Pangea Plot Second Album

Pangea guitarists Shadaab Kadri and Akshay Rajpurohit (from left). Photo: Monisha Ajgaonkar

For a band that’s less than 15 gigs into their career, Mumbai instrumental metal act have quite a following that’s taken them to big stages such as the Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Bengaluru to Converse Road To Rubber Tracks the last year. But both guitarists Shadaab Kadri and Akshay Rajpurohit say that when they began performing as a band, they always wanted more intimate settings in clubs. Says Rajpurohit, “Big venues are great, but when we started out, our idea was also to play smaller spaces. It’s not Foo Fighters kinda music, you know? If you look away, it’s finished.”

Their brand of intricate, layered and often complex instrumental metal that also combines ambient elements promises to pull in the crowd at their first-ever tour, which includes club shows in Bengaluru and Delhi, as well as big stage shows at the second annual Red Bull Tour Bus Off the Roof in Mumbai and Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Shillong throughout October. Although the band doesn’t get a chance to jam as much as they’d like, what with most members busy with other projects, Kadri confirms that Pangea are working on their second album, the follow-up to 2011’s Snails Are When I Was Young. Rajpurohit has already written about seven songs which needs to be worked on by him and other band members ”“ guitarist Kuber Sharma, drummer Jai Row Kavi and bassist Krishna Jhaveri. The as-yet-untitled album might go up to 10 tracks complete with ambient, synth-based fillers, including their recent single “This Is NG, Taking” and “Ballsamic,” which takes its name from an incident which involved Jhaveri dropping balsamic vinegar on himself. Says Kadri, “It’s very riffy and after we played it in Pune, we realized it needs to be a little longer. But the new songs are very melodic and groovy, staying within the typical Pangea sound.” 

Writing and touring comes at an equally busy time for members ”“ while Kadri and Rajpurohit just finished off their first annual Synthfest dedicated to synthesizers, Kavi is doing double duty at their upcoming gig on October 3rd, playing for Bollywood composer Amit Trivedi as well. Says Rajpurohit, who is also working on new material for his electronica project Aqua Dominatrix and recording his hardcore band Scribe’s upcoming fourth album, “None of it comes as daunting. If I start complaining now, I should be thrown off the planet.” 

 

Mixtape Presents Pangea Gliding Tour 2015

October 3rd ”“ Red Bull Tour Bus: Off the Roof, Richardson & Cruddas, Mumbai

October 14th ”“ The Humming Tree, Bengaluru w/Shepherd

October 15th ”“ Antisocial, New Delhi w/SundogProject, Grammy Winning Effort

October 24th ”“ Bacardi NH7 Weekender, RBDSA Sports Complex, Shillong

More event details here.