'The challenge is working with artists the way we want to', says Uday Kapur

Ali Saffudin at a performance. Pic Courtesy/Andrabi Qaarif

It has been a busy day for Uday Kapur as he logs onto the Zoom call. Co-founder of Azadi Records, Kapur has been among the disruptors on the rapidly changing horizon of Indian music. With the label set to embark on a four-city tour to celebrate its fifth anniversary, Kapur still believes in the revolution they set out to spark.

It all started with a term paper during his undergraduate years in Delhi University, he reveals. "The term paper on protest music focussed on the book of protest songs that IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) used to release. At that point, I noticed there was no urban protest music coming from the streets," Kapur says. This desire for a rebellious voice led to Azadi Records, founded with musician Mo Joshi in 2017. Against the industry practice of teaming up with popular performers, the label set out to discover voices away from the mainstream glamour of urban hip-hoppers. They have succeeded with talents like Ali Saffudin, Ahmer Javed, Swadesi, Rebel 7 and Prabh Deep, among others.

Prabh Deep crowd surfing at an event

Kapur explains, "The challenge is not in finding the talent. It is reaching there and working with artists the way we want to." This process can be difficult and slow. For instance, Wolivo by Ali Safuddin which released in October this year was the result of three and half years of working through political turmoil, CAA protests and a pandemic. "We started working during the abrogation of section 377," the Delhi-based Kapur recalls, adding that their focus on the social narrative in the albums is a protest against changing interpretations of history. "No matter now what happens, [with] Wolivo, or Chetavni by Swadesi, nobody can erase these albums or stories," he says.

That dedication extends to collaborating closely with the artistes, sometimes arguing against their choices to help improve the work, the entrepreneur says. "Removing them from their comfort zone to experience and tell their story in a new way is also our job."

The result is keenly crafted musical narratives that reflect on intense personal experiences - whether it is Ahmer Javed's Little kid, big dreams, Prabh Deep's Tabia or Saffudin's Wolivo. This sense of holistic art experiences emerges from the curation of their upcoming three-day celebrations as well. The tours in Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi from November 12 onwards bring together names like Ahmer, Seedhe Maut, Rebel7, Tienas and artistes such as Avantika Mathur, Udisha Madan and Yash Pradhan among others.

Uday Kapur

Kapur admits the label will be exploring this more in the future. "Our eventual goal will be to lean into the Web3 angle, where we get community members to take more active ownership of the label," he notes. The Web3 initiative has already kicked off in an effort to ‘democratise infrastructures' through a DAO - Decentralised Autonomous Organisation as the Whitelist says. The idea is about building a self-sustaining creator economy. He says, "It's about helping these artistes enabling their friends and other artistes to put up shows and perform; to help curate and mentor other talents to emerge."

Tell him it sounds like a revolutionary dream, and Kapur blames the literature he read in his formative years. "Azadi is an idea. We may fail, but someone else will take it up and take it further," he says. It's not easy in a scenario where big labels constantly poach talent. It is a problem, he shrugs, but one has to keep going. With five years already behind, it will be interesting to see how far the cry echoes.

On: November 19; 12 pm to 10 pm
At: Jio World Drive, BKC, Bandra East.
Log on to: azadirecords.com
Cost: Rs 999 onwards