By News Desk
September 9 2015
Prolific Musician and Composer Niraj Chag has released third studio album, titled Mud Doll. Niraj also recently finished the musical score for the Royal National Theatres production of ‘Dara’. Set in Mughal India it tells the story of Crown Prince Dara – a Sufi poet, and his younger brother Aurangzeb and their different visions of Islam within India.
The music Niraj composed for Dara was heavily influenced by Sufi ideas – exploring the ecstatic repetition of Qawwali music and the poetry of Rumi, Kabir and other Sufi Saints. This is combined with a more regal North Indian Classical and Persian sound that would have been played in the Mughal Palaces of the day.
His new album Mud Doll has been seven years in the making and will feature 14 tracks, multiple vocalists and a variety of musical styles from around the globe. Four tracks from the album have been earmarked as singles, with the lead single set to be Rang Diya, due for release in May.The Mud Doll Portal(www.muddoll.com), which launches on 11May in advance of the album, features a new way of experiencing music based on the associations between music, psychology and emotional response. Anyone who uses the website will be asked six questions, and based on their answers they will be served a personalised musical experience based some of the key music from the album.The Mud Doll Portalwas developed in conjunction with digital agency Doosra Digital, who have created a new web algorithm specifically for this project. The algorithm was developed following a research project with over 100 volunteers, and use of statistical analysis. It is believed to be the first time that anyone has built an algorithm linking psychological themes to an album in this way.
Niraj said: “Mud Doll questions what it is that makes a human being –is it your beliefs, your upbringing, your memories, your body, the people you’ve left behind? Each track in the album looks at that question from a different angle. Musically I believe it’s my most complete album yet, especially in terms of the quality of the production and the breadth of the music. By using The Mud Doll Portal people will really understand the themes of the album at a deeper level.”Mud Dollfollows Niraj’s 2009 album The Lost Souls, described by the BBC as “Simply gorgeous”, and Niraj’s 2006 debut release Along the Dusty Road, which won him an Asian Music Award. The albums also led to a Maida Vale session and atmospheric live set at the Roundhouse as part of the Electric Proms. Single ‘The Nomad’ went on to be selected as itunes single of the week
Niraj Chag Biog:Niraj Chag is a London-based composer and artist whose work spans a wide range from albums, to film scores, theatre and live events.Niraj’s documentary soundtracks have reached a worldwide audience. Having embraced technology from a young age Niraj is one of the few artists working on large-scale projects to not only compose, but also to play and mix all the instruments himself. Beginning with One Night in Bhopal (BBC1, 2004) he has since composed for Emmy Award winning and Bafta Nominated The Power of Art, The Age of Terror (2008), Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (BBC2, 2008), Origins of Us (2011) and The Rise of the Continents (BBC/Discovery Channel, 2013).
For more information on Niraj please visit nirajchag.com
By News Desk
September 9 2015
Prolific Musician and Composer Niraj Chag has released third studio album, titled Mud Doll. Niraj also recently finished the musical score for the Royal National Theatres production of ‘Dara’. Set in Mughal India it tells the story of Crown Prince Dara – a Sufi poet, and his younger brother Aurangzeb and their different visions of Islam within India.
The music Niraj composed for Dara was heavily influenced by Sufi ideas – exploring the ecstatic repetition of Qawwali music and the poetry of Rumi, Kabir and other Sufi Saints. This is combined with a more regal North Indian Classical and Persian sound that would have been played in the Mughal Palaces of the day.
His new album Mud Doll has been seven years in the making and will feature 14 tracks, multiple vocalists and a variety of musical styles from around the globe. Four tracks from the album have been earmarked as singles, with the lead single set to be Rang Diya, due for release in May.The Mud Doll Portal(www.muddoll.com), which launches on 11May in advance of the album, features a new way of experiencing music based on the associations between music, psychology and emotional response. Anyone who uses the website will be asked six questions, and based on their answers they will be served a personalised musical experience based some of the key music from the album.The Mud Doll Portalwas developed in conjunction with digital agency Doosra Digital, who have created a new web algorithm specifically for this project. The algorithm was developed following a research project with over 100 volunteers, and use of statistical analysis. It is believed to be the first time that anyone has built an algorithm linking psychological themes to an album in this way.
Niraj said: “Mud Doll questions what it is that makes a human being –is it your beliefs, your upbringing, your memories, your body, the people you’ve left behind? Each track in the album looks at that question from a different angle. Musically I believe it’s my most complete album yet, especially in terms of the quality of the production and the breadth of the music. By using The Mud Doll Portal people will really understand the themes of the album at a deeper level.”Mud Dollfollows Niraj’s 2009 album The Lost Souls, described by the BBC as “Simply gorgeous”, and Niraj’s 2006 debut release Along the Dusty Road, which won him an Asian Music Award. The albums also led to a Maida Vale session and atmospheric live set at the Roundhouse as part of the Electric Proms. Single ‘The Nomad’ went on to be selected as itunes single of the week
Niraj Chag Biog:Niraj Chag is a London-based composer and artist whose work spans a wide range from albums, to film scores, theatre and live events.Niraj’s documentary soundtracks have reached a worldwide audience. Having embraced technology from a young age Niraj is one of the few artists working on large-scale projects to not only compose, but also to play and mix all the instruments himself. Beginning with One Night in Bhopal (BBC1, 2004) he has since composed for Emmy Award winning and Bafta Nominated The Power of Art, The Age of Terror (2008), Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (BBC2, 2008), Origins of Us (2011) and The Rise of the Continents (BBC/Discovery Channel, 2013).
For more information on Niraj please visit nirajchag.com