THE DATA WAVES

Basement: What does your songwriting and recording process look like?

Aditya: We write most of our songs together in the same room, based on sharing ideas with each other. That means we usually don’t write down anything we come up with, and we write everything by ear, memorizing everything we play. Sometimes, our songs are written all by one person, like Sun Salute or King Drive, which were written by Sammy and Kevin respectively. Otherwise, we all write our own parts and work things out together until we have a final product we can be proud of. 

Basement: The Data Waves explore a very specific sound- what attracted you all to the world of jazz fusion/funk/hip hop?

Shravan: We’ve always thought that incorporating sounds from each of those genres would be a cool idea for an instrumental group, and it’s what we all love to listen to. As we began to play together more and more, we started leaning more into more modern ideas while still incorporating the energy of old school funk and soul music. I think that the combination of the old and the new is what makes our group special within our genre. 

Basement: How did this group get started?

Shravan: The group got started at The University of Illinois in 2016 with an entirely different lineup under the name ‘The Apothecaries”. The group originally featured a vocalist, but when we parted ways we decided to change the name of the group to The Data Waves and incorporate a fully instrumental lineup. The group had 2 significant lineup changes before settling into its current lineup. We currently perform as a quartet but we have close ties with other musicians who help us out on recordings as well.

Basement: What influences your sound?

Aditya: Our influences draw from all genres, since we come from so many different backgrounds. We grew up listening to everything from funk, to hip hop, alt rock, and even reggae. Kevin studied jazz in school, Shravan and I played in rock bands growing up, and Sammy comes from a musical household where his dad was a touring reggae guitar player with Ziggy Marley. So really, it’s all about mixing different styles together to make something fresh. 

Basement: What narratives and emotions do you hope emanate through your music?

Shravan: With instrumental music, it’s always going to be tricky to make an emotional or conceptual connection with the listener because of the absence of the human voice and lyrics, so we’ve always tried hard to ensure our music has a strong message and holds a purpose. The ‘Revolution’ record we put out late last year was composed as a statement of the times we live in. We are attempting to show the listener a sense that through all of the social, economic, and political turmoil that we went through last year, there are still opportunities to move forward through the unity and strength of the people. 

Basement: You recently released the “King Drive” single- can you tell me about the single and what went into making it?

Shravan: King Drive was written by Kevin, our saxophonist, in reference to Martin Luther King Drive on the South Side of Chicago. I remember him telling us about how the street gives him a sense of purpose and makes him feel at home regardless of the violence and poverty that hurts so many in the area. The tune was performed to represent the feeling that even though you know things might be difficult for those around you, the human spirit can still help you move forward and push through. The energy of the street and the city as a whole lives within that recording.

Basement: What else is in the works for you all?  Anything new on the horizon?

Aditya: We’ve got a collaborative EP with singer Miyka’el coming out soon, our first major project with a vocalist. The music on that project draws heavily from our RnB and Soul music influences, which should make it a unique release for us. Shravan and Kevin are also working on a new collaborative project under the name Touch the Sky, which should be really awesome to hear. 

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