About the Songs
Ganathipan’s songs will take the audience on a global voyage featuring instruments from all across the world. There are dedications to the traditional music that exist around the world. Here's some short explanations of where a few of the Ganathipan songs were inspired from.
Songs
Shaadi Shindig
A celebratory piece written for a cousin’s wedding. The wedding, or shaadi, was postponed by COVID but nothing stopped the song from reminding listeners of the joyful spirit that such occasions bring.
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Modern Carnatic Dream
This piece was an experiment of solo acoustic guitar improvisation playing with South Indian/Sri-Lankan classical nuances.
Water Trance-Lake
From a walk in the Blue Mountains, a peaceful stream of water held a moment of timelessness which Ganathipan was eager to explore. A Tin Whistle melody accompanied by soft jazz harmonies and mridangam subtleties made the piece what it is today. This has been combined with Lake, written through COVID as part of the urban meditation album, Stillness. Ganathipan was keen to incorporate the influence of Chinese relaxation music and the dulcet tones of the guzheng echo the aqua theme from Water Trance.
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Mandolin Madness
This piece combined 2 influences Ganathipan discovered in his youth: guitar percussion and the Carnatic/Indian Mandolin art form. Showing this piece to his mentor, Audius Mtawarira, some years later began Ganathipan’s quest for the multicultural sound he was after. For this performance, both the Indian Mandolin and Irish Mandolin will be used.
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Mother and Child
The name of this piece is purely theoretical. Some sections are in a scale called Chakravakam, which is a melakarta ragam or Mother Ragam. Other sections select 5 of these notes, unofficially called the Child scale/ragam, and use these notes instead. That scale, in this piece, is called Revathi, which is often used to evoke devotion. Using the aspects of these scales to explore colourful harmonies is intended experimentation from Ganathipan.
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Freedom Dance
Influenced by Macedonian culture and the events after a war/battle, this is another song where both geographically and musically, East meets West. The rhythms and trills used in similar types of songs, like Leventikos, are captivating for both listeners and performers.
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Celebration
Having written this as 16 for another wedding present, Ganathipan reclaimed an old love of South American music and placed his own identity when releasing it in the album, ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’.
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Angry (Wo)Man
Originally written as a Carnatic Rock piece for a bharatanatyam male dancer, this rendition of the piece is turned on its head, where Eastern Classical meets Western Classical.
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Mahatma
This piece was a dedication to Gandhi and peace through a theme Ganathipan wrote in a charity production. Another piece that incorporates solo acoustic guitar improvisation playing with South Indian/Sri-Lankan classical idioms.
Veetu Kuthu
Kuthu is a South Indian folk-music and dance style that has always connected with the subcontinental masses. Ganathipan creates an almost-acoustic contemporary interpretation to this style. Watch out for an unexpected instrument!
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Irelon Stomp
Ganathipan was interested in both the contemporary performances of both Irish music and Carnatic music (or classical music from Ceylon). This is a taste of both flavours joining together with the guzheng playing a special part in the performance of this piece.
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Ecstasy
Ganathipan found a unique rawness from the Bul-Bul Tharang. Whilst looking for a sitar in 2010, he bought this instrument in Delhi and after some notable jam sessions with the instrument, Ecstasy was born.