Hety and Zambo from Columbia will perform with langas and Manganiyars from Rajasthan at the opening night of DIAF. The musician and producer of the band, Benny B, spoke to D Kaushik about the cultural relevance of their music
Add the energy and spirit of African folk to the tunes and rhythm of langas and Manganiyars and what comes to mind is the concoction that will leave you craving for more. Gear up to experience this concoction at the opening night of Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF), when the langas and Manganiyars from Rajasthan will perform in fusion with The King of Creole-Hety and Zambo from Columbia.
The band, Hety and Zambo, is known for their powerful sound, especially their African flavour. They have contributed to keep alive the “Raizal” culture and the native dialect, the “Creole.” The three-member band is in India already, excited for their performance. While Fabian Perez aka Hety and Relis Arigan aka Zambo are the singers and dancers from the band, Benny B is the musician and producer who spotted the former two while playing basket ball. “The common element was music. Our music break frontiers and is not confined to one genre. It is a mix of Creole, Caribbean rhythms, African folk, reggae and hip hop,” said Benny.
Talking more about Creole, he added, “Creole folk dates from the 18th century or before, and it consists primarily of folk songs. We as a band have been working together for more than 12 years now. Our music is traditionally rooted and it speaks about our culture, to add our own element we work on fusion and combine genres like hip hop and reggae,” added Benny, who is looking forward to collaborate with Indian classical musicians. “It is our first time to India and we know less but we have heard of a musician who is a master of reggae and we really want to meet him,” he said.
What sets them apart from the rest, said Benny, is the energy they display during their performance. “People remember performances that transport them to another world and allow them to dance and enjoy. Our music is all high-energy and it inspires others to sing and dance with us,” he said. Some instruments that they use during their performances are top bass instrument, horse jawbone instrument and mandolin. “Jawbone instrument is a traditional percussion instrument that is cleaned of tissue and dried so the teeth can loosen and act as a rattle. They are traditionally made from the jawbone of either a mule, horse or donkey. To play, a musician holds one half in one hand and strikes the other with either a stick or their hand, this causes the teeth to rattle against the bone creating a loud, untuned sound, original to this instrument. It is mostly used throughout latin America, including Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Cuba. Africans brought the instrument to the Americas during the colonial era. It is also believed that it was first introduced in Peru, making it an Afro-Peruvian instrument. This instrument is one example of a mix of two different cultures, African and Indigenous,” shared Benny.