Amyt Datta

Amyt Datta (born 20 October 1960) is a guitarist, and producer from Kolkata. He is also a popular music composer, teacher and mentor.[1] Datta is widely acknowledged to be one of the most innovative guitarists around today. He toured extensively with the rock band Shiva from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. He later played with Pinknoise, the late-night alter ego to pop/rock band Skinny Alley in the early 2000s [2] [3] and has continued his own solo work, often in collaboration with Jivraj Singh of Parekh & Singh. His most recent album The Red Plant was released on 10th December, 2021.

Amyt Datta
Amyt Datta in concert with Pinknoise 2009.
Background information
Birth nameAmyt Datta
Born (1960-10-20) 20 October 1960
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
GenresRock, Jazz, Blues, Experimental.
Occupation(s)Musician, guitarist, producer, composer
InstrumentsElectric guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Lap steel guitar
Years active1985–present
Associated actsPINKNOISE, Skinny Alley, Parekh & Singh
Websitehttps://soundcloud.com/amytdatta

Early life

His father was an educationist and his mother belonged to a family with a strong musical tradition. Amyt's maternal grandfather Raichand Boral is regarded as the father of Bollywood music.

He and his cousin started playing the guitar when they found a lap steel guitar lying around in their home. They started taking guitar lessons which were mostly in Indian classical and semi-classical music. He started taking western music theory lessons from the legendary Carlton Kitto. His first guitar was what he calls "the Trunk". It was made by his friend who took just Rs. 300 from him. It looked like a log and had a very high action.[4]

Musical career

In the late 1970s, Amyt met Jayashree and Gyan Singh at the Beatstock, La Martiniere band competition. They soon became friends and longtime collaborators. By the age of 20 he was playing all over India, primarily with one of the most notable rock acts of that era called Shiva.

D For Brother

Amyt along with his brother Monojit performed under the moniker D for Brother. The music was experimental, cross-cultural, unlike much of the music heard by Indian audiences at the time. An audio cassette was released in 1992 but remained unnoticed. The duo composed over a hundred songs and performed concerts filled with intricate stage and lighting design, real-time sound design and subtle theatrics.

Pop Secret / Skinny Alley

In the early 1990s Amyt joined Pop Secret, along with Jayashree and Gyan. Pop Secret dissolved when Jayashree and Gyan took a sabbatical leave to bring up their child Jiver. In 1996 Amyt, Jayashree and Gyan formed Skinny Alley, a pioneering indie band that released Escape The Roar (2001), the first English language album by an Indian band on a major label (EMI).

Discography
  • D for Brother 1992[5]
  • Escape the Roar, SKINNY ALLEY,2003[6]
  • Songs from the Moony Boom, SKINNY ALLEY, 2008[7]
  • Quirkwork, PINKNOISE, 2009
  • PINKFRAUD, PINKNOISE, 2009
  • The Dance of the Diaspora, PINKNOISE, 2009–2010
  • Electropink, PINKNOISE, 2010
  • Ambiance de Danse, solo, 2013
  • Pietra Dura, solo, 2016
  • Amino Acid", solo, 2016
  • Roja Planta, solo, 2021

Collaborations

Trilok Gurtu, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, VJ Traven, Subhen Chatterjee Amit Chatterjee, Louiz Banks, George Brooks, Pete Lockett, Carl Clements, Ranjit Barot, Nicolas Fiszman, Amit Heri, Pam Crain, Bickram Ghosh, Abhijit Bannerjee, Tanmoy Bose, Greg Ellis, Anjan Dutt V Suresh, D-For-Brother, Monojit Datta, Anjan Dutt (Original scores for cinema), Amit Chaudhuri et al.

Performances

SAARC South Asian Bands Festival, Festival of Thinkers (Abu Dhabi), Rock Garden (London), Digidesign Eleven Guitar Processor Workshop, At Home Festival, Eastwind Festival, Congo Square JazzFest and numerous appearances as a performer and clinician at venues such as The Blue Frog, Max Mueller Bhavan, and college festivals across the country.

Movie career

In 2011, Amyt Datta appeared as a guitarist in a Bengali rock musical movie Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona directed by Anjan Dutt. In 2019, he appeared in If Not for You,[8] a documentary about Kolkata's long lasting love affair with legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

References
  1. Bruce Lee Mani (1 March 2008). "India's Best Axe-Men". Rolling Stone Magazine (India). Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  2. "Economy of Love, by The Pink Noise". The Pink Noise.
  3. "Skinny Alley". Skinny Alley.
  4. "Tales of the Blue-Eyed Boy: An Interview with Amyt Dutta". 15 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  5. "Amyt Datta's D For Brother Online › NH7 | Discover new music and explore alternative culture from India and around the world". Nh7.in. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  6. "Escape The Roar | Skinny Alley". Skinnyalley.bandcamp.com. 1 January 2003. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  7. "CD Baby Music Store". store.cdbaby.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008.
  8. "If Not for You (2019)". 24 May 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
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