Delhi-based indie band Tech Panda x Kenzani on its experiments with folktronica

Tech Panda x Kenzani.
| Photograph Credit score: Particular Association

For over seven years now, indie music duo Tech Panda x Kenzani, comprising Rupinder Nanda and Kedar Santwani, has been portray the sonic canvas of India’s digital music with experimental sounds.

Sizzling on the heels of chart-breaking ‘Dilbar’, they launched the Hindi rendition of Submit Malone and Swae Lee’s super-hit tune ‘Sunflower’ for Spider-Man: Throughout the Spider-Verse and dropped their new single ‘Kulli’ this month. Navigating the indie digital panorama, with no single album underneath their belt, the duo has launched almost 100 singles and is marching upwards and onwards to redefine the style of “folktronica”. “It combines the sound of folks and digital music,” Kedar explains.

Having spent 20 years in Saint Martin, an island within the northeast Caribbean Sea, Kedar got here to India almost a decade in the past armed with a number of musical influences. Rupinder borrowed his style in music from his grandparents, who listened to artistes like Asa Singh Mastana, Mehdi Hassan, Surinder Kaur and Attaullah Khan.

He met Rupinder at a celebration in New Delhi someday in 2015. and the 2 launched their first two songs in 2016: ‘Saawariya’ and ‘Naani’. “I work with totally different sounds and Rupinder has a extra classical contact to his music so we each mixed it. Rising up within the Caribbean, I used to hear to accommodate music, reggae, French music, every part; so, I embedded all these genres into our music,” says Kedar.

He admits that when the duo began out, they didn’t get a lot response to the tracks. “It was a really new sound. Indian digital was not massive then. It took some time even for us to develop as artists and make music that individuals may perceive,” he provides.

Now, nevertheless, issues have modified. Commercially, digital music is discovering its ft in Bollywood and OTT exhibits, says Rupinder. He provides, “Within the final two or three years, Bollywood music is accepting much more digital beats. Due to OTT, the development has modified. Most songs have been very experimental,”

Actually, the duo was approached two months in the past to create a extra Indianised model of ‘Sunflower’.  “An artist company, Tarsame Mittal (TM Expertise Administration), gave us this work. They wished to remake the tune fully and went with Indian vocals. Singer-rapper Badal recorded the vocals after listening to the instrumental,” says Kedar. With no strict pointers, the duo toyed with the inventive liberty to execute the tune. It garnished the riffs given to them by Sony Music with Hindi vocals and 5 Indian devices. “We used manjira, sitar, tabla, bamboo flute and santoor to make the sound extra Indian,” provides Rupinder.

Between the 2 of them, Kedar and Rupinder work in consonance with regards to composing music. “We don’t have roles and take part equally, affirms Kedar, including “We’re each adept at manufacturing. Rupi specialises in vocal processing and finalising of tracks. He’s good with sharpening the sound and with vocal recording and I do extra of the software program, however we each know every part.”

The 2 additionally share a penchant for people music, which displays of their new single ‘Kulli’. Rupinder indicators off saying, “This tune has been within the pipeline for over a yr and a half. We do loads of folks music as a result of the sound is so authentic and we need to preserve it alive. Reinventing it’s one of the simplest ways to revive it.”