JOIN USMusic with a cause
The music fest BUDXBLR, that happened on May 18, with focus on inclusivity, discussed gender parity and growth of female artistes in the music fraternity. Among the top acts were of the bands ‘The F16’s’, an electro-alternative band from Chennai, and ‘The Derelicts’, an electronic band from Kochi. The groups talked to Metrolife about their music, future projects and more.
The F16s
Is there a story behind the name of your band?
No real story. A friend suggested this name when hanging out. Earlier iterations included names like Bishop’s Got Papes.
How would you describe your music? What kind of audience do you think your music caters to?
Bleak with patches of sunlight. We cater to the loved and the loveless, college goers and work colleagues, everyone and, yet somehow, no one.
You have been in the music scene for over five years. Compared to when you started out, do you think upcoming artistes have better platforms now?
Most certainly. From the college level onwards, they get plenty of chances. Big brands have started looking in this direction and are willing to associate themselves with initiatives that are helping more artistes come out of the woodwork.
It’s good to see brands like Budweiser eager to promote artistic talent in the country, including us in a great lineup.
Do you have a Bengaluru connect?
Bengaluru has always been good to us over the years. We even launched our debut album here. The people are always embracive of our music; we probably get the best crowds in this city.
What’s in the pipeline?
We have an EP releasing at the end of this month called ‘WKND FRNDS’. You can expect more from us this year.
‘Finance is a hurdle to independent musicians’
The Derelicts
Your association with BUDX.
BUDX is a show which every indie musician vies to play at, as they always feature only the créme de la créme of our Indian music scene. It is an absolute honour and dream come true.
Tell us more about your style of music.
We call our style of music disco pop, a term our sound engineer ‘Stained Class Productions’ coined. Each member of the band comes from their own distinctive musical background, and it all has blended down to the singularity where groove matters the most. We sing sad songs on a disco beat; deriving influence from the 80s and 90s disco, we blend it with alternative, pop and RnB.
What are the challenges you faced to establish yourself as a band in the industry?
To call ourselves established would be a long shot; we are working our way up the ladder. Yes, it is difficult, but what isn’t? We have always believed that chasing your dream comes with the added premium of life pressures and only the strongest who survive these tests strive forward.
Financial feasibility is the biggest hurdle to any independent musician. We would like to thank our friends and family for their endless support; they’ve kept us financially, mentally and physically stable.
About your future projects.
We are going to record our self-produced full-length album next month, and the release will be by the end of 2019. We have been performing the new songs at our gigs. Music videos will definitely accompany singles from the album.