Since last few days, everyone has been tweeting and talking about it. So I thought, I would also share with you all, something about my one year that just passed by. Since last January I was only doing one thing day and night – working, and working more to get a music album in shape. Hoping a good come back after all the hard work and sleepless nights

I’ve been with music for almost 17 years now and at-least 10 years since I got serious about it. But things got out of hands ‘musically’ in 2005 when I shifted to Dubai and was working. Though I came back to India in 2009, I had lost that spark I had for music…that motivation or whatever you call it. This year has made me come back to music and think more seriously and I will always remember this year when I took music as solid career and left everything aside. Psst, I still design websites though

I believe that we learn something new everyday. Learning could be something knowledgeable. Something about science or maybe just a new word…or at times, some realizations about you or your friends. This year has been a great year for me to refresh and thrash memories and people in my life. A clear mind to know what’s wrong and what’s right. I remember talking to one of my lyricist and a part-time astrologer in Cochin. He had told me, ‘ This phase is the time for setting up your mind…knowing people and circumstances ‘. Well, it definitely was one

Before I end this, I would like to give out a million thanks to everyone who has made this year beautiful, helped me stay positive, encouraged me with your comments, tweets, emails and all other means. Hope 2011 brings the best life can offer you.

Happy New Year

Love
Ifthi

‘Patchwork’ is my new project.

The name comes from synonym of mixture.
A blend of music styles.

An Indian International Music Project (as we call it) with indian and international musicians working together with a theme ‘Celebrate Music’

We started this project in 2009 December, when my track ‘ELEMENTS’ was ready to be released as a single. We were planning to release it in online stores actually.

Tony Joseph, who owns Tune4 Music Group is the one who suggested why don’t we think of making an album instead of a single?

From that thought we have come a long way ahead digging out right tunes and artists. I had 20 tune templates to work on and we selected 10 of them, added ELEMENTS, Show me love & Plasma to it.

Today we have 17 and artists from India, US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, Malaysia & Egypt have worked in it. Below is the list of ‘confirmed’ artists (will keep updating)

Tracklist

• Show me love [Ifthikar Ali Feat. MY]
• Elements [Instrumental performed by Ifthikar Ali]
• Plasma [Feat. Jyolsna Balakrishnan]
• Serendipity [Instrumental Feat. Seetha Shivaswamy]
• Teri Ankhen
• Hard To Breathe [Feat. Waterloo Sound Conspiracy, Varun Unni & Ragged Skull]
• Titlee – the butterfly [Feat. Anaitha Nair]
• Khwabon Mein [Feat. Sachin Warrier / Produced by MY]
• Aadya Ravil [Malayalam Song Feat. Manu Varghese / Produced by Elements The Band]
• Patchwork Theme [ Feat. Rabbit Mac, Asfalt, Hamsika Iyer, Rajesh Trikarpur, Karthick Iyer / Produced by Ifthikar]
• Teri Ankhen [Soft Rock Version Feat. Chordrush]
• Elements [Remix Feat. DJ Deepak ]
• Tere Aane Se [Feat. Jasim / Produced by Rayshad Rauf, Ifthikar Ali & MY]
• Why? [Feat. Rizwan]
• Teri Ankhen [Remix by DJ AKS]
• Am I Dreaming [Feat. Andrea Jeremiah & Mc hollander]
• Shout Shout [Feat. Kavita Mohan / Produced by Ifthikar Ali & Rex George]

All songs composed by Ifthikar Ali.

Artists

• Anaitha Nair
• Hamsika Iyer
• Andrea Jeremiah
• Jyolsna Balakrishnan
• Manu Varghese
• Kavita Mohan
• Mc Hollander
• Rabbit.Mac
• Asfalt
• Moilim Yacoub aka MY
• Ragged Skull (Asif Akber)
• Jasim
• Rizwan Abdulla
• Rajesh Trikarpur
• Seetha Shivaswamy [Flute Solo]
• Karthick Iyer [Violin Solo]
• Chordrush [the band] – Hashbeer Ali & Feroz Khan
• Waterloo Sound Conspiracy

Lyrics

• Piyush Singh (Teri Ankhen/Khwabon Mein)
• Prameed Nair (Tere Ane Se)
• Rahul Soman (Aadya Raavil – Malayalam)
• Vipul Bhaskaran (Show me love)
• Amara (Show me love)
• Karthik Chandan (Titlee/Show me love)
• Rizwan Abdulla

Music Producers

• Moilim Yacoub aka MY
• Ifthikar Ali
• Rex George
• Rayshad Rauf

Mastering Engineer

• Sunny Rayeen

Production Team

• Tony Joseph Thomas (Exec. Producer)
• Varun Unni
• Rex George

I will keep updating…do check this space.

Follow me on Twitter or join me on Facebook for instant updates

.

Ok, so since my last post so many things happened…I left Bangalore and I no more own any web design company. Since 2005, music has been a part time job and web design business was main occupation. I will call that 5 years as hibernation and time to meet new people and learn life [still learning]

Last 3-4 months I’m in Kerala working on music full time. Best fact I love about this is that I can work when I want and I can take breaks when i want…so as of now I was out twice with friends…out as in once went to Wayanad [Kerala] and one night in a house boat. Watched around 10+ movies and slept a lot…but works are on and nothing is left behind.

Was in Cochin for a week and some really important meetings…hope to go back soon and close some deals. Let’s see

I have loads to say but I’m not allowed usually…as in I work in such a sensitive field that nothing is stable. So I’m not talking about any new projects…All is well

PS: Patchwork has 2 more songs to go…also don’t miss the movie How to train your dragon

Luv
Ifthi

One guarantee I give you all is. One person will like atleast one song in the album. That’s how different the tracks are. Pure mix of genres

It’s been a while last post I wrote myself was ummmm sometime in April I guess…I know you guys are all bored with the same opening for each and every post I personally write.

Right now I’m in Kerala. Been here since last month 20th or so. In cochin for 10 days with amazing Papaya guys for a photo shoot. We have started with the ‘PatchWork’ marketing and so photo shoot was the first in the list. Making a world class publicity design for the album is one of the perfectionist agenda we have. Being a designer myself I’m very much particular about that. First impression about a product in the music store is definitely the CD inlay or the poster. ‘Patchwork’ being an indian-international product, we went with Papaya in Cochin. Best in town for the best designs. Let me tell you I’m so much obsessed with the first draft of my pics I got from the photographer…:D I’m never confident enough to design any print material for myself. When we started out company in Dubai, I got the logo designed from US

Patchwork music part is not complete, we had planned to release the audio in July…but the singers and other artists are busy with their tours and other projects. As I had posted in my Facebook earlier, the completion of the music part fully depends on the availability of the singers and musicians we intend to bring in. I’m waiting for 3-4 songs to be programmed and sung, few other completed songs to be sung. My job was done almost 2 months ago and since then I’m chasing all these artists and following up on the whole thing

We are hoping to release the project by September for sure. Just after the month of Ramadan so you don’t have to make excuse to buy the CD

The album can be pre- ordered through the Facebook page and first 100 orders will receive a gift hamper Like it?

Keep in touch at Facebook and Twitter

Cheers to all who have been following me closely and reading all my updates.

Be back soon!
Luv
Ifthi

Read up… Nice one!

We must come across obstacles and need to pray for each other to overcome obstacles (with some pain) and progress.

One night recently my daughter, Elizabeth, was showing me an aquarium full of tadpoles. She had purchased a whole bag full of them for her children (my grandchildren) to watch grow from tadpoles into frogs. It was fun watching all of those little wiggly creatures swimming around in the aquarium! It brought back many fond memories of my own childhood, playing with “critters” down at my grandparent’s house.

I noticed that there was a big rock in the aquarium. When I asked her why she put a rock right in the middle of the tadpoles’ environment, Elizabeth told me an interesting story. I can hardly believe that I have lived almost fifty-nine years without having heard it because it is so good.

Elizabeth said that when she went to the pet store to buy the tadpoles, the gentleman told her to be sure to put a big rock right in the middle of the aquarium. The tadpoles must have this obstacle to give them the incentive to climb up and thus split their little wiggly tails so that their legs can begin to develop. If they have no rock or obstacle to climb up on, they will never turn into frogs. They cannot learn how to hop by just swimming around in water. They must have something causing resistance to give them the incentive to leap forward.

The man went on to tell her that last year a school teacher came back to the store and complained because none of her tadpoles had ever turned into frogs. She had put all of them in an aquarium and let them swim around but they never became frogs. He asked her if she had put a big obstacle, like a rock, in the middle of the aquarium. She said that she had not. She did not know that a tadpole will remain a tadpole unless it faces some obstacle or barrier that forces it to grow. Neither did I, but it makes perfect sense.

So, my daughter was excited to show me all of the tadpoles swimming around the rock. In time, they will begin to try to climb up it and eventually they will make the transformation into a more fully mature creature.

I was amazed and delighted to hear that story. It helped me begin to see, once again, why we have obstacles and barriers in front of us. They are not there to hinder us, but they are there to cause us to grow. It is not so much what the object is in front of each one of us that matters as much as it is our attitude towards it. If we realize that the obstacle we are facing is really a gift that has come our way to help us grow and mature, we will be much more likely to face it in a positive manner.

Since I watched those tadpoles the other night and saw the big rock in their aquarium, I have begun to see the obstacles I face in a different way. Instead of being rocks in my path, those obstacles have become stepping stones to help me leap forward in whatever situation I find myself.

I know that those little tadpoles have no idea what is going on. They just are not that smart. The truth of the matter is, neither are we. Most of us have no idea what is going on in our lives either. We don’t understand that the barriers and obstacles, challenges, difficulties and hard times that come our way each day are actually there for a purpose. There is no way we will have the incentive to grow, or to become better, or to strive harder, if everything in life is just a simple situation. I know the harder I work at anything, the more profitable it is for me, not only financially, but personally, in my own heart and character as well.

So, the next time you see a frog hopping around, smile at him and thank him for the lesson, remembering the struggle he has gone through to get where he is. Perhaps out in the wild somewhere, he faced a difficult rock or barrier in his life, but rather than swimming away from it, he just crawled up on it and began to develop his personal strength until he eventually matured to become the frog that you see hopping around.

Moral: Remember… Obstacles are there to help you…

Cheers to an obstacle filled year!

Courtesy: an email forward by Rajesh Purushotaman.

Design office in Bangalore was started in february, registration process all happening and I’m meeting and communicating with some of the initial ‘potential’ clients for their web/interactive solutions. Things are happening.

Music part is good as well. New album project is slow as we are waiting for some lyrics to come and few singer’s dates and replies. I need to submit some cues for the Documentary project I’m working on. Will be meeting the director on 9th hopefully and so I will get to work today full on. ‘Patchwork’ works will continue simultaneously.

Had a good time tonight with some of the friends here at cousin’s place. Sheesha in the garden and some jokes. Now it’s very late that I won’t be able ‘wake up’ if I sleep now. Killing some time watching tv and setting my blog feed in Twitterfeed.

I will try my best to make a post a week atleast about stuff I like to share and more updates about my projects and life.

Now watching tv and planning to have a black coffee. Also doing some research on Kathakali Music

Cheers
Ifthi

365 days of the year treats each and everyone differently right? Happiness and Sadness and some confused times when you can’t figure out what exactly you feel

For me 2009 has been an year of realization. A crucial year that has made me understand some of my close friends and relatives –  pleasant surprises and some nightmares. An year taught me a lot of things about life. Say it was a turning point. More International projects, more demo tracks, more people got to listen my songs, association with Tune4, meeting new artists, working with new musicians, few days in chennai learning from a film music composer etc etc etc…

Musically, my first online release happened in 2009 April 21st. ‘Show me love’ released in 6 online stores worldwide giving me enough responses from a global crowd saying “keep doing songs like this!”. That’s when the facebook fanpage was started in April 2009 with 10 fans . Thanks to everyone who has helped me brand myself on Facebook. It’s now 1500+ and growing (without paying any PR agencies or Advertising companies )

Other than these, the year was fully occupied by the business and design works. I haven’t been busy as a musician in 2009. But when the curtains come down, I’m happy with the way my music career is shaping up for tomorrow. I have told a week back, 2010 is going to be very musical. In fact it is already musical at my end. Thanks to Tony Joseph of Tune4 for an amazing groundwork to help me get hold of some well known artists in India & UK.

For those who like surprises, come back to this blog soon or join me on facebook for updates

2010 has a bunch of musical updates starting from March 2010 or may be little earlier. Follow me closely on Twitter or Facebook

Wishing everyone happy and prosperous year ahead

Cheers,
Ifthikar Ali

1. A skill set built mostly around interruption instead of engagement.
2. A digital department in place of a digital competency.
3. Core competencies focused on “one to many” instead of “one to one.”
4. Creating brand-to-consumer communications at the expense of consumer-to-consumer communications.
5. Lack of analytics and tools to measure effectiveness.
6. Production systems that are linear instead of organic.
7. Developing media plans instead of channel plans.
8. Placing media instead of creating media.
9. Creating brand transactions instead of brand relationships.
10. Focusing on “the big idea” instead of “big multichannel ideas.”
11. Traditional production staff instead of “producers.”
12. Expecting account executives to be both strategic leaders and project managers.
13. Continuing to allocate client budgets to media instead of creative.
14. A business strategy that attempts to support high-value offerings (strategy and ideation) as well as increasingly low-value offerings (basic production and execution).
15. Selling hours worked instead of value created.
    

I would add a 16th risks that agencies can’t afford to take:

Beginning 2010 without a written new business strategy, that includes social media as a primary component, to generate inbound leads.

PS: I got this as an email forward.

Yea I have been busy and now I guess I got punished for not updating u guys. I’m writing the same content second time . I wrote a post in WordPress for iPhone once and it got saved to local drafts and disappeared. Now I’m writing this on a newer version of WP App. Ok tech facts apart.

It’s 4:53 am on a wednesday and I’m awake. It happens to me often so I don’t care.

I’m in Bangalore! The garden city…Please ignore my last itenary post where I had written about the November schedule (Cochin, Chennai, Mumbai). Life is unpredictable. And so is my life!.

I was called to Bangalore on an urgent job to redesign a website I had done in 2002. Work is on and I have almost completed the initial template options. Around 4 of them.

Meanwhile tune4 – a chennai based music company – that manages my music projects – is setting up my track Elements to release it in 300+ online music stores worldwide. I guess you already know about it through my fan page on Facebook.

My Facebook fan page is nearing 1500 fans. I would like to call them my well wishers. Some random people who have helped me stick to my dream. Who have fueled my confidence and supporting me with all their love.

In April 2009, when I started my fanpage, I had less than 50 fans. My family members joined after seeing 500+ fans on the page . So you know how happy I’m . This is a recognition I haven’t got in last 16 years of my music life. Love you all!

Plasma is next big thing happening. Featurig Neha Nair, a Trivandrum based singer who have given my house music track a real good carnatic feel with her aalaaps. You can hear the first cut on Facebook

Bangalore is treating me well. Staying with cousin bro. Hanging out with his group of friends. Clubs, other gatherings, meetig new people etc. Moreover the climate here is damn sexy!

I will be in Bangalore for a while with lot more surprises

I’m thinking of blogging regularly. If not big updates, something short and sweet or any crazy posts.

PS: my bollywood project is delayed till march and a malayalam movie project round the corner. But as I always tell you. If it happens, it happens…so forget this till I remind you next time. When a social marketig expert like me does music for a movie, it will never miss ur eyes or ears…

Excuse me if there is any spelling error, I’m typing this on an iPhone.

Time is 5:16 am…