Versatility at its best

MIXED TUNES

Xprescions, the music band from Infosys, has over 25  members in it who are adept in a variety of musical instruments; the newest entrant being a sarod player.

Vocalists trained in Carnatic, Hindustani as well as Western music, churn out music that infuses all the three styles.

Vishwesh Bhat, the lead vocalist talked about the uniqueness of the band. “Most corporate bands are entirely based on Western music but we showcase both Indian as well as Western forms and have many numbers that are Western-classical fusion."

When asked about how they managed to find time to practice, he said, “Time is a major factor as it is hard for 15-20 people to be free at the same time therefore we usually practice in sets. We practice after six in the company provided music room.”
Farhat Hanif, a drummer in the band, said that practice after work was more of a stressbuster.

He also added that he had seen a lot of growth as a drummer as he got to learn a lot from the senior members. The concert began with the popular Vathapi Ganapathim. The confluence of two flutes, a veena and a violin were
pleasing to the ear with the audiences humming the enchanting tune.

In sync with the sentiments of Kannadigas, the next track was Hacchevu Kannadada Deepa.

The most fascinating thing about the band is that 70 per cent of the people in the band are non-Kannadigas who provide music to popular regional tracks.

Among the originals that were commendable was James Bond in Bollywood which had Bond music played on a veena mixed with some old popular Bollywood songs to create a very catchy tune. 

Kan-Fusion, also one of their originals, which was a mixture of folk song along with some rap elements describing the perils of arranged marriage.

They also played Yellow from Coldplay, an alternative rock number further showing their versatility.

Dama Dum Mast Kalandar got the maximum applause with the singers at their best. They ended the concert with their own version of Vande Mataram that left a patriotic fervour in the air.