Antariksh (Indian band)
The brainchild of music composer, singer, and guitar player Varun Rajput, Antariksh is a premier, multi-award winning Indian Pop/Rock act based out of Delhi, India. Antariksh collaborated with former Megadeth Guitarist, Marty Friedman on their critically acclaimed song, ‘Quest’[1] and won the ‘Best Rock Song’ Award at the Artist Aloud Independent Music Awards 2022 and ‘Best Rock Artist of 2022’ at The Indian Music Diaries Awards.
History
From 2006 to 2008, during their college days, Varun Rajput and Mridul Ganesh (Former singer of the band) used to play in a local Progressive Rock band called Feedback, with Gurtej Singh (Former guitar player) playing for Prestorika around the same time. However, music took a back seat as they ventured into the corporate world. A few years later, both Mridul and Varun decided to quit their management consulting jobs around the same time in 2012 to work on more creative projects. During this time Varun and Gurtej also had been having conversations about starting a new project and were longing to get back to music. The three of them then decided to get together to work on some tunes. It wasn't long when they had already written 3 songs and were ready to take this even further.
They released their first song ‘Dheere Dheere’ in January 2013, which was appreciated by a variety of audience. This propelled the trio to record a full-length album and find a drummer and a bass player to begin playing live. Soon the hunt for a drummer and a bass player began during which they came across Vipul, through a mutual friend. Vipul Malhotra (Former drummer) was studying at NSIT at that time and was a great fit for the setup. Finally, Varun asked his friend Raghav Verma (Former bass player) to join the team.
With the setup finally complete, they decided to take the plunge to record and produce an album during the summer of 2013 for their new band ‘Antariksh’.[4]
Debut album
After one year of the band coming together they released their debut album, titled ‘Khoj' on 8 September 2013. The album was a blend of pop, rock, funk, and progressive sounds, featuring 11 tracks, mixed at the Quarter Note Studio by Gaurav Chintamani, and mastered by Steve Nagasaki at Nagasaki Sound, USA.[5]
In November 2015, they were featured on Season 4 of Music Mojo, a popular music show on Kappa TV which features live renditions of 11 songs performed by the band.[6]
Present
Antariksh recently released their latest single, ‘Kaahe Re’[1] in association with Mrrcury Studios and Anhad Music. Kaahe Re has received praise for its rhythmic syncopation, melodic prowess and anthem riffs. [7]
Antariksh recently performed at the 10th addition of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Meghalaya.[8][9]
International presence
In October 2019 Antariksh went on its first international multi-city tour of Mauritius and Madagascar. They played at various venues in Mauritius which included the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture, Centre de Flacq and Triolet. In Madagascar they performed for Indian audiences at an event organized by the embassy of India in the Ampefiloha Plaza in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.[10][11][12]
Discography
ALBUMS
Released on 8 September 2013,
Track list:
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Parichay" | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Dheere Dheere" | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Aisa Hi Hota Hai" | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Na Jaane Kyun" | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Nishabd" | 5:01 |
| 6. | "Aashayein" | 4:19 |
| 7. | "Tum feat. Baiju Dharmajan" | 5:23 |
| 8. | "Shoonya" | 2:40 |
| 9. | "Aur" | 5:33 |
| 10. | "Khoj" | 1:28 |
| 11. | "Intezaar feat. Rini Rajput (Bonus Track)" | 4:24 |
SINGLES
- Quest feat. Marty Friedman
- Fanaah
- Kaahe Re
- Raahiya
- Jee Le Zara
- Aashayein - Live
- Kaisi Ye Jeet?
- Ye Jhootha Samaa feat. Shruti Dhasmana, Abhay Sharma
- Quest (Reprise) feat. Marty Friedman
References
- ^ "Antariksh collaborates with former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman. We speak to the artistes".
- ^ Fatima, Syeda (26 August 2016). "Slow and steady..." The Hindu. Metro Plus. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Misra, Sudisha (15 September 2015). "Home Features In conversation with Delhi-based rock band Antariksh antariksh by Mridul Kumar IN CONVERSATION WITH DELHI-BASED ROCK BAND ANTARIKSH". www.dubeat.com. DU Beat. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Saxena, Pragati (13 September 2018). "Antariksh: A band devoted to making soulful melody in the times of mishmash Hindi music". www.nationalheraldindia.com. National Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Varma, Aditya. "Hindi Prog-rock Band Antariksh Release Debut Album Titled Khoj". www.rsjonline.com. Rock Street Journal. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Fatima, Syeda (26 August 2016). "Slow and steady..." The Hindu. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Bishnoi, Priyadarshani (20 August 2018). "'Kaahe Re' by Delhi-based Hindi rock band Antariksh". www.ahumminggheart.com. A Humming Heart. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ https://www.northeasttoday.in/bacardi-nh7-weekender-meghalaya-hills-echo-with-music-of-varied-genres/ [dead link]
- ^ "NH7 Weekender Shillong 2019: Happiest Music Festival in Meghalaya - Sentinelassam". 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Madagascar: Indian rock group performs at cultural event".
- ^ "Madagascar: Indian rock group performs at cultural event". Business Standard India. 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Embassy of India, Antananarivo, Madagascar : News".