Sameer, music producer of the band The Collective Projekt, shares notes from their journey together

Sheetal

The Collective Projekt, a band formed almost four years ago, is keen to work on Indian folk music, Sufi poetry and originals. The band has released their own rendition of Dama Dam Mast Kalandar, which is already quite popular and available on various streaming platforms. Unable to dish out the video of their new song because of the lockdown, the band is hopeful it would be made soon.

Sameer, music producer of The Collective Projekt, spent the lockdown period in Chandigarh, his hometown. During this period, he completed an online course on social media marketing and worked on a few new compositions, apart from Dama Dam. He says, “We keep on collaborating with more and more people. We perform together and sometimes as a duo; there’s no hard and fast rule.”

Together they can

While the other ‘Sameer’ in the band plays sarangi, members include Sheetal, Saurav and Mahi (vocalists), Swaransh (vocalist and songwriter), who comes from a gharana of Indian classical music, Saptak and Monis (percussionist), Azeem (sitar player) and Hafeez (tabla player). The Collective Projekt has rendered tracks like Bandish, Chaap Tilak and Kesariya Baalam in the past.

Live shows have taken a hit due to the pandemic, but digital platforms do not seem an option. Sameer adds, “Network and connectivity is an issue. It might work for those who live in the same place, but we are from different cities as well as states. Also, if the audience is paying for the show, one mistake or technical error will distort everything.”

Chandigarh connect

Sameer, a graduate in psychology and functional English from Post Graduate Government College, Sector 11, kicked off his musical career as a disc jockey. His interest in the field grew so much that it drove him to pursue a sound engineering course from Australia! “An artiste can only be an artiste if he accepts learning, as it comes at any point in his life,” he signs off.