TV Times

TV Times

Ranga and Nuwan:Partners behind the creations
By N. Dilshath Banu
Away from the spotlight, two different people, yet holding a common bond, weave the tuneful web around world of Sri Lankan music.
They are neither singers nor the ones that spark the stage with the glittering light. Yet, the important roles they play are not unnoticed. One is called the 'God Father of the Studio Production of Sri Lanka', while the other is recognized through the instruments he plays. It's Ranga Dassanayake and Nuwan Balasooriya, better known as flute Nuwan.

For Ranga, life rotates fast. "I sit on my chair and start to do work, rarely checking the time. And when I check it, it's nearly evening," he says and starts to narrate how he became what he is now.

Ranga's saga for music didn't start in the early stages, even though he had a great resource with him, his late father, Sarath Dassanayake, who is a well-recognized music composer.

"I started music from 5th grade as a result of having music as a subject and not with an intention of getting into music. But I happened to play all kinds of instruments and learnt the basic music. However, as I didn't want to focus on music as my career, I did science for my Advanced Level, and wanted to be a doctor," he said.

After Advanced Level, things changed for Ranga and he ended up composing fifty to sixty music tracks for films with his father, as he didn't have anything at that time. In 1992, Ranga joined in a Production House and learnt sound engineering and basic layer of mixing the music. Two years later, he worked in another advertising agency for five years, and composed music for many TV commercials" said Ranga.

In 1999, Ranga took a major step in his career. "All these years I learnt music through my jobs, but I felt the need for me to polish the qualifications I had through experience. So I decided to go abroad and study music academically. I studied in NYU in and did Sound Engineering for 2 years. In US, I gained a lot of insight into music and worked with different people who brought different talents in to the class. However, I really didn't want to entangle myself into too technical matters and confuse myself, but learnt everything that I need to know to be the one I am today," he added.

After asserting with two years of academic qualification, Ranga came back to Sri Lanka and started his own production company-Hit factory. And the long-waited dream of Ranga came true when many artistes came to mix their music.
"Music comprises of single layers and when we combine all the sounds, we call it mixing the music," says the popular mixer of the music.

Though Ranga is on top of the world, he doesn't want to get caught to the spotlight. "I wanted to do my job right which will give me satisfaction and that's it," he said.

While blowing the flute according to his own rhythm, flute Nuwan started his career since his school days and proud of winning the Best Flutist Award consecutively from 1984-1992.

"Although I had an interest in music when I was schooling, my music career started in 1985 when I was creating music for the children’s Orchestra 'Udara' I had an interest in music when I was schooling, but my music career started in 1985 while working in the children’s Orchestra in Rupavahini, with Rohana Weerasinghe," he said.

After Advanced Level, Flute Nuwan played flute for Dr.Sarathchandra's Maname, Sinhabahu and many other stage plays for nearly 10 years. Then he passed the Visharadha Exam in Kelaniya University and started to work in the SLBC Orchestra while heading the St.Peter’s College School Band.

Flute Nuwan knew Ranga while he was producing music for commercials and many others had introduced him to the well-known artistes. Then things fell into the correct line and Nuwan was ultimately titled "Flute Nuwan."

Experiencing with the existing style, Flute Nuwan has introduced his own style of blowing the eccentric music with his flute. "I experiment sounds at my ease and finally find new tunes, which amazes me and others."

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