`Hindrock' is here to stay

With "Euphoria's" third album "Gully" the group has made it clear that they are creating a new genre called "Hindrock", which is very different from Indipop.

OCTOBER 1998 - a song called "Dhoom Pichuk" is getting heavy airplay on the music channels. A five-member male band called "Euphoria" release their debut album with the same name. "Dhoom Pichuk" is very different from what Indian listeners have heard from Indipop - and Euphoria makes its point clear: We are not making Indipop music, we are creating a new genre called "Hindrock".

"Dhoom Pichuk" impresses music buffs with its earthy influences and a `rockish' flavour. The album sells well and the second single "Sha Na Na" is well received too. By the end of the year, Euphoria has made its mark. But is it just one of those umpteen `one album wonder' bands? The very next year Euphoria returns with a second album called "Phir Dhoom" and the first single "Maaeri" is mature compared to "Dhoom Pichuk" and expresses the feelings of anger, sadness and regret. The `desi rock' element clicks again and this album too, is a success. The following year sees many live concerts, gigs and happenings for Euphoria. The message is loud and clear - "Hindrock" is here to stay.

Euphoria comprises of Dr. Palash `Polly' Sen, who started his career in music admiring Elvis Presley. He tried his hand at theatre and public relations before settling for music. A year back, he also featured in a Hindi film "Filhaal" opposite Sushmita Sen. He is the lead vocalist of the group while Debajyoti `DJ' Bhaduri is a self-taught acoustic guitarist whose first live performance dates back to his 10th grade school annual day. Gaurav `Gary' Misra played the guitar as well from the age of 11. His musical tastes vary from Jazz to Blues to Classical and he idolises Beatles and Van Halen. The long-haired guy in the band is Benjamin `Benny' Pinto, who started his career in Goa where he played for a band right from 1985 while "Christopher `Chris' Powell began with cover versions of Dire Straits numbers in school and later began idolising drumming legends. The bandana-clad Hitesh `Rikki' Madan, who began by winning quite a few "Best Guitarist" titles in college fests, completes the Euphoria five-some.

Euphoria's third studio album, "Gully" (T-Series; CD: Rs.99; Tape: Rs.50) has just been released with the first single "Aana Meri Gully" making its presence felt. The track is typical Euphoria material and tells you to forget the Taj Mahal and banks of the Ganges - and take a walk through the `gully' in the `mohalla of the pounding heart. Lots of earthy sounds of the `tabla' fused with the guitar marks its infectious presence. "Ab Na Jaa" is mellow and slow, but features some impressive lyrics while "Raja Rani" starts off slowly, but picks up tempo and rhythm as the song progresses. "Meethi Chaashni" begins with a drums intro and proceeds into a breezy romantic which speeds up towards the end.

"Mantra" was earlier released as a single but this time, it begins with a deadly fusion intro of the acoustic guitar and the `table which blends into the song which speaks about the various `fundaas' of life. "Oo Piyu" begins with a telephone conversation and blends into a very `rockish' `hinglish' track while "Praarthnaa" is an ideal track to end the album - short and slow.

Don't give this `Euphoric' album a miss. These guys are in the `asli gully' of `Hindrock'.

A.V

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