Pentagram (Indian band)
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| Pentagram | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  Mumbai, India |
| Genre(s) | Rock Electronica |
| Years active | 1993 - present |
| Label(s) | Plus Music Pentagram Music Sony Music |
| Members | |
| Vishal Shiraz Randolph Papal |
|
Pentagram is a rock band started in 1993 in Mumbai, India. It was founded by Shiraz, Clyde, and Vishal. Randolph and Papal joined in 1994.
Initially the band was involved in playing live gigs at various festivals and nightclubs. They also participated in several competitions. The breakthrough came, when in 1995 they hit the jackpot with wins in three big competitions. Of these, Livewire (annual band competition at IIT, Mumbai) was their biggest win which landed themselves a record deal. This record deal with Plus Music led to the release of "We're Not Listening!". The album, when released in 1996, became India's fastest selling rock album (more than 23,000 copies in less than a month). This also led to a tour of the Seychelles and two videos, 'The Ignorant One' and 'Yoo' both of which received good airplay on music channels.
The accolades followed soon and they were voted MTV's 'Artist Of The Month', which is quite a feat in a market dominated by Hindi and Bollywood music. They also won the Channel V Award for 'Best Live Band'. In 1999 an underground single released by the band, 'Price Of Bullets', featured famous Indian musicians Javed Akhtar and Shankar Mahadevan. The song was not given airplay by music channels as its video was found to be too controversial. The song dealt with the Kargil War, which was being fought between India and Pakistan at the time.
The band's music has evolved over the years from what used to be described as Alternative to what is now Progressive Alternative Pop. They use samples, and tweaked electronics, and get a fresh sound that's fairly unique. The most obvious influence on their sound is the music of Rage Against The Machine.
In 2000, the band was busy setting up their own record label, experimenting with new sounds, and the result was an album titled "Up".
In 2007, the band released a new album "It's OK, It's all Good". "Voice" was released as the first single and has received considerable airplay on VH1. The song was used in a music video competition by the channel and Nokia, and the video that has been released features the contributions of various fans across India who sent in their videos. The song, as well as its video have received considerable praise for its unique feel. Pentagram is the first Indian band to play at Glastonbury.
[edit] Discography
- We're Not Listening (1996 Plus Music)
- Up (2002 Pentagram Music,Sony Music)
- It's OK, It's All Good (2007 Counter Culture Records)
