Building bridges...

SAVITHA GAUTAM

Marius and Rahman... putting melodious ideas together.

MARIUS DE Vries lives a mile off St. Paul's Cathedral in London with his wife, two children and 21 guinea pigs. He has worked with some of the biggest acts in the world of rock and pop. He has worked in the movies, including "Moulin Rouge". He is now all set to explore yet another medium, that of theatre.

So what's he doing in Chennai? He is co-producing the cast album of A. R. Rahman's "Bombay Dreams", presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber. At Panchathan Recording Inn, Ashok Nagar, of course! "We have been working since seven in the morning," he says sipping a cup of coffee, as he tells us more about his role in the collaborative effort. "What I am really doing is `protecting' Rahman's unique, original melodies, in the process of taking his music to Western audiences."

Marius, who began learning the piano "even before my legs reached the pedals" from his Dutch father ("He taught me music instead of Dutch!"), began his musical career as a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral. "It is very difficult to read church music. But I loved doing it," he says. He studied English at Cambridge before becoming a freelance music writer and programmer.

It was in the mid-1980s that he finally got a break with a band called Blow Monkeys. "I am ever grateful to them and owe a lot to them." And he inced his way ahead and before he knew it, he was producing albums for stars such as Bjork, U2, Massive Attack, Annie Lennox and the "Material Girl", Madonna. He also worked on two films, "Goldeneye" and "Batman Forever", this time with U2 and Tina Turner. But the musician closest to his heart is David Bowie.

Talking about his projects with celebrities, he admits, "Actually, every time I walk into the studio with a new artiste, I am nervous. I wonder if things will work out or I will make a fool of myself. It's like going out on your first date. But ten minutes on and a comfort level has been reached and you get into the progress of sharing musical ideas."It was the same with Rahman. Marius has been listening to Rahman's music for eight years now. "There is a small group in England which became aware of a new original musical voice. I have been collecting scores by him since."

So how did the meet? "At my solicitor's office. Actually Rahman had some work with my solicitor and had come there. We met and over a cup of tea, discussed our work," recalls Marius. And the next thing they knew, they were putting their musical ideas together for "Bombay Dreams". The music promises to have the Rahman stamp — a blend of Indian and Western tunes and notes.

Talking about the musical that opens in West End on June 19, Marius hopes it will attract the younger generation. "In fact, the first single from the album could easily be played at dance clubs. While obviously the Asian community will be interested in such a show, one hopes it will have that cross cultural appeal". Regardless of these success or failure of the show, what Marius and Rahman hope to do is bridge two nations, two cultures.

This is Marius' first visit to India. His impressions? "People respect art and artistes here. And music is part of the culture, an integral part of the man on the street, unlike in most Western nations, with honourable exceptions like Ireland and Spain." He adds that he was impressed with the working atmosphere. "The musicians are committed, sincere and want to give their best in serving the musical vision."

However, "Bombay Dreams" is not Marius' first brush with Bollywood. He was musical director of Baz Luhrmann's costume drama, "Moulin Rouge". Marius describes it as a "circus of music." He continues, "We were making a film set in the wildest night club at the end of the 19th century but filmed at the end of the 20th century. Since he had to make an emotional contact with a contemporary audience, we used popular songs from the 20th century, from pop to techno to opera, including the Hindi song, "Chamma Chamma", a big hit at that time. So what's next? "I never plan whom I am going to work with. It just happens." For all you know, Marius De Vries will be back in Chennai to record with local musicians!