Tracks I have collaborated with other folks led by @krishashok.  Other featured collaborators in this set include raghuthaatha, @suryaragunaathan, @indian_music_fan, @ashwinvinayan, @ranjani-shanker, @hariflute, @sarthakdev and @anu-mccartney

collab

tamil

An ambient/rock/string quartet cover of AR Rahman's Aaromale from the OST of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. 
Vocals: Ashwin Vinayan
Synth, Kanjira, Drums programming, Spacey Guitar: @mediumcoffee
Acoustic guitar, violin, cello, lead/rhythm guitar, mixing/mastering: Krish Ashok

Aaromale

uncovered1-preview

white

shadows

elanfx

An adaptation of Ilayaraja's "En Iniya Pon" from the film Moodu Pani with fellow Raja enthusiast @mediumcoffee . This project is called "Le Rogeur" and the idea was not to do a literal cover but improvise liberally while still retaining the semblance of the original song. Here we take Raja's original harmony/chord structure & use more jazzy variants. The other improv happens in the interludes, where we start out sounding like the original interlude but wander off into different territories. We hope to do a few more of these under the "Le Rogeur" moniker over the next few weeks. And oh, another thing. For this project, in recognition of the technical challenges of Ilayaraja's golden years (the 80s), we will only use real instruments live-recorded without any software programming. 

Piano, Tonewheel organ - @Mediumcoffee
Vocals, Cello, Guitar, Bass - @krishashok

En Iniya Pon

A moderately Chennai tamil revolutionary adaptation of Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit 

Lyrics: Raghuthaatha (https://twitter.com/raghuthaatha) & @krishashok
Drums & percussion sequencing: @mediumcoffee & @krishashok
Violin, guitars, bass, vocals: @krishashok

Ration arisi, queue la ninnu (Ration rice, we stand in a queue)
Vaangarom, vera vazhi illa (to buy, we have no choice)
Fulla Kushtu, black la ticket (fully drunk, tickets in black)
eduthu, padam paatha (we buy & when we watch the movie...)

Ayyo Ayyo Ayyo ayyayo x 3
Ayyo Ayyo Ayyo

TASMAC kadaila, appan mabbu (Dad's drunk at the TASMAC bar)
Kelvi ketta, periya thappu (if we question, it's a problem)
Current cut, yeppo padippom (power outrage, when do we study?)
Kerosene light la padicchu mudippom (we will study in the light of a kerosene lamp)

Naanga ezhai (We are poor)
eppadi vaazha (How do we live)
Kelaya pudichu (holding on to a branch)
Yeri vaarom (we will rise up)
Yeah, hey, yay

College Saentu, edho padichi (we joined college, studied something)
kizhichi, kadla potu (hit on girls)
vela thedi, gaandayi, (searched for jobs, frustrated)
Ola cab ottina traffic jam (drove Ola cabs only to get stuck in traffic jams)

Ayyo Ayyo Ayyo ayyayo x 3
Ayyo Ayyo Ayyo

Nirutthi ottina, horn tholla (If we drive slowly, everyone honks)
rash-a ottna, mama tholla (if we drive rashly, the police trouble us)
adaki vaascha, pammureenga. (If we stay docile, we are oppressed)
nimundhu keta, amuthareenga (If we question that, we are oppressed)

road-u illa (there are few roads for us)
medu pallam (roads full of obstacles)
ellam thaandi (we will cross all those)
yeri vaarom (we will rise up)
Yeah, hey, yay

Mayila pudchu, kaala keela (if you catch a peacock)
odachu aada sonna (break its leg & ask it to dance)
Kuyila pudchu, goondla geendla (if you catch a songbird)
adachu, paada sonna (cage it and ask it to sing)

Ayyo Ayyo Ayyo ayyayo x 3
Ayyo Ayyo Ayyo


Aana ippo Murattu Kaala (But now we are raging bulls)
Seeri paanja, merusal aava (as we pounce, you will be dazed)
Cykil gap la, Auto pola (in a narrow gap for cycles, we will drive an auto)
nozhanju vaarom, odhungi nillu-a (and come through, give us way)

Vasadhi illa (We have no opportunities)
Asadhi illa (No laziness)
muyarchi senji (but we will try)
yeri vaarom (we will rise up)

Yeri Vaarom x 9 (we will rise up)

Smells Like Kerosene

An acoustic arrangement of "Raah mein bicchi", a thumri that originally featured in the soundtrack of the Shyam Benegal movie, Sardari Begum

Vocals: @suryaragunaathan
Acoustic Guitar: @mediumcoffee 
Classical Guitar: @krishashok
Flute: @indian_music_fan (Vijay Kannan)
Piano, Bass, Violin, Arrangement, Mixing & Mastering: @krishashok




Raah Mein

An alternative arrangement for James Vasanthan's hit "Kangal Irandaal" from Subramanyapuram. 

Vocals: @ashwin-vinayan
Percussion & backing vocals: @mediumcoffee
Guitar, Keyboard, Bass, Arrangement, Mixing, Mastering: @krishashok

Kangal Irandaal

An ambient adaptation of Ilayaraja's "Mandram Vandha" (Cheeni kum hai in Hindi) from Mani Ratnam's Mouna Ragam 

@mediumcoffee - Electric guitar, Keyboards, backing vocals
@krishashok - Cello, classical guitar, bass & lead vocals

Mandram Vandha

I take the ridiculous and the sublime, add cellos, violins, guitars and random internet collaborators to make music of sorts