JOIN US'Music is a huge part of who we all are'
For city-based indie rock band ‘Alpin’, common musical influences and the desire to play vibrant music is what has brought them together.
The members — Somnath Panja, Rudrajit Ukil, Deb Mondal, Subhajit Das and Rajib Kundu — have always been inspired by retro music. They like to blend genres to create their own signature style.
In a candid chat, the band members take Tini Sara Anien through their journey.
How did the band originate?
Somnath: We came together as a musical group in 2005, but it was in 2006 that we started doing gigs. My mother was my biggest influence as she sings well. So music has always been with me. I met Deb later and we started jamming and slowly the band grew.
What does ‘Alpin’ mean?
Deb: It is a small pin that can burst a beautiful balloon or hold many important papers together.
Through the name, we are trying to explain how our presence could be small yet significant. The potential that the pin has is what we have.
What is your forte?
Subhajit: We concentrate on Hindi tunes as there is not a big audience for Bengali music unless it is the ‘Durga Puja’ season.
Who inspires you?
Somnath: We are inspired by musicians like RD Burman, Kishore Kumar and Arijit Singh. It is their musical style and professionalism that we are motivated by.
Some of your most memorable performances...
Rudrajit: Our gigs at the Yelahanka airforce station for ‘Dasara’ and at the DRDO for ‘Deepavali’ are most memorable for us as the response was quite phenomenal.
Music to you is...
Somnath: Music is our passion. It will be with us till we go to our graves; that’s how long we will keep singing. It’s a huge part of who we all are and has shaped us.
Which are your original compositions?
Deb: We will be compiling 10 compositions into a video album called ‘Love of Class 12’ soon. Apart from the title track with the same name, we will have interesting compositions like ‘We Are So Tired’, ‘The Girl’ and ‘Dure Bohu Dure’.
How does the idea of a song come about?
Somnath: We all listen to a lot of Hindi retro music and try to blend it with modern sounds. When we are able to bring together these elements in a new way, a song is born.
What do you like to perform on stage?
Deb: From ‘Gulabi Aankhein’ to ‘Pehla Nasha’, there is a certain feeling that playing these songs give which none other can.
A few things that are on your minds when on stage...
Rudrajit: We make sure that we are together and so is our music. Executing a gig in a neat way can be quite challenging, when one has to bring all the notes in sync. We try to understand the interest of the audience and play accordingly.
An interesting experience that happened on the stage...
Deb: This happens often — I would be playing energetically and then a guitar string breaks. I have now got used to this, so I always have one or two more guitars around as a backup (laughs).