Dhamakapella | |
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![]() Dhamakapella in 2024 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Genres | A cappella |
Years active | 2005–present |
Website | dhamakapella.co |
Dhamakapella (abbreviated Dhamaka) is a coed South Asian fusion a cappella group based at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] Formed in the spring of 2005 by students Mayank Prasad, Raksha Soora, and Manoj Nair, Dhamakapella's music is influenced by both South Asian and Western genres, and mixes contemporary Western songs with popular South Asian music. Since Dhamaka's inception in 2005, the group has recorded and produced albums, EPs, and singles composed of both professional and original arrangements written by current members of the group or alumni. As CWRU's largest competitive a cappella group, the group competes nationally and has won thirty-one national titles.
Career
[edit]Dhamakapella was formed in 2005 by student Mayank Prasad at Case Western Reserve University. With help from students Raksha Soora and Manoj Nair, Mayank organized and established the first university-recognized coed a cappella group, which would feature music from both Western and South Asian cultures. Within three years, Dhamakapella grew into a sixteen-member group, with singers of various and diverse styles. Due to the nontraditional arrangements and unique compositions, the group instantly stood out both on campus and in downtown Cleveland.[1]
Dhamakapella began nationally competing in the fall of 2011, becoming Case Western Reserve University's sole competitive a cappella group on campus. By 2016, they had already won six national titles at various competitions across the country. In 2017, after winning another 3 national titles, Dhamakapella was one of seven teams to qualify for the first-ever South Asian fusion a cappella bid-style championship, All-American Awaaz (A3), where they placed 3rd and won "Best Arrangement" for their arrangement of "Man Mandira". In 2018, Dhamakapella qualified again for A3 after holding the top spot in the bid point rankings for the entire season. They placed 2nd and received two individual awards. In 2019, in addition to qualifying yet again for A3, Dhamakapella entered the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) circuit in their local Midwest region for the first time. They were accepted into Quarterfinals where they placed 2nd and qualified for the Midwest Semifinal in St Louis, Missouri.[2]
In 2011, Dhamakapella released its debut album Pehli Nazar: First Look,[3] and in 2015 released its sophomore album Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age,[4] following the group's growing popularity across the city and the University. In late 2014, the group released their first music video ever, for their arrangement "Radioactive / Jiya Jale / Ae Ajinabi" from Naya Zamana. In December 2016, Dhamakapella released a single, "Don't You Worry Child / Dastaan-E-Om Shanti Om"[5] and later released their second music video for the same song. On August 23, 2017, Dhamakapella released their first EP, Riyaaz. As revealed on their Facebook page, Riyaaz consists of all three songs from their 2016-2017 award-winning competition set.[6] On November 17, 2018, Dhamakapella released their second competition set EP entitled Afsana: Our Story. It consists of the four songs from their 2017-2018 competition set.[7]
Competitions and awards
[edit]Dhamakapella performs across the United States and at various universities, spanning cities from Boston to Los Angeles.[8] Since beginning to compete in 2011, Dhamakapella has placed at twenty-two national a cappella competitions, winning additional accolades along the way:
Year | Competition | Location | Placing | Awards |
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2011 | Anahat | University of California, Berkeley | 2nd[9] | N/A |
2013 | Phillyfest Phillharmonic | Philadelphia, PA | 2nd[10] | N/A |
Gathe Raho | University of Iowa | 1st[11] |
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2015 | Sangeet Saagar | North Carolina State University | 2nd | None |
Gathe Raho | University of Iowa | 1st[12] |
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2016 | Sangeet Saagar | North Carolina State University | 1st[13] | None |
2017 | Sangeet Saagar | North Carolina State University | 2nd[14] | None |
Yaadein | Boston University | 1st[15] |
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Gathe Raho | University of Iowa | 2nd[17] |
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All-American Awaaz | New York City, NY | 3rd |
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Jeena | University of Texas at Austin | 1st[18] |
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2018 | Yaadein | Boston University | 1st |
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All-American Awaaz | Chicago, IL | 2nd[19] |
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2019 | Sahana | University of California, Los Angeles | None |
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ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #4 | Granville High School, OH | 2nd[20] |
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Gathe Raho | University of Iowa | 3rd | None | |
All-American Awaaz | Washington, D.C. | None |
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2020 | ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #1 | Case Western Reserve University | 3rd[22] | None |
2022 | Steel City Sapna | University of Pittsburgh | 1st |
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ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #1 | Case Western Reserve University | 1st[23] |
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ICCA Midwest Semifinal | Washington University in St. Louis | 2nd[24] |
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Gathe Raho | University of Iowa, Virtual | 2nd |
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All-American Awaaz | San Antonio, TX | 1st | None | |
2023 | Steel City Sapna | University of Pittsburgh | 1st |
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Gathe Raho | University of Iowa | 1st |
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ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #4 | Case Western Reserve University | 2nd[25] |
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All-American Awaaz | Atlanta, GA | 1st |
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2024 | Spartan Sitara | Michigan State University | 1st |
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Davis Dhwani | University of California, Davis | 1st |
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ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #5 | Case Western Reserve University | 1st[26] |
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ICCA Midwest Semifinal | William Henry Harrison High School, OH | 3rd |
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All-American Awaaz | Chicago, IL | 1st | None |
Other competitions that Dhamakapella has partaken in include SingStrong A Cappella Festival 2012, and Wooster VoiceFest 2013.[27][28]
Artistry
[edit]All of Dhamakapella's arrangements, performed and recorded, have been written by members or alumni of the group.[29] The arrangements aim to be cohesive and create a new story arc based upon the songs that are fused together. As a South Asian fusion group, the group derives its influences from Indian classical, contemporary Bollywood, pop, dubstep, and electronic genres.
Discography
[edit]- Pehli Nazar: First Look (2011)
- Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age (2015)
- Riyaaz (2017)
- Afsana: Our Story (2018)
- Fitoor (2020)
- Ishaara (2022)
- Dhamakapella: Anthology 2022 (2022)
- Azira (2023)
Reception
[edit]![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Dhamakapella_1st_Place_at_SS2016.jpg/220px-Dhamakapella_1st_Place_at_SS2016.jpg)
Pehli Nazar: First Look was released on April 14, 2011 and received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. The Recorded A Cappella Review Board, which assigns a normalized rating out of 5, gave the album a 3, based on various reviews.[30] Jonathan Minkoff quoted that “The unique vocal flips, melismas and haunting scale forms of Indian music are by far the most interesting elements of the group's debut” and “The merger of East and West is a compelling artistic concept and one that Dhamakapella is uniquely suited to present.” Writer Catherine Lewis praised the album's arrangements and complexity, stating “When Dhamakapella is on, the group absolutely hits it out of the park.”[30]
Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age was released on February 28, 2015 and received mostly positive reviews. The Recorded A Cappella Review Board gave the album a 3.7, based on various reviews. Critic Dave Bernstein praised the album's sound and production, quoting that "Dhamakapella has taken bold steps forward in its own evolution with Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age". Writer Leigh Holmes Foster states that the album "Ushers in a new age for the group", and compliments the group's soloists and energy.[31]
Riyaaz was released on August 23, 2017 and received mostly positive reviews. The Recorded A Cappella Review Board gave the EP a 3.7, based on various reviews. Kimberly Raschka Sailor complimented the EP's arrangements, stating, "Riyaaz is unique and engaging, offering stronger arrangements than RARB typically receives in the South Asian a cappella realm." Stephen Lanza critiqued the group's energy and intensity, writing, "I very much like many of the decisions that Shaunak Roy makes in the colors of the backgrounds, but finding ways to keep the energy and the emotion moving forward as the songs advance is still a bit of a lacking area in this album." Thomas Dec wrote, "Riyaaz is not a show stopper, but it is in line with the average RARB submission and worth a listen."[32]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Dhamakapella". Dhamakapella. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "Results". Varsity Vocals. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Pehli Nazar: First LookiTunes Archived 5 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New AgeiTunes Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Don't You Worry Child / Dastaan-E-Om Shanti Om - Dhamakapella". play.google.com. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "Dhamakapella's Facebook Page". Facebook.
- ^ "Dhamakapella". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Dhamakapella places in two out-of-state a cappella competitions | the daily". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "South Asian a Cappella Competition". Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ Nickoloff, Anne. "Dhamakapella hosts spring invitational". Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ Dhamakapella (31 May 2015), Gathe Raho 2015 - Dhamakapella (1st Place), retrieved 4 March 2016
- ^ "A cappella raises money for eyesight". Technician. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ^ "2017 Sangeet Saagar Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2017 Yaadein Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2017 Yaadein Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2017 Gathe Raho Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2018 All-American Awaaz Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2018 All-American Awaaz Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2019 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #4 Results". The A Capella Archive. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2019 All-American Awaaz Results". Association of South Asian A Cappella account, Instagram. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2020 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #1 Results". Varsity Vocals. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2022 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #1 Results". Varsity Vocals. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2022 ICCA Midwest Semifinal Results". Varsity Vocals. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "2023 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal #4 Results". Varsity Vocals. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Results". Varsity Vocals. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Event Review: VoiceFest 2013 in Wooster, OH | the a Cappella Blog". Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "SingStrong - ACA Idol Competition". Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "About | Dhamakapella - CampusGroups at Case Western Reserve University". community.case.edu. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
- ^ a b "RARB Review of Dhamakapella - Pehli Nazar - First Look". Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Dhamakapella - Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age (2015)".
- ^ "Dhamakapella - Riyaaz (2017)". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 30 December 2017.