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The story
Home Rishiraj Kulkarni Album.jpg

Album - Home

Released: 30th July 2021

Mixing & mastering: Deepak Sugathan 
Album cover photography: Radheya Hanwate 
Album cover design: Siya Archik 
Studio design: Suhrid Kothari & Techno Acoustics.

HOME - has been a self-centering journey for me in the lockdown period, taking me exactly a year from its conceptualisation to the present. 

Through this year long journey, I found the freedom to experiment and amalgamate my three main instruments - RAV Vast, Tabla and the Maschine, while respecting the traditions where they come from. It is my humble effort to take you on a journey with me through an odyssey of time signatures. 

Every aspect of the album was brought to life in my safe space- Home; my influences and inspirations of each piece, endless riyaz, building a portable studio, recording, and finally the photo shoot for the album cover. 

Some of my greatest inspirations for this album have been: Dhafer Youssef, Kayhan Kalhor, Toumani Diabaté, Zakir Hussain, Ibrahim Maalouf, Husnu Senlendirici, Alim Qasimov and Ludovico Einaudi. 

I am really very grateful to all those who have helped me bring this out to you with all of their love and support. 

Breathe...

1. Birth 

The beginning of everything. Composed on the night of my birthday after listening to an entire month of a completely new genre and artists I had never heard of before. This gave me a completely new direction to music, a transformed perspective of looking at various time signatures and to feel it. 

Coincidentally, the time signature of Birth also coincides with the time-cycle of birth.

2. Parlance

It has been my effort to translate the language of music from one musical tradition to another. 

Tabla, an Indian classical percussion instrument, has a language of its own. You can literally speak, read, write and listen to its language. Being primarily a single pitched percussion instrument, the character used to differentiate the variations in its compositions is mainly done using the dynamics. 

In order to take a step further, I translated the language of Tabla on RAV Vast, opening it to a completely new spectrum of sound. The composition became an amalgamation of rhythm and melody on RAV Vast, against to being just rhythmic on the Tabla.

3.Crepuscular

Laid out on the sounds of birds that visit Home everyday, Crepuscular is the sonic representation of an everyday natural phenomenon that happens around us. Sunset to Moonrise - is something most of us acknowledge only a few times in our lifetime. 

When we do, we recall the entire experience of it, but failing to remember every single gradual change that has occurred during its time.

If you wondered why the track is of 11 minutes, it is because the number 11 symbolises the spiritual awakening in us, and also to respect the sense of time required to indulge into this experience. 

This is what Crepuscular is a reflection of. For most of us, remembering the entire experience of it, and for some, noticing every single change that is taking place.

4. Walk in the Woods

A representation of your journey though it. 

Think of the introduction as the time you are about to enter. You observe the expanse of the woods from a distance. 

The moment the groove comes in the music, it represents the commencement of your journey. 

The thematic melody is the portrayal of the momentum you pick up in your journey in the woods. The variations in the melody, are the representation of variations you make in your walk, while still maintaining your momentum.

The significant change in the melody and the groove, is an interpretation of that one thing you stumble upon your journey which marks it as the highlight. The place where your momentum breaks, and where you maybe fail to realise that it is the pinnacle of your journey. 

Coming back to the main thematic idea, shows your journey back towards from where you started, with the same momentum.

And the outro - the sustained silence, a sonic representation of your experience.

5. Sound of Helix

The first track I ever composed by changing the direction of the RAV Vast and using some techniques to bring the harmonics of the instrument to life. 

The title comes from the overall visual illustration of the movement of my hands across the instrument while playing this piece. Helical. 

The progression in the speed is a representation of the increase in spin of the helical shape, and then finally dropping down to the tempo it started with.

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