Amyt Datta
Encyclopedia
Amyt Datta is one of the most respected guitarist,composers,producers in India.He is also a greatly respected session musician, teacher and mentor. Amyt Datta toured extensively with the rock band Shiva from mid 80's to 90's. He now plays and composes for an experimental band PINKNOISE
and rock band SKINNY ALLEY
.
which is a place of historical interest. His father passed away at the age of 40.
He and his cousin started playing the guitar when they found a lap steel guitar lying around in their home. They started taking guitar lessons which was mostly in Indian classical and semi-classical music, but little Amyt did not find that very interesting. Although he has mentioned later that those "boring" lessons have actually helped him to focus on note treatment and perfection. His mother played a very important role here, she never let him stop practice until he got every Gamakas
and Ornament
right.
band competition. Soon they became friends and long time collaborators. By the age of 19-20 he was playing all over India, primarily with one the most notable rock acts of that era called Shiva. He extensively toured with Shiva from the mid 80's to the early 90's.
Amyt and Jayashree started a jingle company called 'Pink Noise'. But it soon became dysfunctional.
Amyt along with his brother Monojit performed under the moniker D for Brother. The music was experimental, cross-cultural, unlike much of the music heard by Indian indie acts at the time. An audio cassette was released in 1992 but remained unnoticed.
SKINNY ALLEY
Around 90’s Amyt joined Pop Secret, along with Jayashree and Gyan. It was a pop band with witty lyrics and mature arrangement. Pop Secret dissolved when Jayashree and Gyan took a sabbatical leave to bring up their child Jiver. Pop Secret came back but as a new Avatar - SKINNY ALLEY
.
SKINNY ALLEY
is a Kolkata
-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.
SKINNY ALLEY
released their first album Escape the Roar in 2003. It was the first completely English language
album by an Indian band to be released on a major label (EMI
).
The single "Fence" was rated the sixth best single of 2000–2009 and the album was rated the 10th best album of 2000–2009 in the Indian indie scene by Indiecision.com.
SKINNY ALLEY
recorded their second CD in the "Moony Boom", a 12’x12’ rehearsal space in Gyan and Jay Singh's home. The album was recorded on an 8 track machine
and mastered by Eddie Miller (ex-Prince
, Action Figure Party, Metric
, Kylie Minogue
etc.) in Los Angeles
. "Shape Your Life", the last track on the album, was also recorded live and was released without any remastering or editing. The album was released by Counter Culture Records.
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
was born in the music room of Jayashree Singh .One day she came home to find Jiver and Amyt jamming on some quirky odd groove.Gyan picked up his bass and Jayashree her microphones.They knew this was the start of something new.Something that never happened before.The unique sound created,was so different from Skinny Alley that they had to think of a different name for it. It was around early 2006,the newborn quartet scored its first gig even before they thought up a name. The members eventually decided on PINKNOISE
, named after the now defunct jingle composing company Jayashree Singh had started with Amyt Datta.
PINKNOISE
hasn't yet recorded any albums. They tend to write 10 songs at a time which they present as a live set till the next batch of 10 has been written. The distinct phases of the PINKNOISE
sound are Quirkwork 2009, PINKFRAUD 2009, The Dance Of The Diaspora 2009-2010, and Electropink 2010 Each set is markedly different and presents a clear evolution of the band in terms of concept, sound and performance.
The music PINKNOISE
plays is difficult to categorize. The musicians have many diverse influences from Miles Davis and Weather Report to the industrial revolution and the movement of bees. Amyt Datta is also versed in the classical Indian music tradition. The influences come together with an emphasis on texture rather than genre.
Because of their relentless experimentation, PINKNOISE
is generally considered to be one of the most innovative but often infuriating live acts. After one performance of their twisted PINKFRAUD set in Mumbai, an audience member declared: "PN is the worst thing to happen not just to music but to life in general." The band promptly used that as a tag line on their blog.
New Blues Connection
Sugarfoot
Airwave
Shiva
Pop Secret
Hip Pocket
D for Brother
SKINNY ALLEY
PINKNOISE
• Escape the Roar, SKINNY ALLEY,2003
• Songs from the Moony Boom ,SKINNY ALLEY, 2008
Live Albums available online:
• Quirkwork ,PINKNOISE, 2009
• PINKFRAUD ,PINKNOISE, 2009
•The Dance Of The Diaspora,PINKNOISE, 2009-2010
• Electropink ,PINKNOISE,2010
Monojit Datta, Anjan Dutta (Original scores for cinema), Amit Chaudhuri et al.
musical movie Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona (Bengali
: রঞ্জনা আমি আর আসবনা) directed by Anjan Dutta.
•PINKNOISE
• Bound by fret, friendship : Jayashree Singh and Amyt Dutta
• A conversation with Amyt Datta By Anant Shrivastava
• Tales of the Blue-Eyed Boy: An Interview with Amyt Dutta By Priyanka Roy
• India’s Best Axe-Men,RollingStone,India.
• Official site
• Bandcamp
• Muxtape
• MySpace
• Article on Merinews
• Skinny Alley @ LastFM
• Article in The Hindu
• ITSPINKNOISE
• PINKNOISE on Bandcamp
• PINKNOISE on MySpace
• PINKNOISE on Facebook
• PINKNOISE on Twitter
• PINKNOISE on Vimeo
• PINKNOISE on Muxtape
• PINKNOISE on Scribd
• TimeOut Mumbai Article
• Indiecision Interview
• Screen India Article
• Kolkata Newsline Article on Jayashree Singh
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
and rock band SKINNY ALLEY
Skinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
.
Childhood
His father was an educationist and his mother belonged to a family that had a strong musical tradition. He grew up at the Jora Girja, Beniapukur area of KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
which is a place of historical interest. His father passed away at the age of 40.
He and his cousin started playing the guitar when they found a lap steel guitar lying around in their home. They started taking guitar lessons which was mostly in Indian classical and semi-classical music, but little Amyt did not find that very interesting. Although he has mentioned later that those "boring" lessons have actually helped him to focus on note treatment and perfection. His mother played a very important role here, she never let him stop practice until he got every Gamakas
Gamaka (music)
Gamaka, also known as gamak or gamakam, refers to ornamentation that is used in the performance of Indian classical music. The unique character of each raga is given by its gamakas, making their role essential rather than decorative in Indian music...
and Ornament
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
right.
Career
In the late 70's Amyt met Jayashree Singh at the Beatstock, La MartiniereLa Martiniere Calcutta
La Martiniere Calcutta comprises two separate private schools in Kolkata, India. The schools were established in accordance with the will of Major General Claude Martin in 1836. They are day schools although they both have a small number of boarders...
band competition. Soon they became friends and long time collaborators. By the age of 19-20 he was playing all over India, primarily with one the most notable rock acts of that era called Shiva. He extensively toured with Shiva from the mid 80's to the early 90's.
Amyt and Jayashree started a jingle company called 'Pink Noise'. But it soon became dysfunctional.
Amyt along with his brother Monojit performed under the moniker D for Brother. The music was experimental, cross-cultural, unlike much of the music heard by Indian indie acts at the time. An audio cassette was released in 1992 but remained unnoticed.
SKINNY ALLEY
Around 90’s Amyt joined Pop Secret, along with Jayashree and Gyan. It was a pop band with witty lyrics and mature arrangement. Pop Secret dissolved when Jayashree and Gyan took a sabbatical leave to bring up their child Jiver. Pop Secret came back but as a new Avatar - SKINNY ALLEY
Skinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
.
SKINNY ALLEY
Skinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
is a Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.
SKINNY ALLEY
Skinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
released their first album Escape the Roar in 2003. It was the first completely English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
album by an Indian band to be released on a major label (EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
).
The single "Fence" was rated the sixth best single of 2000–2009 and the album was rated the 10th best album of 2000–2009 in the Indian indie scene by Indiecision.com.
SKINNY ALLEY
Skinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
recorded their second CD in the "Moony Boom", a 12’x12’ rehearsal space in Gyan and Jay Singh's home. The album was recorded on an 8 track machine
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
and mastered by Eddie Miller (ex-Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Action Figure Party, Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
etc.) in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. "Shape Your Life", the last track on the album, was also recorded live and was released without any remastering or editing. The album was released by Counter Culture Records.
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
was born in the music room of Jayashree Singh .One day she came home to find Jiver and Amyt jamming on some quirky odd groove.Gyan picked up his bass and Jayashree her microphones.They knew this was the start of something new.Something that never happened before.The unique sound created,was so different from Skinny Alley that they had to think of a different name for it. It was around early 2006,the newborn quartet scored its first gig even before they thought up a name. The members eventually decided on PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
, named after the now defunct jingle composing company Jayashree Singh had started with Amyt Datta.
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
hasn't yet recorded any albums. They tend to write 10 songs at a time which they present as a live set till the next batch of 10 has been written. The distinct phases of the PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
sound are Quirkwork 2009, PINKFRAUD 2009, The Dance Of The Diaspora 2009-2010, and Electropink 2010 Each set is markedly different and presents a clear evolution of the band in terms of concept, sound and performance.
The music PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
plays is difficult to categorize. The musicians have many diverse influences from Miles Davis and Weather Report to the industrial revolution and the movement of bees. Amyt Datta is also versed in the classical Indian music tradition. The influences come together with an emphasis on texture rather than genre.
Because of their relentless experimentation, PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
is generally considered to be one of the most innovative but often infuriating live acts. After one performance of their twisted PINKFRAUD set in Mumbai, an audience member declared: "PN is the worst thing to happen not just to music but to life in general." The band promptly used that as a tag line on their blog.
Bands
MoonbeamsNew Blues Connection
Sugarfoot
Airwave
Shiva
Pop Secret
Hip Pocket
Hip Pocket (Indian band)
Hip Pocket is a classic rock band, based in Kolkata, India. The formation of this band happened in a casual manner. On a fine day, the drummer called up other musicians which led to the formation of this band. They started as a pop band and later turned into a rock band...
D for Brother
SKINNY ALLEY
Skinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
Discography
• D for Brother 1992• Escape the Roar, SKINNY ALLEY,2003
• Songs from the Moony Boom ,SKINNY ALLEY, 2008
Live Albums available online:
• Quirkwork ,PINKNOISE, 2009
• PINKFRAUD ,PINKNOISE, 2009
•The Dance Of The Diaspora,PINKNOISE, 2009-2010
• Electropink ,PINKNOISE,2010
Collaborations
Trilok Gurtu, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt,Subhen Chatterjee Amit Chatterjee, Louiz Banks, George Brooks, Pete Lockett, Carl Clements, Ranjit Barot, Nicolas Fiszman, Amit Heri, Pam Crain, Bickram Ghosh, Abhijit Bannerjee, Tanmoy Bose, Greg Ellis, V Suresh, D-For-Brother,Monojit Datta, Anjan Dutta (Original scores for cinema), Amit Chaudhuri et al.
Performances
SAARC South Asian Bands Festival, Festival Of Thinkers (Abu Dhabi), Rock Garden (London), Digidesign Eleven Guitar Processor Workshop, At Home Festival, Eastwind Festival, Congo Square JazzFest and numerous appearances as a performer and clinician at venues such as The Blue Frog, Max Mueller Bhavan, and college festivals across the country.Movie career
In 2011, Amyt Datta appeared as a guitarist in a Bengali rockBangla rock
Bangla rock is a music genre in which the song is written in Bengali language. It was originated in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The first known Bangla rock band was Moheener Ghoraguli and also India's first rock band...
musical movie Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona (Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
: রঞ্জনা আমি আর আসবনা) directed by Anjan Dutta.
External links
•SKINNY ALLEYSkinny Alley
Skinny Alley is a Kolkata-based Indian rock band. As a name and concept, Skinny Alley was formed in the late nineties, though the musicians have been playing together in various bands since the 1970s.-The band:*Jayashree Singh: Vocals, programmes...
•PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE
PINKNOISE is an Indian experimental band from Kolkata.- History :The band was formed in early 2006 when Jivraj Singh started playing drums. The newborn quartet had scored its first gig even before they had thought of a name...
• Bound by fret, friendship : Jayashree Singh and Amyt Dutta
• A conversation with Amyt Datta By Anant Shrivastava
• Tales of the Blue-Eyed Boy: An Interview with Amyt Dutta By Priyanka Roy
• India’s Best Axe-Men,RollingStone,India.
• Official site
• Bandcamp
• Muxtape
• MySpace
• Article on Merinews
• Skinny Alley @ LastFM
• Article in The Hindu
• ITSPINKNOISE
• PINKNOISE on Bandcamp
• PINKNOISE on MySpace
• PINKNOISE on Facebook
• PINKNOISE on Twitter
• PINKNOISE on Vimeo
• PINKNOISE on Muxtape
• PINKNOISE on Scribd
• TimeOut Mumbai Article
• Indiecision Interview
• Screen India Article
• Kolkata Newsline Article on Jayashree Singh