiple takes in a studio environment, which cannot happen during a live show. Some parts of a track, while recording, could be replaced by a different instrument/vocalist for the live show. We rehearse with our band before we go on a tour to try different things with each song and to tighten tricky parts that were made electronically but are now being performed by acoustic instruments at a show.

How do you manage the improvisational style of folk singers during a live show?

We have tailor-made our live sets to fit this exact thing. Our Indian instrumentalists and vocalists come from the school of thought where improvising is very important. So, we’ve divided various parts of each track into scenes… like flute solo/ vocal intro/ percussion jam, and so on. At the show each of these scenes can be extended on the fly or even cut short depending on how the band is reacting to the crowd.

What does Kutle Khan, as an artist, bring to the band?

We’d heard his work with Rajasthan Roots band and also as a solo artist. For the song Baanwarey, while creating our new album, we instantly thought of Kutle Khan. He came to the studio and it was pretty quick as there was good synergy with his talent and his general vibe. We then also recorded him on Echoes. He brings a natural and pure folk energy into the tracks and adds a whole new dimension to our sound.

Kutle Khan

Kutle Khan has performed in over 47 countries with his Managaniyar troupe, ‘The Kutle Khan Project’

What made you collaborate with a modern genre of music?

I belong to the Managaniyar community and we are singers by tradition. I noticed that a lot of people had a special liking for our type of music, but also there were many who don’t like it much. So we wanted to expand our scope and explore further, to take our music and broadcast it to an even bigger number. I’ve performed with many artists from around the world and the response has been overwhelming.

So did you like what you created with MIDIval Punditz?

I love to experiment and when I was exposed to the electronic rhythm I knew this was going to be a long association. I had my first stint with MIDIval Punditz some 5-6 years back and realised that together we produced a lot of energy. They are one of the best in India and my sound finds a respectful space in their productions.

What is your understanding of electronic music?

For me, electronic music is all about rhythm. The beats that a singer sings in are in patterns and rest everything else is an embellishment to create a little more. Usually electronic music has a 4-beat pattern that may differ in certain artists.

Rural Rajasthan and EDM don’t really match.

I crossed the Indian borders in 2000 for the first time and got to meet a lot of people. When I performed at different places I learnt some new things from the local artists, which did not really change my style of singing but made me more open to experimenting.

Does recording in a studio feel as exciting as performing live?

Recording in a studio is a well thought out, serious process. It’s like a practice session for our live gigs. As soon as we get the right sound we record it and then play it back to bring the same sound again on the stage at the time of a live performance.

Your singing style is that of improvising. How do you manage this aspect with Electronica?

The singing remains the same for us, as the tune and the raga. All that changes is the rhythm and tempo. When performing with electronic music that window is maintained, but one can’t be too elaborate as otherwise.

From the June 2015 issue of FHM India.