Midival Punditz
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We close our program today with music from two producers based in Delhi — Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj. They call themselves Midival Punditz. And their music is often described as Indian electronica.
Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj have known each other since grade school. They grew up sharing the same taste in music. That ranged from Bollywood tunes and classic Indian masters — to Western rock and techno.
When it came to making music — they mixed it all together. Tapan Raj says — at first — their songs raised some eyebrows.
“Some people who were hearing our music for the first time may have been a little shocked because in ’96, ’97 there was no Indian electronica, especially not in India at least. But our parents were, weirdly enough, they were fine with it. They kind of liked it. They said this makes some of the stuff that they used to listen to a little more current.”
On their latest album, Midival Punditz pay tribute to one of their early inspirations. They teamed up with an Israeli band to create a new version of Led Zeppelin’s “Four Sticks.”
Gaurav Raina says the song is typical of what Midival Punditz is all about.
“We always try and redefine our sound. We always try and take it to places where we’ve never been. And this was one of those places.”
Midival Punditz will be in the United States in August.
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