The variety of percussion instruments played by the members of ‘Groove Tantriks’ will leave one spellbound. The members — Dinushan Shanmuganathan, Rakshan Alberts and Mathew Daniel on djembe, Maharshi Benni on didgeridoo, Anirban Sengupta on bass guitar and Satyajit Gopal on bahiya and bass drums — are dedicated to working on each and every sound with precise attention.
The instrumental band compensates for the lack of lyrics with ‘groovy’ tunes that get people on their feet and dancing. Band member Dinushan talks to Anushree Agarwal about their unique sound, what sets them apart as a band and their future plans, especially this year.
How did you come up with this name?
We make music that’s as groovy as it gets. That explains it all.
What sets you apart as an instrumental band?
We are a band that focusses on music that is mainly based on percussion instruments. The genre we play is called progressive dance music and we are the only band in India to play in this genre with a lineup of instruments like djembe, didgeridoo, bahiya and so on. Also, our songs don’t have lyrics as of now. Maybe the songs will have some other kind of vocal effects in future. So that’s what I feel makes us unique.
Your most recent gigs...
Our most recent gigs were at Indigo Live, Agora Festival in Nagpur and then we ended the year performing at Peepal Tree in Kabini. It was a memorable experience at each one of them and we thoroughly enjoyed it all.
What’s new on the cards for the band this year?
This year is going to be a big one for us. We have already started to record and our EP should be out this year. We are looking forward to adding a lot of electronic elements to the present organic setup that we hold. So those following us closely can expect some great stuff from us.
Have you decided on the name of the EP?
Well, not yet. We are still in the process of working on it. It’ll be a surprise for our fans!
What do you do when not playing music?
A few of our band members are full-time musicians and the remaining have corporate jobs. However, the good part is that each of them contributes their bit equally to the music we make. That’s the kind of dedication every musician should have to truly be able to make a name for themselves in this field.
