“COMING TOGETHER IS A BEGINNING. KEEPING TOGETHER IS PROGRESS. WORKING TOGETHER IS SUCCESS.” ~ HENRY FORD
The songs 'Shakalaka Wagon' and 'Maisha Iko Sawa' Feat. Ambika Nayak are inspired by the journey of a group of artists, that had been organised by Dabaki in February 2018 to experience art and culture across Cambodia, while travelling in a bus across the country.
Chapter 1: The Wagon
On one such road trip to our next destination during our travels through Cambodia, I sat beside a window at the back of the bus, captivated by the idea itself, which seemed much like a dream and began writing the lyrics of 'Shakalaka Wagon' to encapsulate the magic of the feelings and experiences seeping into our voyage.
Chapter 2: Songwriting
Struggling with ideas while half way through, I seem to have hit a road block in trying to complete the picture I was painting in my head. I approached Ambika with my draft, the only other singer-songwriter in the group, wondering if she could help.
What followed was a seamless process of expression that I will always be in awe and admiration of. Within a short span of maybe thirty minutes we had co-written the lyrics of a song that expresses just about everything that our group of artists experienced and shared during this journey.
Chapter 3: Ambika Nayak
Ambika`s talent as a singer and songwriter and her versatility in blending into multiple genres is as rare as her gumption and charm. She also composed and wrote another gem entirely, called 'Maisha Iko Sawa'.
I've been fortunate to indulge in these beautiful songs to the extent of accompanying guitars, harmonicas, backing vocals and producing them with her.
Chapter 4: Vir Singh Brar
Once back in Delhi, Ambika had introduced me to her dear friend Vir Singh Brar with whom we jammed and explored newer possibilities in Shakalaka Wagon, in which he plays Drums and Maisha Iko Sawa, in which he plays Djembe and also gave crucial inputs on the final sound of these recordings.
Vir and I, have become great friends since then and have done a number of gigs together including performing songs from my first album 'Jive Tribe' released by my band collective, Woody Accouche in 2017 (name changed to Wumbaya in 2020).
Chapter 5: Nitin Virat and Sonic Shori
Soon, I had brought in Nitin Virat on Bongo and Sonic Short on Bass, who have been associated with Woody Accouche in the past. While Nitin recorded bongo on the latter half of Shakalaka Wagon, Sonic recorded bass on both the tracks. Both Nitin and Sonic are masters in their trade and did complete justice to the the recording process. Their contribution to these tracks is unique and unparalleled.
Chapter 6: Ferris Wheel Studios
The process of recording these songs was a breeze thanks to the wonderful team at Ferris Wheel Studios and their mixing and mastering audio chef Mukul Jain, whose crucial expertise and wisdom embellished our work and also ensured an exquisite recording environment.
Chapter 7: Dabaki
Our journey in Cambodia embodied a dream and vision of artists uniting as a collective to express and inspire freely and wholeheartedly. These songs would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of Dabaki, of which Akhil Kommidi and Krishna Sudini are the foundation.
We are deeply grateful to all the dreamers of Dabaki who have inspired each other in more ways than imaginable and planted seeds of creativity and artistic growth amongst us all, of which these songs are the fruit.
Chapter 8: New Beginnings
‘Shakalaka Wagon’ and 'Maisha Iko Sawa' mark the beginning of a new journey for me as an artist and producer wherein I shall be releasing and collaborating music under the artist moniker ‘Wumbaya’ henceforth, as opposed to Woody Accouche, continuing to perform shows as a collective and inspiring the idea of a tribe that jams, entertains and explores the beauty of creation and collaboration through diverse musical and cultural influences.
Love
Wumbaya
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