Reggae music might have made a late entry in India, it is steadily picking up. Raghav Dang from Reggae Rajahs chats with Shrabasti Mallik
Reggae is a popular genre in the music circuit today. Why do you think it took so much of time to come to IndiaIJ
Reggae is now popular all over the world and during the 80s and 90s it was at the peak of its popularity. But it could not make its channel to India because at that time there were very less or rather no music channel or radio stations playing western music.
Can you tell us about the first time you heard reggae music. In what way did that influence youIJ
The first time I heard reggae or dancehall was when I was given an Apache Indian cassette at the age of eight. I also listened to other music genres such as hip hop and punk rock both of which were heavily influenced by reggae. Reggae music is very inspiring and encouraging and that aspect developed my interest to pursue it full time.
How and when was Reggae Rajahs formedIJ
Reggae Rajahs was formed early 2009 in Delhi. We were looking for an Indian word to go with the western name of reggae. After a lot of brainstorming, Rajahs was the only word that sounded nice and fit well with reggae. Zorawar Shukla and I are the only ones in the band right now.
Is India warming up to reggae musicIJ
Reggae is definitely creating a change in the way Indians listen to music now. I think it takes time — maybe years, for a new scene to set in. But the younger generation has realised that reggae and dub music are the roots of most of the popular genres they listen such as dubstep, drum and bass, EDM, trap or hip hop.
What are the instruments that reggae music requireIJ
The genre uses the same instruments as any rock bands — guitar, bass and drums. But what are essential in reggae are a brass section and percussion.
Which has been your favourite cityIJ
We have toured Peru, Panama, New York City and Europe. Everywhere we have received great response as people abroad know music a lot more than in India.
The audience are always curious to see how we play reggae and dancehall, considering the fact that we are from India.
Share your experience of opening for Snoop Dog concert in DelhiIJ
I grew up listening to Snoop Dogg as a kid. To open his concert was an amazing experience.
Who have been your favourite reggae artistsIJ
Damian Marley, Chronixx, Tarrus Riley and Busy Signal are some of our favourites. We are planning to bring them all down to India and at some point have a reggae festival with all of them. We recently visited Jamaica and were able to interview many of these artists. We would also love it if they collaborated with us on original songs at some point.
How was your performance at NH7 WeekenderIJ
It was fun to play in Pune. Every show of ours gets us better. It’s challenging to keep the audience entertained for hours.
Is it possible to fuse reggae music with Indian traditional musicIJ
It is not an impossible idea. Sufi and qawwal music would fit well with the spiritual side of reggae music.
How did you come up with your online radio show Pressure DropIJ
The radio show is about playing the latest tracks in reggae and dancehall so that people, who may not come to our shows, can be still exposed to this music. It can be downloaded as podcast from our Soundcloud. We have listeners all over the world. It’s a great medium to spread reggae music to India and rest of the world.