UAE-based South Indian band Urban Echoes release their debut album.
Friendship, love, youth, peace, freedom … the urban culture. These are just some of the themes which are eulogised in a new Malayalam album called Neeyum Njanum, brought out by a young and trendy band aptly called Urban Echoes.
Marketed by Vanilla Music, the album is already creating waves in the UAE.
Binu Joy – one of the main artistes behind the CD, who composed, arranged and programmed the music apart, of course, from belting out a few numbers – is fairly well-known in the music circuit, having done jingles for commercials.
"I have always been interested in music," says this Sharjah India School alumnus who is now working in the sales division of a company in Dubai. Way back in 1998, he along with a few friends cut an album of devotional songs which, in Joy's words, had "good sales. But all along I wanted to create music which would reflect the modern, urban milieu," says the tall and lanky vocalist whose world appears to revolve around music – when he is not busy achieving his sales targets.
"I remember my brother encouraging me to listen to good music, he says. And Joy, taking his advice, did not restrict his listening to popular singers of the time, instead expanding his repertoire to include the old masters in Malayalam as well. "I enjoy the music of Raveendran and Shyam [well known Malayalam music directors], among several others,'' he says.
A few years ago, he met Rijo Chacko, also a Sharjah Indian School alumnus and a music lover, and together they decided to work on an album.
Since both were working, they could meet only after office hours, but so passionate were they about their music that their spare time, including weekends, was spent fine-tuning their ideas for the album.
"There were a lot of people who helped us along they way," says Joy. " Raju George and Gopi chipped in with the lyrics, Sanjit Bardhan, Shobana Chandramohan and Neethu S Paul lent their voices and Sidharth Mishra offered his creative input.''
Joy also thanks his parents for standing by him. "They were pillars of support,'' he says. "In fact, dad initially stepped in to back us financially,'' he says.
"I always believed that we would succeed and was determined to realise the dream of bringing out a disc of modern beats,'' he says.
It took Urban Echoes a year to put it all together and approach Vanilla Music, who agreed to market the disc.
"The CD has already recieved playtime on local radio stations and is even getting repeat requests," says Joy. "Those who have heard our music say it is trendy."
The seven songs on the disc have easy-going tunes. They are, at the risk of using a much-abused and cliched term, different. The first number, Aa Prema Gaanam, is a romantic duet which is quite refreshing. The lyrics are engaging and the music lilting. Ven Chandrike, the second number is a haunting track.
"We have lots of plans,'' says Joy. "For one, we plan to shoot a video of one of the more popular songs in the album. It is at the very early stages and we are looking for a director."
The group also plans to do a show sometime later this year. We are looking forward to it, says Chacko.
