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Established jazz musician Aditya Balani recently brought out an EP titled ‘Constants
& Variables’. The talented guitarist has taken on a new role in this four-track EP — that of a singer-songwriter.
With two successful projects to his name — the jazz ensemble ‘Aditya Balani Group’, a motley group of jazz musicians from around the world and the alternative fusion project, ‘Adi & Suhail’, with sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan – ‘Constants & Variables’ is the guitarist’s new project in the alternative music space. The EP is the guitarist’s fourth
release after his debut album ‘Answers’ in 2013.
Hailing from Delhi, Aditya always had a passion for music. “My father used to keep singing, though he wasn’t a professional musician. I picked up my love for music from him.”
He took to the guitar seriously when he was in high school. “I never received any formal training in music until I joined Berklee College of Music in Boston. It was an enriching experience and I learnt so much. Those days, music schools were few in number. But now, it’s amazing to see the number of them that have come up and in fact, I run one myself,” he laughs. Ask him whether it is a good thing and he says, “Definitely. They are a great way to hone your skills. You see kids receiving great training in every genre and they sound really good too.”
With a range of influences in each genre, he terms Sting as his biggest inspiration. “Be it his approach to music or his songwriting abilities, every album that he has brought out has been fresh, different and inspiring,” he notes.
Coming to the latest EP ‘Constants & Variables’, he says, “The name came about thanks to the title track ‘Constants & Variables’. I was just writing music when this song happened and I felt that I should name the album the same.”
The EP sees Aditya create melodies that are hummable and write songs on extremely relatable subjects like regret, passion, life and the struggle to do our best. His music style is simple but not simplistic. The music centres around the sounds of the guitar, bass and drums with a dose of electronic influences.
“The initial process of writing is very organic, where it’s just me sitting with a guitar working on melody, lyrics and harmony, pretty much like a singer-songwriter would. Once the songs are ready I shift gears and sit down to arrange them,” he says.
“The songs are influenced from life. For instance, ‘Make It Right’ is about regret. It’s about looking back and seeing what you have done. It’s also about following your dreams,” he explains.
The EP features Aditya on vocals and guitars, Andres Rotmistrovsky on bass, Tarana Marwah on keyboards and backing vocals and JJ on drums. “While I am largely a jazz musician, this project isn’t jazz. It’s more of an alternative album. I write quite regularly and over the years, in addition to the music I’ve released, there is a lot of additional material that doesn’t fit in the jazz or fusion genre. Over the last year, this particular sound – alternative or indie – has been my mode of expression,” he adds.
Aditya will be performing all across the country to promote ‘Constants & Variables’ including Bengaluru, where he will be performing at The Humming Tree on October 11. Having performed in the City before, he says, “I enjoy the fresh vibe I get every time I perform here.”