RAGHU DIXIT ON TOUR
The past two years have been tumultuous for Bengaluru-based folk-fusion music star Raghu Dixit. Four members of his band, The Raghu Dixit Project, left the group—including bassist and long-time manager Gaurav Vaz. And Chef, the 2017 Hindi film he was counting on to give him his big break as a Bollywood composer, flopped at the box office.
Still, Dixit is busier than he’s ever been. He’s working on six movies in three different languages. Last week, he performed in Mumbai at a concert organised by Red Bull Music. And this week he embarks on another tour of the UK.
“I used to get agitated,” says Dixit about the multiple line-up changes. “Now if somebody wants to leave, I understand this is the way the universe works and I have to look at it positively and see if there’s anybody new who can come in and give a new dimension to the band.”
In a telephone interview from his studio in Bengaluru, Dixit says both guitarist Sanjay Kumar, “who has a producer’s bent of mind”, and violinist Narayan Sharma, who’s “in some way directing the music when it comes to the arrangement of instruments”, have contributed to the evolution of The
Raghu Dixit Project’s sound.
Among the few Indian independent music artists to have made a mark in the UK, which he’s been touring for almost 10 years, Dixit won British world music magazine Songlines’ Award for Best Newcomer in 2011. Next, he wants to conquer Europe. “We’ve hit a ceiling with the festivals we’ve done, in terms of the monies we’re earning and the kind of stages we’re getting,” says Dixit. “Considering the UK is such a big seat of the world music scene, we should have at least been breaking into the European market.” He also wants to tour North America, a plan that’s been made easier after Vaz, who continues to manage him remotely, moved to Canada.
On his travels, Dixit will be looking for acts to collaborate with for a tour or possibly the band’s long-awaited third album. He has about a dozen songs in the works, but the commissions he’s undertaken for films have slowed the album’s release. Currently, he’s composing soundtracks for four Kannada productions, a movie and web series in Telugu, and a Malayalam film. After that, he’s planning a three-month break from performing and recording to contemplate the direction of his music and career. But there’s no question he’ll be back on the road soon. “For me, being on stage is the epitome of happiness,” he says.