Dhamakapella

Dhamakapella

The current members of Dhamakapella
Background information
Origin Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Genres A cappella
Years active 2005–present
Website dhamakapella.co
Members Shilpa Bhat
Ronnell Canada
Grace Dai
Sahi Hari
Austin Mak
Madhav Nandan
Niha Karnik
Naya Katta
Aishwarya Kumar
Vasu Kuram
Michael LaFramboise
Gavin Markowitz
Naveen Ram
Shaunak Roy
Chandrika Sanapala
Josiah Smith
Emily Szabo

Dhamakapella is an award-winning coed South Asian fusion a cappella group based in Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.[1] Formed in the spring of 2005 by students Mayank Prasad, Raksha Soora, and Manoj Nair, Dhamakapella’s music has been influenced from both Eastern and Western elements, and mixes contemporary Western songs with popular Eastern music. Since 2005, Dhamakapella has placed in many national a capella competitions, and has released two studio albums, Pehli Nazar: First Look and Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age.

History

Dhamakapella was formed in 2005 by student Mayank Prasad at Case Western Reserve University. With help from students Raksha Soora and Manoj Nair, Mayank organized and established the first university-recognized coed a cappella group, which would feature genres from both Western and Eastern cultures. Within three years, Dhamakapella grew into a sixteen-member group, with singers of various and diverse styles. Due to the nontraditional arrangements and unique compositions, the group instantly stood out both on campus and in downtown Cleveland.[1] In 2011, Dhamakapella released its debut album Pehli Nazar: First Look,[2] and in 2015 released its sophomore album Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age,[3] following the group's growing popularity across the city and the University. The group derives its influences from Indian classical, contemporary Bollywood, pop, dubstep, and electronic genres.

Performances

Dhamakapella performs across the United States and at various universities, spanning cities from Philadelphia to Berkeley.[4]

Dhamakapella has placed at six national a capella competitions:

Other competitions that Dhamakapella has partaken in include SingStrong A Cappella Festival 2012, and Wooster VoiceFest 2013.[11][12]

Discography

Reception

Pehli Nazar: First Look was released on April 14th, 2011 and received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. The Recorded A Cappella Review Board, which assigns a normalized rating out of 5, gave the album a 3, based on various reviews.[13] Jonathan Minkoff quoted that “The unique vocal flips, melismas and haunting scale forms of Indian music are by far the most interesting elements of the group's debut” and “The merger of East and West is a compelling artistic concept and one that Dhamakapella is uniquely suited to present.” Writer Catherine Lewis praised the album’s arrangements and complexity, stating “When Dhamakapella is on, the group absolutely hits it out of the park.”[13]

Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age was released on February 28th, 2015 and received mostly positive reviews. The Recorded A Cappella Review Board gave the album a 3.7, based on various reviews. Critic Dave Bernstein praised the album's sound and production, quoting that "Dhamakapella has taken bold steps forward in its own evolution with Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age". Writer Leigh Holmes Foster states that the album "Ushers in a new age for the group", and compliments the group's soloists and energy. [14]

References

External links

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