The Songwriter's Diary – Details, episodes & analysis

This is Part.2 of episode 14 featuring Balamohan Shingade 

Balamohan Shingade is tangata Tiriti, a New Zealander from the Deccan region of India. He is a singer of Hindustani music, an improvised tradition from the Subcontinent. He is a student of Rajendra Kandalgaonkar with whom he continues his education in the guru-shishya tradition. Formally trained in Western philosophy and contemporary visual arts, he currently works in communication research at CARE Massey University.

If you haven't already, please listen to Part 1 where Balamohan introduces us to Hindustani music, explains the concept of rāga, and shares a few stories from this tradition, such as how rāga Bilaskhani Todi got its name. We even get into philosophical questions like how is the music contained not only in the combination of notes but in the expression of a single note? This is an idea that the Kirana Gharana holds dear, the school of thought to which Balamohan belongs.

Please enjoy Balamohan's performance of Rāga Bilaskhani Todi near the end of this episode.

Hosted by: Mukukā
Audio production by:Danielle Hao-Aickin

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This episode features Balamohan Shingade. 

Balamohan Shingade is tangata Tiriti, a New Zealander from the Deccan region of India. He is a singer of Hindustani music, an improvised tradition from the Subcontinent. He is a student of Rajendra Kandalgaonkar with whom he continues his education in the guru-shishya tradition. Formally trained in Western philosophy and contemporary visual arts, he currently works in communication research at CARE Massey University.

Hosted by: Mukukā
Audio production by:Danielle Hao-Aickin

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JessB is a Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) based rapper and former netball player.

"After commanding the New Zealand hip-hop scene to take notice in 2017 following the delivery of a compelling performance as the first female MC to perform on David Dallas’ Red Bull 64 Bars, JessB continues a thrilling trajectory of releases in 2020 that have extended attention globally and proved she is here to stay

After commanding the New Zealand hip-hop scene to take notice in 2017 following the delivery of a compelling performance as the first female MC to perform on David Dallas’ Red Bull 64 Bars, JessB continues a thrilling trajectory of releases in 2020 that have extended attention globally and proved the rapper is here to stay.  Now, with the release of her 3 Nights in Amsterdam mixtape, JessB masters new sounds with hype-inducing confidence propelling her rising status even higher. She’s got streams in the millions, has spins on commercial and alternative radio, and in the past year alone, has scored a spot in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown for her feature on Baker Boy’s NIMA award-winning single and video “Meditjin”, and featured on triple j’s Like A Version for G Flip’s rendition of “Lady Marmalade”. Additionally, JessB took home the 2019 MTV European Music Award for Best New Zealand Act, before seeing her debut triple j Bars of Steel performance go live on Apple Music."  - JessB, Facebook

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This episode features singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist Indie Soull.

Indie Soull is the solo stage persona of singer/songwriter Mutch Katsonga. It is a shortening of the band name "The Indie Soul Movement". The Indie Soul Movement was formed in London by vocalist songwriter Mutch Katsonga.

Indie Soull has performed at several venues across London, New York and Australasia, releasing a series live acoustic albums before the pandemic. Since then he has been recording and releasing new material written during quarantine/lockdown and beyond.

Podcast Recorded on: 18 September 2021

Today's episode features Yousef Dave. 

Yousef is an Artist by trade, Yousef “Sunny” Dave aims to create with light. Purposely exuding growth & positivity through a plethora of arts such as Authorship, Foto & Video, Music, painting, & poetry. 

Episode recorded: 15 September 2021

This episode features Torbin Chambers. Torbin is a musician, app creator and director at Place Place.

Since 2017 Torbin has been recording ambient sounds and composing music for his apps Journeys, Useful Music & Follow Suit.

00:01 - Introduction 

03:03 - Torbin Talks about his apps 

06:13 - Torbin talks about how he started making apps 

19:01 - A composition by Torbin from Journeys

Today’s episode features Hip-hop artist Fungai.

Fungai is a Zimbabwean born artist who is making waves in Melbourne Australia where he is currently based. Fungai has been making waves in the city’s underground hip hop scene and is known for his versatility and clinical flow.

01:38 Fungai talks about making music during lockdown

09:23 Lockdown collaborations

13:04 Fungai talks about his 2020 album The adventures of Him and Her

18:32 Heartbreaks

22:46 Fungai talks about his writing process

26:35 How do you know when to let a song go?

27:06 Fungai talks about when he started making music

32:02 Fungai and Mukukā reminisce about the African Auckland music scene in the early 2000s

41:22 Fungai tells us what's next

43:01 Be with you by Fungai

Thanks for listening! Please send us your feedback or questions to: thesongwritersdiarypodcast@gmail.com

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The Songwriter’s Diary is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

Don't forget to subscribe, like, rate and review.

Today’s episode features Eszter

Eszter has been a part of many ensembles in a realm of music genres over the years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Media Arts (Commercial Music) at @wintecmediaarts in 2018, receiving the APRA Award for Excellence in Composition and the Hamilton Operatic Society Award for Excellence in Performance.

Currently a mum, violin tutor and assistant concertmaster with the Hutt Valley Orchestra. Eszter is a keen composer for the solo violin, creating music inspired by her Hungarian roots and exploring the role of improvisation and electronics in her work.

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This episode featured Arjuna Oakes.

Arjuna Oakes is a singer-songwriter and producer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). Following the release of his debut EP The Watcher in 2019, Arjuna has released another two projects both to widespread acclaim, 2020’s Recovery Pt. 1 and 2021’s First Nights. The latter is a collaboration with longtime friend and co-producer Serebii, released by LA-based record label Innovative Leisure (Badbadnotgood, Bambii). First Nights debuted at #5 on KCRW’s Top 30 Albums chart and has had extensive play on BBC6 and BBC1xtra.

‘Recovery Pt. 2 is the highly anticipated follow up to Arjuna Oake’s 2020 EP Recovery Pt. 1. Recorded at the same sessions as Recovery Pt. 1 back in February of 2020,  Recovery Pt. 2 continues delving into the same themes such as climate change, identity and the journey of healing, which are all themes that seem more timely today than when these songs were recorded. Largely performed live in studio by Arjuna and his band of talented young musicians, these songs are exploding with intense youthful energy and feature a unique mix of creative songwriting and explorative improvisation. Recovery Pt. 2 provides an exciting climax to the themes and musical ideas introduced in ‘Recovery Pt. 1, and solidifies both records as an important piece in Arjuna’s discography.

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Management: Squaresums&Co

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This episode features Holly Wright, a musician, composer, singer/songwriter, producer and playwright.

In this episode, we discuss Holly’s journey as a trumpet player for Auckland Scoundrels,  her musical Perseus and her debut EP Holly Wright.

Listen to Holly Wright’s EP here

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