Fortunately, I am quite dead now. Mallarme the poet wrote after a spiritual experience. Such could be felt after a complete listen of Kirdar too.
Kirdar is a concept album inspired by Radiohead’s Kid A. It’s for all those fans in the country who love Radiohead but continue to think. ‘There is no music like this in the country.’
The album is an intensely spiritual work with elements of Prog & Psychedelic Rock rooted in God, purpose, karma, myth and society.
Raaz kitne band yaha pe
Aor jaane kitni kahani
Ye duniya sayani
In conversation with Surya Pratap: –
I remember when I came across an album called “Kid A” from Radiohead. The experimental music in that album really shook me and I felt a sense of great freedom in that particular album of Radiohead. They literally bent all the rules and brought up something unique. There is a deep unshakable respect in my heart for such art, which is fearless. And that is my style too. I like to do bold music, say bold words, give bold performances. I like it bold.
How did Kirdar come to be?
I always believe this is divine speaking through me. I have no part in this, other than mincing whatever I could. I remember being spiritually heavy during those times when I wrote Kirdar. I was meditating a lot, seeing a lot, experiencing a lot. And one day this album happened. One song, then another and another after another. I had no idea about production, mixing, mastering songs. I was just a “kid” inspired by “Kid A” playing around the keyboard and guitar. I even played solos for the first time. All I know something from within wanted to come out.
How has the listeners reaction been for you?
This album has been a blessing to me since it came out in 2021. People say it’s too soon for its time. They say there’s no music like this in India. There is something magical about this album when I play it live people freeze for a moment and that explains everything. I have met people whom this album has struck so hard. This is my greatest gift.
What’s special about this album?
This particular album was tuned to 432 hz for obvious reasons. It sounds great. People argue and have different opinions about different frequencies. But for me it sounded better than the standard 440 hz frequency. Except “Duniya Sayani” in the album which was the first song I recorded and was tuned to the standard 440 hz.
What’s next?
There is a lot I wanna do with this work. Play it live to wider audiences. I even want to create a musical for this album. This and “Kirdar 2.0” which is in process. I get these weird visuals and ideas in my head when I listen to these songs which I know will better be delivered by real actors acting on it. This music is different and still needs to find its audience. I have patience and will use that to wait for the day…
