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The opening credits of Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! roll out with a song called "Jaanam" playing in the background.The song, with its unique and orchestral old-world feel, fits perfectly into the 1940s plot of the film. The song is composed by Peter Cat Recording Co, or PCRC, a Delhi-based gypsy jazz, cabaret/bathroom waltz band formed in 2009. Fronted by lead guitarist Suryakant Sawhney (who also provided the lyrics and vocals to the song), PCRC's sounds are inspired by the Bollywood music of the '60s and '70s, which was in turn inspired by American jazz music of the '50s. Jaanam is the Bollywood rendition of the original song Pariquel, from their debut album Sinema released in 2011. The percussion effects in Jaanam were the results of PCRC's 26-year-old drummer Karan Singh's talent. Singh previously played for bands such as Lycanthropia, Stripes and Silent Existence.
For those who would like to know what Singh uses and what established and upcoming drummers should be using, here is the information. He uses a Standard Premier Olympic Series drum kit - a 22-inch bass drum, a 12-inch tom tom, 13-inch tom tom, a 16-inch floor tom tom (on legs) and a 14-inch snare drum. This kit costs Rs 24,000. Along with this, Singh uses a 22-inch Istanbul ride ($280), a 21-inch AA Vintage series Sabian ride($400), a 16-inch Istanbul crash ($200) and 14-inch Viziuss series hi-hats ($265).
The ride, or cymbal, for those not familiar to drumming, is most often used for keeping a constant-rhythm pattern. The crash cymbals are usually the strongest accent markers within the kit, marking the crescendos, vocal entries and major changes of effects. A crash cymbal is usually accompanied by a strong kick on the bass drum pedal, both for musical effect and to support the stroke. It provides a fuller sound when played thus and is a taught technique.
The hi-hat has a similar function as the ride cymbal. The two are rarely played consistently for long periods at the same time, but one or the other, usually is employed to keep the finer rhythm much of the time within a piece of music.
The 22-inch Istanbul ride, Singh says, is a new add-on to his set that reminds of him of the playing style of Tony Williams, the drummer for the sixties' jazz band, Miles Davis Quintet. Singh says that he is a big fan of the Sabian ride because it provides a unique tone and sounds better when used as a crash instead of a ride. Costing Rs 24,000, the kit, for its price, is one of the better drum sets available in the market. "It's not a bad set to start out with. But also works well for those who have been playing drums for some time," says Singh. He further adds that the set responds to the fastest and most dynamic of playing and comes ready-to-play with all the hardware and accessories that a drummer requires while playing.
