A name on a painting, a signature underneath the poetry, a face on a theatre billboard every artist seeks to own. Yet, no one can patent beauty. Or watermark pathos. Hurt is all of ours. As is romance. And yearning. And consummation. The very experiences art endeavors to create. If they cannot be horded, how can art??

 

SCP(Sandeep Chowta Projects) is also therefore, more than just a company. It is a phenomenon geared towards disseminating music to all those who are lovers of it, education to those who desire to pursue it, an opportunity to those who are worthy of showcasing it, and a route to those who've mastered it. 'A hub of musical activity', as Sandeep Chowta himself describes it, SCP was born in 2004 as the love-child of Sandeep's musical ardor and its most indulgent milestone, Matters of the Heart. An epic-saga in its own right, Matters of The Heart is a compilation of 17 tracks, all composed by Sandeep, in collaboration with some of his favourite childhood heroes and modern greats. And more than anything else, his greatest inspiration to change the way people listened to music. To broaden their aural palette. And to make available to them, both authentic and innovative styles, so that musical opinion, awareness and talent could also grow.

 

SCP has brought some of the most spectacular names in global music to the Indian ears; from Dennis Chambers, Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson, Virgil Donati, Jeff Richman, Eric Marienthal, Bunny Brunel, Austin Peralta and to John Abercrombie, Clayton Cameron, Brett Garsed, Dave Weckl, William Kennedy… and the list goes on, it is as incredible as it's real! Sponsored and promoted by SCP, these live shows have witnessed some of the most popular, as also some of the least known records of these legends, who, as they themselves admit, seldom get a chance to expose their music to India. This, incidentally, leads to another pivotal SCP aegis-----production. From unreleased records to brand new compilations, SCP is also committed to bringing out quality music. Open to both fresh local talent and established international musicians, SCP 'puts together' albums, sometimes insisting on solos, sometimes encouraging collaborations, so as to garner the widest possible audience for its artists. And also helps to plan out sales with its publicity and promotional campaigns. Not to mention that it simultaneously creates content for tours. Providing the musicians incentive to visit again, perform again, and gear up for a new record yet again, season after season! The cherry on the cake's bigger; the artists are committed only to a particular 'project' of SCP, and not to the company as a whole, thereby leaving them free to perform elsewhere, as and how they please.

SCP in fact, extends the same purview to film music. Just as the production of their non-film records, SCP also functions as a film-music production company. Covering Hindi and regional language films with engaging tangential or off-beat, 'non-commercial' subjects, often produced on a limited budget and thus, with limited takers. From original soundtracks to background music, SCP seeks to provide either or both at workable fees, along with marketing and sales. Not A Love Story (OST and BGM) and Pan Singh Tomar (OST and BGM) are two of SCP's more prominent productions; many more, yet to come.

In pursuit of the same, SCP also seeks to organize workshops. One-on-one interactions with your favourite international icons or Indian legends. So that you may learn the nuances from the maestros themselves. Or simply engage in an enthralling discussion about your favourite piece with your childhood hero. No wonder then, that SCP's greatest ambition is to set up its own music school-----a global institution which teaches global music, and also has a global faculty!

Sandeep Chowta is a dreamer. And SCP is his most special dream. To realize the dreams of other dreamers. For profits beyond money. For causes beyond mere artistic satiation. And for outcomes beyond mere promotion of flair. SCP is the convergence of profession with vocation, of calling with karma, and of achievement with nirvana. Which only seeks to grow, to evolve, further and further. As the art of music itself.