MUMBAI: Incorporating social message with entertainment is a prime intention of my work, musician and composer Siddharth Kasyap said at the launch of his music album ‘Rock on Hindustan’ on 23 January in Mumbai.

Present at the occasion were Madhur Bhandarkar, Azhar Hashmi, Roopkumar Rathod, Crescendo Music founder Suresh Thomas and Madhushree among others. Other guests at the launch were celebrities like Anjana sukhani, Rajiv Paul, Amy Billimoria, Simple Kaul, Sandhya Mamick ,Sudeepa Singh, Alex and Shama Sikander.

Kasyap, whose resume includes scoring for broadway musicals (‘Bollywood on Ice’) and Hollywood projects (‘ When Harry Tries To Marry’) has released the patriotic album on Crescendo Music. The six tracks have unsurprisingly fused modern rock and Indian classical sound. Heavy drum beats and bass with distorted guitars and backing vocals share sonic space with shehnai, sitar and  Rawanhatta solos.

The tracks ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Aisa Jahan’, ‘Raamwala Hindustan’, ‘Yeh Desh Hamara Hai’, ‘Jaago India’ and ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’ have all been sung by playback singers Madhushree and Roopkumar Rathod who use their high octave range and powerful deliveries for grandiose effect. Conceived, composed and produced by Kasyap, the album has lyrics by Azhar Hashmi and Shakeel Azmi.

“Songs always had a place in any social movement- be it rebellion or revolution- from Netaji to Gandhi. Our effort is to both entertain and inspire. Rathod is an inspiration and motivator since childhood and Madhushree is a dear friend. Both of them have not been exploited to their full potential as they sing in a genre that has limited their prowess,” he said.

Thomas said, " Rock is a popular genre. If you play the songs old fashioned way, it might not appeal. But contemporizing it is the best way to communicate without comprising on lyrics. Once in decade a product like this comes that is refreshing and of high quality standard. The album not only insists the spirit of patriotism but also in a very subtle way communicates its message to the youth.”

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com Kasyap said he was confident that modern rock sound would be accepted by audience. “The sound of music has changed, even film music has changed. The rock sound is appreciated even in Tier II and III towns. Today, all genres have their place- Bhangra, item numbers, ‘shaadi (marriage) music- there is a market for every category,” he said.

The new album will be supported by videos for all the tracks and Kasyap will undertake a nationwide tour in August to promote the album. Crescendo Music has entered into strategic alliance with Universal Music India, Artist Aloud, Digizen and Techzone for music marketing and distribution.