Rocking Stirrers | Verve Magazine
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September 19, 2013

Rocking Stirrers

Text by Neha Gupta.

Percussionist Swarupa Ananth and flautist Shriram Sampath – the brains behind Filter Coffee – create ‘ethnotronic’ beats to set the mood at celebrations

You know the music is guaranteed to have an edge when its producers are percussionist Swarupa Ananth and flautist Shriram Sampath – one trained under the Ustad Zakir Hussain and the late Ustad Alla Rakha, and the other schooled by flute maestro Pandit Ronu Majumdar. Eight years ago Swarupa and Shriram met while playing with various bands and discovered that though both of them played music that was already out there, they shared a dream – to create indigenous music. “Our idea was to use electronic music as the base without compromising on the live element. A friend suggested the band name who felt this music was just like filter coffee,” Shriram says.

Their music is ‘ethnotronic’ – folk and classical Indian music merged with electronica notes. Even wedding parties are tripping on this fusion brew. “We incorporate Bollywood into our set but still make sure that we have our own take on the song and experiment with it on stage.” So far they have played at 40 weddings and a dozen music festivals across the globe.

They have just returned from a three-week long UK tour to test their songs from an upcoming Extended Play release. What’s next? “A full-length album. We want to make Filter Coffee known as a stage for collaborations and new ideas.”

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