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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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When one thinks of Diliup Gabadamudalige one thinks of this serious, nerd looking guy hunched up over the key boards caressing it away. Well think again. This sixth time round Golden Clef Award winner says he is not some kind of stern, strict principal but has a sense of humour and loves a laugh. "When people look at me they always get this impression which is pretty annoying, and which I'm not" Diliup says laughing half exasperatedly. Well this guy who loves a laugh, can be seen all around town with his piano and singer Nevanthi performing away in Colombo's major hotels. A job which he describes as "Something which people pay me to enjoy myself". "Fun" is how he describes winning the Golden Clef Award this year. Of the show itself Diliup says "It's a good thing they revived it after all these years. The organisation was good and the show was excellent. However I feel they should have had more categories and published the list of nominees before hand". Music being his life, other than playing in hotels Diliup teaches piano, guitar and computer music technology at home. From classical background moving to jazz Diliup teaches the piano to a few adults as well as children. Teaching people to listen, pick out and play music on their own being his motto, when on the guitar, after having taught the basics of fingering, scales and accompaniments, Diliup leaves the rest for his students to learn on their own. Computer music technology is something novel to the Sri Lankan music scene. With a syllabus of his own, taking two students at a time, Diliup teaches them to use the computer at home as a recording studio. One of his students, he says, has already started this in Ambalangoda and has had some of his music played on in a Sinhala radio channel. "The interest in this new field of music is vast. I have had students coming to me to learn this from school going kids, to university students, to interior decorators to IT technicians" says Diliup. Although ever versatile in what he does and plays, Diliup says he is a piano sound person. "A Pianist" he says with a laugh. Winning the Trinity College London examinations as a child, coming first in the whole of South East Asia, Diliup's passion and talent sprang from those childhood days, which he describes as studying classical music, meeting friends in them classes who subsequently had a passion for music as well. "Having and meeting friends who were interested in music, kind of made me interested in it too". Playing for a couple of bands and then going out on his own Diliup's musical career went up with a bang winning two Presidential Awards for the best ten music and having his original composition "Romeo" represent Sri Lanka in the Tokyo World Popular Song Festival held in 1987. Composing and recording music for other people today Diliup says he can relate to all kinds of music from the classical to hip hop etc. This attribute comes from Diliup's stay with YA TV as its Music Director for the last seven years. "YA TV has helped me get in touch with young people and the trends of modern music. I'm an old dog. It's easy with moving times, and changing music for me to fade away into the past. Thanks to YA I have not". Performing onstage is something Diliup says he was used from small days. "I used to act on stage as well as a kid. So when I had my first solo concert in the Navarangahala hall in 1982 it was no big deal. Also playing in hotels as I am today you get used to a lot of people listening to you, so for me whether their are a lot or a few people listening it's just another performance. I just sit there and play". Releasing an album with Nevanthi is what Diliup is closely working on today. Jazz, Blues, and their own special kind of music, which other bands don't play anymore, are Diliup's and Nevanthi's trademark. "We have our own identity" is how he describes it. Of his own music Diliup says "I'm very creative when it comes to music. I don't just follow records. I do my own arrangements. Each song can be played in many different ways. When I play I thoroughly enjoy myself, put a bit of myself into it and play it my way". |
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