JUDO Music is a duo based in Mumbai, consisting of Justin Yesudas and Udaykumar Ninjoor. They’re both involved in production and curation of their new music label. The duo goes way back to 1981, when they met in the National Cadet Corps. Soon, they formed a school band named ‘Swar Tarang’ in 1983, working on fusion music with a few other mates. In 1987, the duo went out on their own, playing a genre they refer to as rock and fusion, in a newly formed avatar called Crywolf. The band played their last gig on Oct 6, 1990, after which they decided to delve into music as a committed profession.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6v8UgIKhSQ
Have you ever been out travelling and thought of stopping and getting a quick bite? Well if you’re from Maharashtra, the simplest and most obvious choice would be a vada pav. Judo Music’s first single, ‘Vada Pav on My Mind’, released on Sep 11, 2020, uses this very thought as the inspiration. The Indian burger, as it often referred to, is a staple among many middle-class Mumbaikars. The track begins with simple yet groovy psychedelic beats and gradually leads on to vocals by Bhamini Ninjoor, aka Bhramari, who goes on to talk about the same feeling of craving a vada pav which we’ve all felt at some point or the other. The music video incorporates the rich history of Mumbai, with pouring of cutting chai glasses and surely enough, a person enjoying a vada pav. It also includes the landscapes of the city such as the waves of the Arabian Sea and the renowned Taj Hotel that’s a monument in itself. The track, along with the visuals, took about a month to work on and align with the duo’s vision.
Apart from this track, Judo also released ‘Thakur Jamai’, a Bengali song with funky folk beats from the region and vocals that match the level of eccentricity as the instruments. They currently work out of a two-suite studio based in Pali Hill, Mumbai dubbed ‘Acoustriks’, designed by Didier Weiss from Sound Wizard, who also worked on A R Rahman’s studio. The two suites are called Riversound and Backwaters. Judo Music continues its journey in search of musicians to collaborate with, who share the same vision and put story telling at the forefront of their expression as artists and hope to work with poets in the near future as well. Judo has its own way of expressing rather ordinary concepts as supernatural, other-worldly experiences to their listeners.
