Raghu Dixit, Daali Dhananjaya & co. bring us Sangeetha Sagara, a unique James Brown-Ilaiyaraaja crossover!

Singer-composer Raghu Dixit is donning a new hat of a producer with the upcoming film Orchestra, Mysuru! Just as the title suggests, the film is an endearing and vibrant take on the orchestra culture that thrived in the city of Mysuru with music being an integral part of the entire ethos. There are eight different songs part of the album, all composed by Dixit and lyrics written by Daali Dhananjaya, and as the film gears up for a theatrical release, the makers are ready to share a piece of it in the form of the first single Sangeetha Sagara.

Does the name of this track beckon a certain '80s/'90s charm? Well, that's mostly because the film's soundtrack boasts of a stark retro element and attempts to give the audience a proper peek into the heydays of musical orchestras. "While our film is set in the present time, the songs carry a prominent '80s/'90s vibe that one associates with the music of Hamsalekha sir or Ilaiyaraaja sir. These were the days when orchestra singers were bonafide rockstars. As a kid growing up in Mysuru, my only dream was to be part of an orchestra someday and when Sunil (the director) came to me with the idea, I got super excited. I said to myself that although I couldn't become an orchestra musician myself, this is my best chance to live and experience that glory. Just something I couldn't miss out on," says Raghu Dixit.

Sangeetha Sagara, the song, captures the protagonist's (Poorna Chandra Mysore) journey to becoming a member of the current orchestra scene in Mysuru and also reveals how enamored he is with the famous Gandhinagara area of the city.

“Many wouldn’t know that Gandhinagara in Mysuru is the glorious hub of all orchestra activity. The street or the neighborhood houses some of the best orchestra groups and their families, and one can find the place bustling with legacy and music. Sangeetha Sagara track comes at a time in the film when our protagonist enters the street and has that “wow, Disneyland” reaction. I am super excited to share this song with the audience because it carries the pulse of the film and it was so much working on it,” adds Dixit.

And why exactly is he excited to bring the song out? “It’s James Brown meeting Ilayaraja’s Santhoshakke!” he says, to suggest that this is the collision of two iconic styles of music, and that the music of Orchestra, Mysuru! is as spunky as it can get. Brown, the American legend, is revered as the godfather of funk and soul music while Santhoshakke, from Shankar Nag’s Geetha, is still hailed as the marvelous cult classic that manages to bring entire Karnataka on its feet. Sangeetha Sagara, the song will release on July 4 and popular Kannada actress Rachita Ram will be releasing the song.