‘It’s going to be an organic and honest series’: Nirali Kartik on their new series Ru Ba Ru

Intricacies of Hindustani classical, earthiness of traditional folk, groove of funk and elements of jazz, rock, lounge, etc make Maati Baani a genre-bending fusion duo. But with their latest single Tum Jo Mile, Kartik Shah and Nirali Kartik have opted for a simpler sound. “We are trying pop as a genre for the first time,” says Nirali about the track from their new series of songs and videos, Ru Ba Ru. The song is co-created with Australian musician and instrument maker Linsey Pollak who has played paper, Piccolo and stool flutes among other things. “We wanted to convey that we can do anything and everything, while maintaining a distinct sound,” the Hindustani classical vocalist tells us...

What plans do you have for Ru Ba Ru?

The series will be an exchange of musical experiences where we will talk about the sounds from our collaborators’ respective regions — Indian and international. The audio won’t be pre-recorded but done while shooting the video, which will have an intimate setting of our terrace. It’s going to be an organic and honest series.

Most of your videos are shot outdoors. Is that deliberate?

As Maati Baani means the language of the soil, we take in the cultural aspect of the artiste we are working with. So, the setting has to be true to where he comes from. Songs like Jaao Piya and Payal have certain emotions attached to them, which we try to present through the location.

What do you think of folk music today?

Folk music is the identity and sound of our country but its practitioners don’t get the exposure. They’re also left behind because they don’t know how the commercial industry works. However, there’s been a rise in the number of audiences and the artistes are doing solo concerts in India and abroad. There are young bands that are giving folk a contemporary twist. There has been a positive change but a lot still needs to be done. If we don’t appreciate its importance, the form will be lost.

Your track Kaari Kaari featured in the show Legion...

When we heard that the creator Noah Hawley wanted us to compose a track, we were on cloud nine (laughs). It was in the show for only a minute but we plan to make it into a full-fledged dance video. United Nations may use Heal The World or have us compose a new song for them.