Residents of Oshiwara, who have rock musicians as neighbours, will no longer go deaf. Musicians, too, have reasons to cheer. Play it Loud, a new venture by Sanjiv Kakar, offers a sound-proof room on an hourly basis to musicians, for practice sessions.

Kaveri Waghela
kaveri.waghela@mid-day.com

Mumbai: One of the biggest problems music groups face in space-starved Mumbai, is finding a safe place to strum the guitar, beat the drums and jam. And as most bands make a lot of (musical) noise while practicing, it is not uncommon for them to face angry neighbours, and sometimes, even stick wielding cops. No wonder they all start as garage bands.

And the few sound-proof practice rooms that do exist are usually too costly to rent for bands just starting out. This is what led Sanjiv Kakar to establish Play it Loud last month – a new music production space in Oshiwara. “My daughter Akriti is a budding singer and I have seen her and her friends struggle to find well-equipped sound-proof spaces where they could practice. So, I wanted to create a place where musicians could work and practice their art without any hassles,” he explains.

The 150 sq ft room that Kakar has sound-proofed has Roger Drego sound equipment. Noted sound engineer Mark Rodrigues has designed the output jam room. “We have all the major equipment such as the drum kit, a studio quality sound system, 12 channel mixer with recording facility and an EP cable. You just have to bring your instruments and stands, your specific cables and, of course, your music,” he says.

The room can accommodate eight people and can be rented on an hourly basis. “We get special requests to rent the room from 7 am to as late as past midnight. We charge Rs 400 per hour and Rs 1,000 for three hours.”

Since its launch, the place has been rented out by many young musicians. “The studio is seldom empty. I am happy that it is helping budding musical talent. If this continues to do well, I will need to open a new space, which could help several other musicians,” he concludes.

Play it Loud
111, Reliable Business Centre,
Oshiwara, Andheri West,
Call: +91 93245 06630
E-mail: sanjivkakar@hotmail.com

News Courtesy: Sunday Mid Day, Aug 2013