I remember my conversation (read troll on Orkut) with Chiranjeeb Daulaguphu, (Dark Horizon’s Manager) that the band was from Haflong Assam and not Half-Long . I stand corrected, Dark Horizon is a upcoming Alt funk Rock band (with a pinch of reggae) from Halflong Haflong Assam. In October 2009 Dark Horizon released their debut EP  titled ‘STAR’ which is available as FREE download on gimmesound.com. I caught up with talented guitar duo Vishal and Biju Rajiyung for this interview.

Picture by Chiranjeeb Daulaguphu

IRMP3 – Hi guys, Thanks for the interview, what’s the latest in Dark Horizon camp?
Vishal – Well, just returned from Delhi after headlining Tarang 09, which is an Annual Cultural Fest of Lady Shri Ram College & 7 Sisters Winter Rock Festival. We guys really enjoyed the shows there. It was really a nice experience. We have 2 more shows coming up in Bangalore in Dec/Jan. So stay connected with us at Faceboook for full updates.

IRMP3 -Tell us about the Band name, how did you guys come up with the name?
Vishal – We started as a school band in the 2003.After couple of months jamming together we decided to take part in a local gig. It was then that we realized that we were lacking a name “the band’s name”. To perform in the gig we just needed a name and so we have decided to name our band as Dark Horizon which came from a book named “Lost Horizon” by English writer James Hilton.[J]

IRMP3 -  Introduce the band members please
Vishal – well the band members basically are:-

Picture by Chiranjeeb Daulaguphu

Rainjong Lepcha- Vocals

Vishal Rajiyung- Guitars

Biju Rajiyung- Guitars, Backing Vocals

Monesh Naiding- Bass, Backing Vocals

Tapan Sinha- Drums

IRMP3 - Tell us about the genre of music you play, what bands  influenced your music?
Vishal - Well, the genre we play is a blend of funk, reggae and blues with a touch of alternative rock. Our influence ranges from every thing between gazals to extreme metal! Some of them we would like to mention are Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, Dream Theatre, Iron Maiden, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, Santana, The Darkness, Incubus, Queen, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Dio, Eagles, Eric Johnson, Michael Jackson, Ugly Kid Joe, Slipknot, Frank Gamble, RATM, Extreme and many more… We are great fans of some Indian Bands like Indus Creed, Agni, Motherjane, Moksha, Orange Street, Soulmate, Cadanza, Demonic Resurrection, Zero, etc.

IRMP3 -Tell us about your debut EP STAR, How the response or criticism has been?

Vishal Rajiyung

Vishal – Well, the response till date is good. The genre that we preferred is being accepted by people infact more than what we expected. After releasing our EP on 9th October 2009 people have downloaded our music more than we expected.

Biju – Criticism is a part of our life. There are some criticisms that we have to accept it. Some of the fans were like “Dark Horizon were better with the heavier stuff”. Hope they will accept our music soon.

IRMP3 - Tell us about the making of STAR, and why you guys chose to give it as a free download?
Vishal - Experimenting with different genres trying to bring improvisation and innovation it took quite a long time to create a music that we can claim as Dark Horizon’s originals. We spent quite a long time in the studios recording our debut EP Star. We wanted to spread our music as much as possible to every part of the globe. So the easiest way for us is to make the EP available for every one by leaving it as a free download from GIMMESOUND.COM

IRMP3 - You guys come from Haflong/Guwahati Assam, how is the music scene in your city?
Vishal - Yes, all of us are from Haflong Assam except our vocalist (Rainjong). He is from Darjeeling. The music scenario in our city (Guwahati) is pretty fine and is in its initial state to be called as Rock City. All kind of genres is accepted by the crowd but the rock lovers are as usually the minority. The best place for a rock concert in north east is Shillong.

IRMP3 - You guys recently headlined in Delhi, as a rising band coming from North East part of India, how’s the journey so far? Too many hurdles to cross?
Vishal – Well, being quite an old band we came across lots of difficulties and obstacles. So far our journey is quite good as you know being from the North East part of India, we are lucky enough to headlined 2 gigs in Delhi back to back.

Biju Rajiyung

Biju - As we all know that the music scenario in India is lacking far behind comparing to other parts of the world. So the difficulties and obstacles are a common part for every bands, so do for us.

IRMP3 - What are your rehearsals like? You guys jam often?
Vishal - Basically we guys are inclined towards individual practices. We don’t jam often. It’s hard to find a good jam pad in Guwahati unlike other cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore…etc which are well equipped and plenty of jam pads are available there. So we guys hardly jam for a couple of weeks or a week before any shows/gigs coming up.

IRMP3 -Who writes the Music for Dark Horizon? What are lyrical themes you cover lyrically?
Vishal - Well, all the members put their equal efforts in creating music for Dark Horizon. Lyrics are written by our vocalist, Rainjong. Thematically, our music is based on against Drugs, Corruption and Social Evils.

IRMP3 - Plenty of gigs this year, any special “Dark Horizon” moment to share?
Vishal – Well there are lots of funny and hard moments that we came across. One of the moments I’ll like to mention is that our bassist, Monesh slept and started rolling on the stage after the last song was over in the recent Delhi show at 7 Sisters Winter Rock Fest. We all thought that he fainted from the smell of the smoke which was placed beside him.

IRMP3 - What is the future of DH like? Do you have ‘plans’?
Vishal – By the grace of God the past have gone well and hopping to see the future better than before. We are planning to produce more quality music for the people to like and listen and to spread the music as much as possible. Planning to record an album and hope to finish the album by the summer of 2010.

Picture by Chirajeeb Daulaguphu

IRMP3 – Any final shoutouts  or Thank you notes?
Vishal – Thanks to everyone who have supported Dark Horizon. Thanks to God, family and friends.

And Santhosh kudos to you for doing such a wonderful job in helping Indian Bands. Keep it going bro.

IRMP3 - And the famous last words are?
Vishal - Those who are new to Dark Horizon, to know us better they can simply follow us on  Myspace . Reverbnation, Facebook, Twitter and Gimmesound (Click here to download debut EP for free)

And at last, keep rocking and keep supporting us and original music.