Dhamakapella

Career

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 genres from both Western and Eastern 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. In 2011, Dhamakapella released its debut album Pehli Nazar: First Look, and in 2015 released its sophomore album Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age, following the group's growing popularity across the city and the University. In December 2016, Dhamakapella released a single, "Don't You Worry Child / Dastaan-E-Om Shanti Om." The group derives its influences from Indian classical, contemporary Bollywood, pop, dubstep, and electronic genres.

Performances and Competitions

Dhamakapella performs across the United States and at various universities, spanning cities from Philadelphia to Berkeley.

Dhamakapella has placed at seven national a cappella competitions:

Other competitions that Dhamakapella has partaken in include SingStrong A Cappella Festival 2012, and Wooster VoiceFest 2013.

Artistry

All of Dhamakapella's arrangements, performed and recorded, have been written by members or alumni of the group. The arrangements aim to be cohesive and create a new story arc based upon the songs that are fused together.

Discography

Reception

Pehli Nazar: First Look was released on April 14th, 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. 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.”

Naya Zamana / Welcome to the New Age was released on February 28th, 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.