The Sound Of Jharkand -Score Short Reads
They say as you enter a hamlet in Jharkhand, you can hear slow rhythmic beats of Mandar. Music is in the air of Jharkhand. There are so many tribes, each with its own language, culture, rituals, and their own kind of music.
All the beats and music from different tribes combine to form what we can call the sound of Jharkhand. The essence of the Jharkhandi sound is celebration. People here sing and dance in the celebration of what has been provided by mother nature, the forests, hills, food, livestock.
Apart from the traditional music, there is a whole industry of regional music here. With time, the music here has evolved a lot. Now, there are artists working on hip hop, blues, electronic, pop, tribal music, and much more.
Here’s an introduction to some of the very talented artists from Jharkhand.
THE MELLOW TURTLE
This blues and electronica producer, Rishabh Lohia with his stage name the mellow turtle has 1 album “Dzong”, 2 EPs, and multiple singles under his belt. He also is involved with Ekastha Foundation, an NGO dedicated to working towards the rights of forests and the people of Jharkhand.
In one of the very special projects with Rapper producer Tre Ess, he co-produced the song “Dil Aziz”, sung and written by visually-impaired students Subhash and Dheeraj. They released Dil Aziz under Jio Saavn and have tens of millions of streams.
TRE ESS
Sumit Singh Solanki, a rapper-producer based in Ranchi, goes by the name Tre Ess. With multiple EPs and singles under his name, he is often described as one of the most forward-thinking artists of India. His EP “Sipping off troubled waters” was named in the top 10 EPs of 2020. He bases his songs on subjects like corruption, trials of tribal people in this tribal state of Jharkhand. He strives to create a perfect amalgamation of folk and western sound..
NKB
Engineering dropout Niraj Kumar Bhagat alias NKB is one of the most known rapper-producer/ hip hop artists among the locals of Jharkhand. His works include singles like “Bole Bum”, “Tor sang Pyaar”, “Tu hai”, “Kudiye deewani”, “Oye Oye” and many more. While working in the local language, he is connected to a large audience. You can easily see people dancing to his tunes in gatherings and weddings. His aim is to deliver Jharkhand’s tradition and culture so people may know this land through its music. If you want to listen to Jharkhandi Music in the local language, turn to this man.
Jayant Doraiburu
The most respected music producer here in Jharkhand, Jayant Doraiburu has a studio named Doraiburu Studios, is a multi-instrumentalist, and has released singles under his name which include “Lako Bodra” a ho folk fusion song, “Nanhe Kadam” along with Mrityunjay Sarkar and the 2019 release “Isn’t this love”.
He has worked on projects like Karan Singh Arora’s “Nagin”, The Mellow Turtle’s 1st EP, and many more. He also composed the background score for “Fatak Patak”, a Disney film series. With a vision to incorporate tribal sound into modern music, Jayant is the artist to look out for.
Apart from all the above-mentioned artists, Some other names worth mentioning are “Rapper Blaze”, “Atul Bara”, “Harf Kala”, “highway69”, “Vishal Sidu”, Jaya Kindo alias “jay j” and many more.
Along with all the natural beauty, hills, forests, waterfalls, and awesome weather, the state of Jharkhand hides in itself music that is as raw as it can be, just waiting to tapped on and it will spread like wildfire. Waiting on you to come here and explore. We welcome you with folded hands, JOHAR.
