Rato Mato comprises Gurung’s cover of folksongs we all are more or less familiar with; and then there is his original composition ‘Domestic Bliss.’ His recent inclination towards electronic music is evident in ‘Adunique.’ [break]
Gurung, who previously played guitar for Albatross and of the Ayurveda fame, is currently involved in Photoreal, a project comprising three members who were all part of Ayurveda.
What many don’t know is that Gurung also has another musical project called ‘The Rungs’ with his wife.
“I taught her to play guitar because she would be alone when I went on tours with the band. She picked it up quickly and started writing songs. Besides covers, we perform songs written by her, and I merely arrange and produce music,” he says.
‘The Rungs’ comes from the last part of Gurung’s and his wife’s last name since they have been married for almost a year now.
Diwas Gurung talks with Republica about playing folk music, his recent inclination to electronic music, and his project ‘Photoreal’.
Why electronic music?
The music I am listening to now is different from the music I grew up listening to. My music taste kept evolving and electronic music is the most exciting thing for me.
How well-received is Photoreal’s music among Ayurveda fans?
We are writing songs in an electronic format because it is easy to arrange music that way but we are still involved in the songwriting process.
What artists are you currently listening to?
Like I said earlier, I am listening to a lot of electronic music these days. There’s this music project from the UK called ‘SBTRKT’ and despite their electronic aesthetics and production, you realize that they put a lot of effort in their songs. That is what inspires me when I am making music for ‘Photoreal.’
Also, ‘Battles’ from New York is a full length band but they use equipments for loops and synth and their music is an amalgamation of both traditional and electronic process of music making. I am also listening to ‘Flying Lotus’ and ‘Modeselektor.’
Where does your inclination towards folk music stem from?
These folksongs were around when we were growing up and I covered them in a way that is more in tune with the younger generation who listens to western records. I wanted to sing these songs with a different approach. Hence, ‘Rato Mato and Adhunique.’
You have covered several Nepali songs during Ayurveda’s shows. How was Nepali music received abroad?
Mike (who previously played drums in Ayurveda and is also a member of Photoreal) played a big part in making Rato Mato, his input in the album is big. I would let him know how the original version of a song sounded like and play a rough arrangement and ask him to fill in the blanks.
Nepali music was very well received whenever I played them during Ayurveda’s concerts. Although people didn’t understand the lyrics, they enjoyed the melody, mood and feel of the songs.
Diwas Gurung (Photo: Keshab Thoker/Republica)
Can we hope to see Photoreal perform in Nepal in the near future?
In the West, electronic music is big and nobody really plays rock anymore. Musicians arranging music on laptops are s nothing peculiar for them to see. Photoreal has already performed in the US and Canada but I don’t know how our old fans here will take it.
Alongside playing music, we are also emphasizing on visual presentation and programmed lightings in our shows. Hopefully, we will have some songs out by next year and then it will be fun to play here, I think.
Diwas Gurung played a show at the House of Music, Thamel on January 18 and will be performing next at Moksh on January 25. He will be playing his covers from Rato Mato, songs from Ayurveda’s album ‘Being’ and Albatross’s first album ‘Hi:Fly’ (which he was part of) with members of Albatross.
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