Tuesday Jun 21, 2022

D For Brother, Unwitting Pioneers of ’World Music’ In Pre-Internet India with Amyt Datta

On international World Music day, we pay tribute to this controversial genre that has garnered considerable criticism for being 'white-centric' and lopsided in its narrative recently, to listen to a refreshingly unique and bold one as we re-discover the long-forgotten history of one of India's most cutting edge and respected bands, whose remarkable but short-lived career and success amidst a loyal following of listeners failed to give it the visibility today's Indian artists have access to.

D For Brother were the two cousins Amyt and Monojit Datta, based in central Calcutta (now 'Kolkata') whose cutting-edge and path-breaking experiments in the studio and onstage alike were too ahead of their time to have survived the lull of the sleepy and forgotten ex-capital of the Indian republic. Decades before a globalised economy, access to the internet and the online onslaught and digital levelling changed the trajectory of the South-Asian arts landscape permanently.

The remnants of this masterpiece, preserved only through limited-edition cassette tapes amidst a loyal following and an abridged lo-fi bandcamp version (following the tragic and unexpected death of Monojit Datta in 2017), complete with pops and hisses is an unassuming tip of an iceberg that leads to a story of near-unbelievable and era-defying artistic innovation and integrity by two self-taught musicians whose journeys and their implications remain scantily documented and barely understood.

We interview the only surviving member of the band, Amyt Datta to relive the writing, recording process, and the mindset behind an endeavor that remains one of the most unsung but relevant in South Asian independent music history.

Read Supplementary Article HERE

This episode is brought to you by:

www.holisticmusicianacademy.com

Text: www.tlwrites.com

Produced by T.L. Mazumdar

Recorded on a Zoom Podtrak P4 kindly sponsored by:

https://www.sound-service.eu

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Music by: www.everynowheremusic.com & D For Brother

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