Every once in a while a special project like Balaji Raao’s Dasa Gaanamrutha album lands in my inbox. Something outside the norm, something distinct, something with substance and deep meaning, especially to those who truly understand the history, the stories, and the culture that inform and inspire the music.

In today’s interview spotlight, I chat with Balaji about the Dasa Gaanamrutha project. We discuss Carnatic and Hindustani Classical styles, Balaji’s collaboration with Rodello’s Machine, his earliest musical memories, and more.

Find the full Q&A along with links to music below.

Tell us more about your album Dasa Gaanamrutha?

Dasa Gaanamrutha is a curated collection of musical and literary work. The Krithis (compositions) are meant to impart deep philosophy, wisdom, stories, life-thoughts and guide devotion, evolution and enlightenment of the human mind, intellect and senses. The Krithis in the album were originally composed by Haridasas from south India with their respective pen names during 15th-18th century timeline.

With soulful, expressive and mellifluous vocals and rich musical orchestration of flute, violin, veena, sitar, mridanga, ghatam, khanjira, tabla, synth, keyboard, bass guitar and drums, the album explores several genres in music including Carnatic Classical, Hindustani Classical, World, Acoustic, and Fusion. In terms of ragas (melodic framework within Indian classical music), the eight Krithis in the album are set to Desh, Darbari Kaanada, Shuddha Dhanyasi, Panthuvaraali, Bahudaari, Abhogi, Poorvi Kalyani and Sindhu Bhairavi ragas chronologically.

Dasa Gaanamrutha stands as a timeless contribution to the humanity of this world. While the Krithis in the album remain in their original, beautiful Kannada language, there exists translatory works with meaning for the contemporary world to follow and adapt to their needs.

Can you describe how Carnatic and Hindustani Classical styles differ and their influence in the North America?

I will try to elaborate on two points.

First, regarding embellishing of the musical notes, while both systems use the same basic 12 musical notes (semitones) and 22 shrutis (microtones), Carnatic Classical style emphasizes on 15 different types of gamakas (e.g. steady oscillation of a musical note) to give the musical note a distinct character as well as to define an identity and emotion for a raga and Hindustani Classical style emphasizes on meend (a smooth and continuous glide) between two musical notes to create an expansive sound and andolan (a slow oscillating vibrato of a musical note that grazes the surrounding microtones).

Second, regarding performance, Carnatic Classical music is performed with a focus on a variety of aspects including the aalapana of the raga to set the scale as well as mood of the composition, tanam (raga improvisation with rhythmic exploration), melody of a composition with a high degree of precision (i.e. pallavi, anupallavi and charana), chitte swaras (a preset solfege syllables set to a rhythm for enhancing melody), niraval (melodic improvisation and elaboration), swara kalpana (spontaneous improvisation of melodic and rhythmic patterns using solfege syllables often culminating with mukhthaya swaras) and using intricate and complex rhythmic structures (also known as talas) often including tani aavartha (an extended solo performance by accompanying percussionist(s)) to demonstrate technical mastery, mathematical precision and creative imagination and Hindustani Classical music is performed with a focus on a variety of aspects including an extended raga based presentation starting with aalap of the raga (i.e. to emphasize the purity and mood with a slow meditative exploration of the raga), jor (i.e. to build momentum by improvising on elaborate patterns of the raga), jhala (i.e. a fast rhythmic elaboration of the raga), bandish (the melodic composition performed together with accompanying percussionist(s)) often starting with introduction of the bandish in normal tempo and transitioning into vilambit (slow tempo) and drut (fast tempo also involving jhala patterns) and culminating with a taan (a rapid melodic passage performed at a fast tempo).

The influence of Carnatic and Hindustani Classical music runs deep across North America. Today, there are specialized studies established within the music departments at reputed universities and colleges and dedicated organizations and schools in the urban space that provide a platform for students and masters alike. Annual festivals serve as vital hubs, drawing leading international artists from India for concerts, lecture demonstrations, workshops and mentorship. Numerous relocated elite artists from India have popularized the art form and its tradition and I have closely witnessed few such artists.

What was your earliest or first musical memory? What impact did that moment have on your life?

Music runs deep in my family. I represent the fifth generation of musicians in my family, a lineage spanning from Carnatic Classical Vocal Vidwan Anekal Krishnamurthy – an Aasthana Vidwan (a court musician) for the Wodeyar dynasty of erstwhile Mysore, India – to my mother, Smt. Bhagya V Rao, with the legendary vocalist Sri S. P. Balasubrahmanyam as a distant relative. Raised in a musical atmosphere in the family, my mother played a vital role in passing on the musical tradition and knowledge. Those early years laid the foundation and sparked a lifelong journey in learning. I feel incredibly grateful to still be a student today, exploring several aspects and nuances across multiple genres and feel deeply humbled by every opportunity to collaborate with fellow artists.

Tell us more about your collaboration with Rodello’s Machine. How did that come about? How was it working with the band?

The band Rodello’s Machine was seeking a Hindustani Classical vocalist for a collaborative recording project. After discovering my work through playback tracks and live performances, renowned singer-songwriters Kolby Knickerbocker and Nate Donnis invited me for a meet. We quickly connected over our musical backgrounds and their vision for a song which had a core thesis on the world’s wild and unpredictable chaos being balanced by nature’s underlying harmony. Being quite impressed by their songwriting, musical expertise and storytelling, I officially hopped on board. Together we brought the track to life by meticulously aligning the melodies with the lyrics, adding creative improvisations, including aalaps, and incorporating a Sanskrit verse. The collaboration resulted in “Song of the Seasons” (released on the album Red Dust) and “Song of the Seasons – Saraswati Mix” (released on the album Animus).

Where’s the best place to connect with You online and follow your musical journey?

Interested audience can follow my record label and digital brand – balajirmusic on platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon Music, JioSaavn, X and others. They can listen to all the current releases and subscribe for what is coming next.

I appreciate Your time. Any last thoughts before signing off?

Thank you for the wonderful interview experience. The thoughtful questions provided a welcoming opportunity to introspect and cherish some moments from my musical career. It was great to learn about your contributions in music as well, and I wish you the best on your journey ahead.