Nepsydaz In the House!

The band is definitely enjoying its moment in the sun, but they aren’t going to stop here.

by MALIN GURUNG

FROM ISSUE # 156 (December 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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ANUP PRAKASH

As we sit comfortably in the lounge area of Yuva Records, Manas yells at an unsuspecting passer-by to turn down the volume, the person obliges out of respect and turns the volume down. Today Nepsydaz, the hip-hop trio of Manas, Kiran and Gyanon enjoys an unmatched level of respect and recognition in the Nepali hip-hop music arena. But this wasn't an overnight success.

"People were ready to throw stones at us, literally," says Manas remembering one of their earlier concerts. Their first album KTM Reality got a very limited release. Loyal listeners aside, most people still don't know that the album exists. But they finally hit gold when their single  was nominated in the Hits FM Music Awards in 2060. Then after two years, in 2005, the band released their first studio album Made In Nepal under Reeyaz Music. It was a massive hit. Their single Chudaina featuring 1974 AD topped the charts. Their newfound glory got some even more push as their next single Maya was yet another instant hit. "Chudaina still receives airplay to this date," says Gyanon boastfully.

With the release of the third album Aayo Nepsydaz, Nepsydaz has definitely matured as a band. The album, only few months old has received good response. As a conscious move, the band decided to put more commercial music in this album. This time the songs are catchier, especially the choruses so to cater to the mainstream audiences. The first single Shake Your Body is out and has started receiving good airplay. "It was my idea to feature several artists in the video in small cameos, but as soon as it got released people started comparing it with Om Shanti Om. I mean seriously, nobody owns the copyright to do it and it wasn't in the movie that it was done for the first time," says Manas as everyone around him laughs in agreement. The trio had already started working for this album as soon as they released Made In Nepal. " The album would've been complete just under a year but Gyanon is a perfectionist – he has to  re-record the whole song even if he doesn't like a beat," reveals Kiran, "which shows in the songs."

Talking about the fun moments while making  the album, all three of them are quick to point out the recording of the Newari song E. The song E, or simply time, when translated in Newari, is the band's first all Newari song - talking of which Gyanon says, "It started as an experiment but eventually took the form of a full-length song because it was too good to ignore. We would call up my mum and ask her to point out mistakes. It was fun." On being questioned, Manas, the only  non-Newar member about his Newari skills, he jokingly says, "I still don't remember a single word I recorded for the song."

The band is definitely enjoying its moment in the sun, but they aren't going to stop here. "Hip-hop music is still in its nascent stage and there are some really good musicians out there. We still have a long way to go," says Manas. The trio is more serious towards their music than they ever were. Even though they just released an album, they are back in the studios planning for their next. With such dedication and commitment, Nepali hip-hop music is definitely on its way to gain the respect it deserves. While international fame maybe a distant feat, there's definitely no to ways about this – Nepsydaz has finally arrived.