Krish Ashok gems

An acapella 4-voice arrangement of Thiruppugazh number 100 
Lyrics here - http://www.kaumaram.com/pdfs/pdf_thiru/tppdT0100.pdf
Raga: Kalyani
Tala: Misra Chapu (7/4)

Vindhadhil Uri

An a cappella 4 voice arrangement of Thiruppugazh nr 6, Mutthai Tharu (in Raga Shanmugapriya), largely inspired by the brilliant rendition of the late TM Soundararajan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzFmnq0p5ik

Lyrics and meaning here - http://www.skandagurunatha.org/works/thiruppugal/thiruppugal-0006-muthai-tharu.pdf (Warning: PDF link)

Mutthai Tharu

When I first heard Lungi dance from the movie Chennai express, it's incredible peppy catchiness only meant one obvious thing - someone needed to make a Western classical remix version. Imagine frilly dresses, wigs, Austrian nobility and state-of-the-art Erode lungis. 

The Violin and Cello were recorded on the really impressive Yeti Blue microphone, which is so sensitive that if you listen really hard, you can occasionally hear the pigeon on my window sill making enquiries about the local availability of pretty single pigeonesses. 

In addition to the tracks I recorded on my instruments, some software layers were used to expand the soundscape to do justice to this most excellent song. 

Danse Macabre De Lungi

The genius Carnatic vocalist Madurai Mani Iyer (1912-1968), possibly the greatest exponent of live improvisation in Carnatic classical music, popularized this "English Note" composed by Harikesanallur Mutthiah Bhagavathar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNjl5w8Prw0) to showcase his autodidactic (self teaching) talent in expanding beyond his strictly classical training. This piece was extremely popular with an independence era audience that felt pride in one of their own "getting" western music while no Englishman could perform a Thodi alapana. 

Obviously as a Indian classical musician, Mutthiah Bhagavathar only composed the main melody, an incredibly catchy and hummable tune that would have worked in the best courts of Vienna. But Western classical music is about harmony layered over the melody and I was surprised that no one had taken a crack at taking this really catch melody and writing a String quartet around it. 

There were some interesting challenges. Mani Iyer clearly did not keep harmony in mind when he wrote the piece so there are places where the melodic sequence presents quite a hard challenge to harmonize, but all in all, I think it turned out okayish. 

Again, I am quite an amateur and It will be great if more talented musicians take this melody and set it to even better background scores :)

English Note (by Madurai Mani Iyer) - String Quartet

A small tribute to Pete Seeger (1919-2014). I grew up singing Hum Honge Kaamyaab in school and the song's simple, yet powerful ability to move people who are singing it together has always fascinated me. 

ps: I am still very amateur with the Cello so forgive the bowing errors. 

We Shall Overcome (Hum honge Kaamyaab)

A Carnatic classical remix of Daft Punk's Get Lucky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I).  The raga is Karnaranjani (well, approximately). 

Daft Pankajam

As a tribute to the utterly wonderful HBO series True Detective, this remix explores the similarities between the show's underlying theme of time being a flat circle and the Indian idea of Moksha, the release from that very circle of vicious repetition. 

So I took Thyagaraja's hauntingly brilliant "Mokshamu Galada" where he wonders if there is ever going to be Moksha without knowledge, and blended The Handsome Family's "Far from any road", the theme song of the show with it. 

Played on the following instruments
1. Yamaha C40 Classical guitar
2. Hofner beginner Cello
3. Electric violin

The raga is "Saramathi" which well into fits into the A minor key of the theme song

Far From Moksha

A violin and cello version of AR Rahman's "Raasaathi" from the movie Thiruda Thiruda. There are 6 violin layers and 3 cello layers recorded separately. The accompanying violin layers were recorded on an electric violin but the lead melody was done on an acoustic violin to give it that folksy feel. 

Raasaathi

An adaption of Ramin Djawadi's Rains of Castamere on the Violin and Cello. The raga is Natabhairavi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natabhairavi) although the phrases used sound like Bhairavi and occasionally Anandabhairavi. 

The notes of Natabhairavi match with the Western Natural minor scale. For fans of the book, think of it as a Dornish version of what they would like to do to the Lannisters



Rains Of Castamere

A acoustic guitar, piano and violin cover of Ousepacchan's "Etho Vaarmukilin" from Pookkalam Varavayi

The key is D and the chords are Dm9 Am7 & Bbmaj7 and the Raga is Sree. The Dm9 chord (1,3,5,7,9) incidentally pretty much captures the essence of the entire raga

The guitar is a Fender acoustic tuned Drop-D (D A D G B E) and the microphone an AKG Perception 120

Etho Vaarmukilin

A Violin, Cello, Guitar, Keyboard and Drum machine remix of Massive Attack's Teardrop blended with Thyagaraja's Brova Bharama (video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGXIc3iwEM8&feature=youtu.be)

Key: A
BPM: 77
Raga: Bahudari (for most part)
Guitar tuning: Open-D (tuned to D major)
Song meaning and lyrics: http://www.karnatik.com/c1002.shtml

Poster credits: Original by Simon Stratford (http://www.simonstratford.com/portfolio/illustration/teardrop/)

Teardrop Bahudari

On the occasion of the independence days of both subcontinental countries, this is a violin and piano arrangement of the Gujarati bhajan, Vaishnava Janato (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnava_Jana_To)

Written in the 15th century by the poet Narsinh Mehta in the Gujarati language. The bhajan was included in Mahatma Gandhi’s daily prayer

Vaishnava Janato

An adaptation of Vidyasagar's Aaro Viral Meetti from the movie Pranayavarnangal (1997)

After some consideration towards potentially atrocious pronunciation, I decided to Uditnarayanify and sing it anyway. 

The guitar is a Yamaha classical nylon string guitar. 

Aaro Viral Meetti

A Bromance Waltz adaptation of the Tamil film classic. 

Flutes, vocals - @indian_music_fan
Strings, vocals, arrangement - @krishashok

Lyrics
Pon ondru kanden peN angu illai 
ennendru naan sollalaaguma 
(I only saw Gold, I didn’t see a girl
How do I explain what I saw?)
ennendru naan sollavenduma 
(Is it necessary that I explain?)
poo ondru kanden mugam kanavillai 
(I saw a flower, but I didn’t see any face)
yen endru naan sollalaguma 
(How do I say why is that?)
yen endru nana solla venduma 
(Is it necessary for me to say why?)

nadamaadum megam navanaagareegam 
alangara kinnam alai pola minnum 
(She is a walking cloud, very modern
She glows like a new flower vase, she glitters like waves)

nada maadum selvam panivana deivam 
pazhangala chinnam uyiraaga minunm 
(She is a walking treasure, a humble God
She is a sign of traditions, she is soulful)

thulli varum velli nila (2)
(She is like the bright moon)

thuvandhu vizhum kodi idayaaL (2)
(She is very delicate)

vinnodu vilayadum penn andha penn alavo 
(She is the girl who plays with the sky)
sendrEn (I went) hmhmhm 
kandEn (I saw) humhum 
vandhEn (I came)

naan partha pennai nee pArka villai 
nee partha pennai naan pArka villai 
(You haven’t seen the girl that I saw for you
I haven’t seen the girl that you saw for me)

un parvai polay en paarvai illai 
nana kanda katchi nee kaana villai 
(My viewing wasn’t anything like yours
You have no idea what I saw)

en vizhiyil nee irundhaai 
(You were there in my eyes)
un vadivil naan irundhane 
(I was there in your form)

nee indri naan illai 
naan indri nee illaiye
(I don’t exist without you 
You don’t exist without me)

Pon Ondru Kanden

Now available on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5s4K799M4AgKPr2NkfCK3x
and Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/in/album/nilavinte-neelabhasma-feat-cv-bharadwaj-single/1628903101

An adaptation of the Malayalam song from Agnidevan (1995) originally sung by MG Sreekumar. 

Vocals: @bharadwaj-cv
Piano, violin, cello & bass: Krish Ashok

You can hear the original here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d14ROIPH2Mw

Nilavinte Neelabhasma

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lMW4-jO3Wk
Arnab Goswami is a man of depth. He unleashes rationality and factuality by assembling 5-6 experts every day night and interrupting them at every step. Subramaniam Swamy is a professional Dream Stealer whose task is to infiltrate the subconscious realm of Arnab's own kingdom and interrupt the interruptor, name-call the name-caller and implant the idea that it is possible to reduce prime time news to even more unimaginable depths of ridiculousness

To capture the essence of his genius, we have adapted Hans Zimmer's Time from Inception. 

The source material is largely from this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FykqCkDDrW0

Interrupception

A kutthu remix of the Game of Thrones theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53c8reh_uh0)


Game of Thrones Theme- Kutthu remix

There is a political battle in India on whether or not to replace German with Sanskrit in schools. My response to that is a Sanskrit adaptation of Rammstein's Du Hast with lyrics by the brilliant Vaishnavi S

The guitar used is a BC Rich Kerry King Special 

Lyrics

त्वम्
माम्
त्वम् माम् नीतवती

त्वम्
माम्
त्वम् माम् नीतवती

त्वम्
माम्
त्वम् माम् पृष्टवती
त्वम् माम् पृष्टवती
त्वम् माम् पृष्टवती
अहम् च किमपि न उक्तवान्

आमरणम् त्वम् तदीय भविष्यति वा?
न
न
यावत् सा उद्युक्ता तावत् त्वम् तदीय भविष्यति वा? 
न
न
यावत् सा सुष्ठुः तावत् त्वम् तदीय भविष्यति वा?
न
न

Tvam

A Sanskrit adaptation of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" with lyrics by Vaishnavi S (http://twitter.com/utprekshaa) & SP Suresh (https://twitter.com/vajrabhrt)

The guitar parts were recorded in 6 separate layers and panned left and right. In the interlude, there is a key change from A to G and the raga playing there is Hemavathi. 

And oh, the wife did some of the backing vocals

Lyrics

All our times have come आगता अस्माकं कालाः 
Here but now they're gone आगम्य गता अधुना
Seasons don't fear the reaper ऋतवो मरणान्न त्रस्यन्ति  
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain नापि वायुस्सूर्यो वर्षाणि च

Come on baby... Don't fear the Reaper आगच्छ प्रिये ... मृत्युम् मा भैषीः 
Baby take my hand... Don't fear the Reaper करमादत्स्व... मृत्युम् मा भैषीः
We'll be able to fly... Don't fear the Reaper उद्गच्छाव ... मृत्युम् मा भैषीः
Baby I'm your man अहं तवास्मि 

Valentine is done  मन्मथोत्सवस्तु नः 
Here but now they're gone परंतु तौ दूरं गतौ
Romeo and Juliet प्रेमलोकं प्राप्य
Are together in eternity... अनन्तसहवासः

Repeat chorus

Artwork credits: http://heylookadistraction.deviantart.com/art/Yama-jii-84521336

Mrityum Ma

G Saraswathi, my 74-old grand aunt, taught me more about the finer nuances of Carnatic music than my violin teachers & a collaboration with her has been long pending. This is a Trip Hop adaptation of Muthuswami Dikshathar's Sree Kanthimatheem set in Raga Hemavathi. The vocals were recorded in a single take. 

Pallavi:
Sri Kanthimathim Shankara Yuvathim
Shree Guruguha Jananeem Vandeham
 
Anupallavi:
Hreemkaara Beejaakaara Vadanaam Hiranya Manimaya Shobaa Sadanaam
Paaka Shaasanaadi Deva Vinutham Parashuraama Natha Hima Shaila Suthaam
Shuka Shounakaadi Sadaaraadhithaam Shuddha Thaamraparnee Thatasthithaam
Shankadyashtotthara Sahasra Kalashaabhisheekha Modaam Surahithaam
 
Meaning: (From T.K Govinda Rao’s book)
I prostrate before goddess Kantimati, the young (“Yuvathim”) bride of Sankara. I prostrate (“Vandeham”) before the mother (“Jananeem”) of Guruguha. Her face (“vadana”) is of the form (“akaara”) of mystic Bijakshara – Hreem. She is established in the lustrous (“shoba”) golden (“Hiranya”) mansion (“sadanam”) studded (“maya”) with gems (“mani”).She is extolled (“vinutham”) by Indra (“paaka shasanaa”) and other celestials (“deva”). She, the daughter (“suthaam”) of Himavan, is worshipped (“natha”) by Parashurama. She is always venerated (“araadhitham”) by Suka, Saunaka and others (“aadi”). She dwells (“sthithaam”) on the banks (“Thata”) of the crystal-clear (“shuddha”)  river Tamra Parni. She is anointed with holy waters from 108 (“Shankadyashtotthara”)  pitchers (“Kalasha”) and conches. She is benevolent (“modam”) to the celestials.  

Krish Ashok gems

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