Bengaluru-based Western classical musician Ashley William Joseph has been in sync with musical notes for as long as he can remember.
He used to dabble with the purest form of Western and Indian classical music before he started exploring the world of fusion and experimenting with various genres.
He is now ready with his debut album, ‘Destiny Muted’, which he hopes to release in the international market on November 14.
The composition is largely classical and interspersed with subtle trance and techno rhythms.
It combines the distinct features of the sitar, piano and techno keyboard.
“The techno keyboard is something that has always baffled me as a musician. It is so simple yet so intense. The grand piano brings out the natural beauty of music,” states Ashley.
About his first-ever full-fledged solo album, Ashley explains that ‘Destiny Muted’ is a three-pronged composition that stems from his own experiences and does well to give the listener an insight into the highs and lows of a musician’s life.
The composition is dedicated to the national artiste of The Philippines, Franscisco F Feliciano, who was Ashley’s composition professor.
“It was in 1988 that I first picked up the sitar during a tour of Sweden with ‘The Asian Chorale’. The beautiful tone of the sitar and its haunting melodies remained and I soon went on to write a thesis on the origin of the Indian sitar. Now picking up the sitar after almost 27 years has taught me to understand tonality better,” explains Ashley.
The album seeks to find inner peace, says Ashley.
“The idea of this album is to find a deeper purpose using the creative medium in music. At a time when Bollywood music is popular with young people, an album like this will inspire them to pause and introspect life itself,” feels Ashley, who has used only a camera to record the video.
“The intention is not to spend a huge amount on making and recording a video but to get people to listen to something that is unique and different,” he adds.
He also feels that Western classical music is not being given as much prominence as other musical genres.
“It pays to introduce and expose youngsters to all kinds of music and encourage them to come up with something new and innovative all the time,” he sums up.