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Midhun Mukundan’s most recent renditions have been playing on a loop on many devices and one expects the charm to be amplified when the soundtrack of ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana‘ gains more popularity in the coming days. Having begun his journey in 2016, Midhun has certainly come a long way and packs a strong promise for a long and vibrant career in the music industry. In the very first edition of #CelebRecco, ETimes Kannada caught up with him to chat about his music recommendations, his personal influences, and so on.

Yanni’s ‘Tribute’ album, 1997

“My earliest memory of encountering something great with respect to music is Yanni’s live concert in the year 1997. I must have been 13 years at the time and he was performing at the Taj Mahal first and then the Forbidden City later in May – if I am not wrong, he is the first ever western artist to perform there and it was a life changing moment for me, watching him live. With that opulent orchestra and such fanfare, it made me want to do what he was doing. I can never forget that concert.”

Titled ‘Tribute’, this was Greek keyboardist and songwriter Yanni’s second live concert, prior to which he had recorded his first live album at the Herodes Atticus Theatre in Greece to astounding success. Inspired by the results, Yanni performed subsequently at other historic sites such as the Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City with a seven-piece band, choir, and a 27-piece orchestra.

Abhay Nayampally’s self-titled carnatic-jazz album

“Abhay Nayampally is a fantastic Indian classical guitarist who has been a student of the late mandolin legend U. Srinivas. His self-titled debut album features a brilliant mix of carnatic music with jazz and also features some very talented musicians from across the globe. The album probably came out about 4-5 months ago and I have been hooked to it ever since – there is something so inspiring about Abhay’s guitaring and the general soundscape. I did wish to work with him at some point and gladly, I will soon be collaborating with him on something.”

“However, the best part in all this is that Sandeep Chowta has produced the album. Sandeep Chowta is easily one of the best talents around and I feel he hasn’t got the due that he deserves. He has been around for so long and has carried out so much experimental work even in the mainstream space. A lot of people wouldn’t be aware of what he is upto today but he is still churning out some incredible music.”

Background score of ‘Master’ by Anirudh Ravichander

“In the mainstream space, I have been constantly listening to the BGM of the Tamil film ‘Master’. I think Anirudh has done fabulous job with the score and it’s become my earworm now, especially while at the gym. Of the recent stuff that come out, this album has impressed me the most.”

‘Swades’ soundtrack by A.R. Rahman

“I think listening to the soundtrack of ‘Swades’ was a watershed moment in my life because that’s when I decided firmly that I would want to pursue music as a career. I must have been in my 11th or 12th standard at the time and remember being completely blown away by what Rahman did there. A.R. Rahman is, and has always been, one of my biggest musical influences and I can say that I have learnt the art of programming by listening to his music over the years. I mean the way the song Yeh Tara Woh Tara is programmed is simply amazing – while I also love the popular tracks from the film, my favorite would be Pal Pal Hai Bhaari, sung by Madhushree. There’s also the flute version of the song which is as beautiful. I even love the slightly less popular tracks Aahista Aahista and Dekho Na. Actually, I were to start gushing over Rahman, I don’t think we would have enough to discuss his music.”