Gig Preview: Generation WHY Edition 2 Presented by Rolling Stone & antiSOCIAL

Mumbai neo-soul quartet Smalltalk. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Multi-genre Mumbai gig series Generation WHY returns for its second edition this week in partnership with Rolling Stone India at popular music venue Antisocial in Khar. With gear partners Furtados Music, the show will feature four bands: Bengaluru electronica duo Nikhil Narendra and Shreyas Dipali (synth/samples and drums, respectively), Mumbai-based prog rockers Across Seconds, producer Tansane with saxophonist Nigel Rajaratnam and this year’s Bandcubator winners, neo-soul quartet Smalltalk.

Created by Aftab Khan, former Programmer/Events Executive at Hard Rock Café India, the independent music property aims to promote both undiscovered bands and genres, and provide artists with a platform to reach out to potential fans. Yohann Coutinho, bassist of Smalltalk (and member of Mumbai-based psychedelic act MILK as well as alternative rock band Unohu) explains that an event like this is a boon for upcoming artists. “When you start off, you don’t really get the opportunity to play at venues like Hard Rock Café or Antisocial,” says Coutinho who also performed at the first edition of Generation WHY with MILK. “But Aftab is rooting for new bands on the block.” He adds that the diversity of Generation WHY is the most exciting thing for both artists and the audience. “It’s four different acts on the same night so really, it’s music for everyone.”

Khan, who discovered several of the featured artists at different gigs, hopes more people will experience the same excitement of discovering new music. He reveals that in addition to the existing lineup of soul, prog rock, jazz and electronica, Generation WHY Edition 2 will also bring in hip-hop. “Nasty Ninja from Mumbai’s Finest and 100RBH, who just joined Swadesi, will be performing as well.” It looks like hip-hop will be as much of a standard fixture as prog for the gig series. Mumbai’s Finest and Swadesi are some of India’s most popular hip-hop crews, the latter even performed at the debut edition of Generation WHY in January, alongside Pune based post-rockers Cat Kamikazee, pop-rock band The Ryan Victor Project and Mumbai-based psychedelic act MILK. 

Generation WHY Edition 2 Presented by Rolling Stone India & antiSOCIAL will take place on April 12^th, 2017. For more information, click here.