The news that India’s YouTube superstars, pop-rock band SANAM recently performed at the re-launch of an old-time favourite hotspot in Bengaluru has been making the rounds over the past few days. But not many people know that the four-piece ensemble’s bass guitarist Venkat Subramaniyam (aka Venky) was a Josephite, who lived in Bengaluru from 2005-2014. In a casual conversation with Bangalore Times, brothers Sanam and Samar Puri, Keshav Dhanraj and Venky let us in on their momo-eating spree in the city, their favourite artsites from the 90s Indipop genre and the latest #SANAMorginal Itni Door . Excerpts:

Momos in Bengaluru
“We have a strong connect with Bengaluru, as Venky is from this city. It’s always nice to be back here. We have friends in the city, and no matter how much time we get to spend here, we know that it’s going to be a fun experience,” says lead vocalist Sanam. “I had brought Sanam and Samar to Bengaluru many years ago. Back then, we had some fun time taking part in karaoke competitions. The city always has a chilled-out vibe which is appealing,” says Venky, who has studied at St. Joseph’s College of Commerce.

Cut to their latest trip to the city, the ‘foodie’ bandmates were busy sampling different varieties of momos here. “From pan-fried mushroom and corn momos to the ones with chocolate fillings, we tasted some very interesting options here this time,” says Sanam, who has recently turned a vegan. Meanwhile, lead guitarist Samar loved drinking coffee in the city.

Renditions, not remixes
The remix of an old song is often associated with electronic beats, which sometimes sound noisy. “The reason we call our music renditions of old numbers and not remixes is because we try to keep the soul of the song, which is the lyrics and melody, alive throughout. We just style it according to our sound set,” says Sanam. Adding to that, drummer Keshav says, “We work on the instrument paths all over again and recreate the entire song, without changing its original feel and essence.”

Choosing a good song
“We never really discuss among ourselves or within our family that these are the old songs we listen to and that these can be recreated. Our first rendition Lag Ja Gale , for instance, was a song that somehow all of us had heard of, and we knew that it’s a famous and beautiful number. We then tried playing it and singing along, and realized that it’s working for us. It matches the kind of influences we have, the kind of music we listen to and the compositions we make. So, that’s the process. But again, we do filter a lot of songs before finalizing one,” says Sanam.

“Also, most of the old songs are owned by music labels. There can be copyright issues, because we have a channel and things are monetized. There is a method of doing this. It is necessary to get the required permissions ahead of composing the rendition and making a music video with it,” explains Venky, adding, “A lot of thinking also goes into creating song sets while we are touring with our music. In South Africa, for example, people love the songs by Mohd Rafi, so we would add more of that.”

Indipop inspirations
“The songs of Kailasa by Kailash Kher had made a huge influence on me,” says Samar. Meanwhile, the band Junoon and Punjabi songs by Daler Mehndi were Venky’s favourite. The independent music scene of the 90s in India greatly influenced these self-taught artistes, as none of them have received any formal training in music. So, how difficult or easy is it for an artiste to make it big? “It depends on the individual, actually. For me, the level of curiosity and interest is always high when I am learning things on my own. It’s a bigger drive than what I would get sitting in a classroom,” says Samar.

Making music for films

“Currently, we are more focused on our YouTube channel, which has close to three million subscribers, and are not actively pursuing making music for films. A lot of people are following us, and we really want to give our best. The business model for musicians, especially the independent artistes, is changing due to the digital platform. It gives you the freedom to put out your ideas and craft for the audience directly,” says Keshav.

Orginals
“We had started off planning to make originals, but our focus shifted to renditions. With Itni Door just out, viewers are demanding more original tracks. We are currently working on a few, which are likely to be released next year,” Sanam sums up.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Cities> Bangalore / by Reema Gowalla /  TNN / December 11th, 2017