An ocean of talent

Soulful tunes

They are well-known as one of India’s foremost bands. Having been in the industry for over two decades, ‘Indian Ocean’ has not just climbed the ladder of popularity but has cemented a place in the hearts of all music lovers.

The Indian rock band rose to fame with songs like ‘Kandisa’, ‘Desert Rain’ and ‘Leaving Home’. ‘Indian Ocean’, was in the city for the second edition of the ‘Urbana Music Festival’ on November 4. Nikhil Rao, the guitarist of the band, took time out from his busy schedule and spoke to Surupasree Sarmmah about music, performances, inspiration and the band’s future endeavours.  

How do you define music?
Music is an organised sound. There has to be some effort behind organising or arranging sounds in a certain way.

Your current line up...
It’ s a five member band with Amit Kilam on drums, Rahul Ram on bass guitar and vocals and me (Nikhil Rao) on guitar. Himanshu Joshi is the vocalist and Tuheen Chakraborty plays tabla.

You have been with the band for the past four years... one of your most memorable performances...
The band has been there for the past 27 years, and it might have many memories to relive. But from the time I have been in the band, the most memorable performance was two years back, when we were called for a rock festival in Taiwan.  It was at a place called ‘Fulong beach’ with around 11,000 to 12,000 people and bands from Australia, Canada and Sweden to name a few.  It was a great experience to present our music in a place where we could hardly spot a single Indian. But people responded to our music and we had a great time.

Which song are you thinking about right now?
Well, I am working on a song currently and trying to learn it. It’s a jazz tune called ‘Moonlanding’ by composer George Brooks. So, it is playing in my mind right now.
If you wake up and find yourself in the middle of an island, which song would you be singing?
I’d mostly be singing a Baba Sehgal song. (laughs)

Describe the band in three words...
Simple. Honest. Music.

If you were an instrument, which one would you be and why?
I would probably be a flute because it’s closest to the human voice. Everybody relates to the sound of the flute.

Music scene of Bengaluru...
I often visit this city; in fact it’s one of my absolute favourite places in India. The music scene here is one of the best in the country. There is a lot of classical music, bands and western music happening under the same roof which is amazing. Bengaluru has some amazing bands and ample platforms for them to perform. I am sure every day there must be some or the other band playing great music somewhere in the city.  

Which part of your house do you get most of your ideas in?
Just sitting in my bedroom and doodling gives me a lot of ideas. It is actually a thing with every guitarist, they cannot stop playing, and they will always have the guitar in their hand. So for me, my bedroom is my preferred place.

Your interests other than music...
I love reading, sometimes I motivate myself to go running and I also love watching documentaries.

What has been your inspiration?
I am and was always very curious about music. Even when I was five or six years old, I remember listening to music very carefully. And as I grew up, that hasn’t changed much; I have just added new styles of music to my knowledge. I just cannot be done with music.

Your favourite music genre...
It is so difficult to pick but since these days I am listening to jazz music, I would pick that. But my eternal favourite has to be Hindustani classical.

Five things you would like to have with you if you are trapped in a desert...
My guitar, my favourite books, IPod, food and water.

Future endeavours of the band...
We are a little busy with our tours and a few shows coming up. Otherwise, we are trying to work on some new songs and we are planning to record a new album in 2017.