There’s something inherently ambitious about an album called Quest. For Varun Rajput, the driving force behind the Delhi-based bilingual music project Antariksh, this journey is a fruitful one, filled with groundbreaking collaborations and late-night recording marathons.
As Varun explains, Questis a culmination of years of experimentation and a vision to bridge the worlds of progressive rock and Indian contemporary music.
Hindi Poetry With Progressive Rock
Antariksh’s hallmark is its ability to fuse Hindi lyrics with a distinctly progressive rock framework. “I don’t consider myself a very natural lyricist,” he admits, “but I’ve always been drawn to English, Hindi, and Urdu poetry. Writing for Antariksh is an iterative process, balancing the complexity of the music with lyrics that resonate emotionally.”
This bilingual approach not only widens the band’s appeal but also breaks down barriers, introducing prog-rock to audiences who might otherwise have missed its layered intricacies.
The album’s title track features none other than Marty Friedman, the legendary former guitarist of Megadeth. For Varun, collaborating with Marty was a surreal experience. “Marty’s humility and kindness throughout the process were inspiring,” he tells the ETV Bharat Lifestyle team. “His distinctive phrasing and emotive playing brought an entirely new dimension to the song.”
Indian rock pioneers Parikrama's Dhruv Bedi has done a sitar solo on the track. “Initially, we had an electric guitar solo inspired by Indian classical phrasing,” Varun says. “That sparked the idea of using an actual sitar.” The collaboration was a mix of meticulous planning and spontaneity. “We worked through some licks and runs at Dhruv’s place, and within days, we were in the studio recording,” says Varun.