Experimenting with old melodies and new chords, Pralay Bakshi and Brian Colaco are rebooting retro Bollywood Hindi hits and presenting them in a fresh western-style with their newly launched band ‘Groove Dakshina’ that caters to GenNext listeners
BHARATI PAWASKAR
The old Bollywood Hindi melodies trigger nostalgic emotions among the older generation and no one can deny the charm of these numbers, which a whole generation grew up listening to, are also popular with young listeners who want to experiment in this music. Catering to both these genres is a freshly launched band in Goa - ‘Groove Dakshina’ by singers Pralay Bakshi and Brian Colaco.
Admitting that some people always want to listen to old songs, they say there are bands that already cater to that - there are Rafi and Kishore tribute orchestra performances that often take place, Pralay argues, “But there’s a huge cosmopolitan audience that wants to experience new things. Just like in food, while there are people who swear by daal, chaawal and butter chicken, there’s a whole universe trying out Italian, Japanese, Fusion, Pan Asian cuisine, and that’s the audience we are looking to play for. Old Hindi film melodies are fantastic, but the original arrangements do sound dated, and performing them as they are, is unexciting for both the performer and the audience.”
A singer and a voiceover artist, Pralay wished to do something that kept these huge melodies intact, but present them differently, from both the originals, the way it’s currently being done in Bollywood. Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Reggae etc have been used to reboot songs across the world, and Pralay felt the same could be done with Hindi Retros.
Taking the first step to perform Retro Bollywood hits in groovy western style Pralay launched ‘Groove Dakshina’ along with singer, musician and educator Brian, to perform Retro Bollywood hits in groovy western styles. Groove Dakshina’s foot tapping western approach to this well-loved genre results in a fresh, exciting sound that cuts across demographics and makes retro Bollywood uber-cool and exciting for a wide variety of venues and events.
But the initial journey was not as smooth as expected. There were many hiccups and quite a few unexciting attempts until he got in touch with Brian who came in as a ray of hope. As a western music teacher and composer, Brian had a great understanding of western styles, and an excellent feel for improvisation. “Most importantly, he was keen to put in the hard work - we rehearsed twice a week for three months - and he was open to trying out different things. Because of his wife, Justina, he has started listening to Hindi film Retros, and that was a great asset as well,” Pralay said with a smile.
It was an interesting experience for Brian who was completely new to old Hindi songs. “My wife Justina loves old classics and that is why I thought it might be nice to get to know some of these songs so I could sing along. The original songs are well crafted and the melody and chords fit together like a hand in a glove. The songs already have a western touch to them. I can identify the sound of Goan musicians on the original tracks as they are similar to our old Konkani songs. What we have done is maintained the original chord work of these songs but changed the groove along with impromptu improvisation,” states Brian who prefers playing as of now. He also has his own ‘Keys and Strings’ music school where he hopes to nurture budding songwriters and artists.
The song selection was simple. As there was no need to sing in the style of the original singer, Pralay could pick songs sung by all kinds of singers, such as Kishore, Rafi, Mukesh, Shailendra, Hemant, Manna Dey and even Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar. Soon the list of 60 songs was ready and the duo worked through each song one by one. The basic plan was to stay faithful to the melodies, and change the tempo, groove and feel of the song. The duo would pick the overall sound, work out the vocal and instrumental spaces, and leave room for improvisation.
Their first show was at House No 248 in Sangolda, a well-known music venue where around 100 people from various backgrounds, nationalities and ethnicities attended, and actually enjoyed the music. The second show was a ‘Gala Night’ at a corporate gig at a South Goa resort - and that was a bit of a different experience. The duo quickly realised the importance of performing at the right venues and for the right kind of audiences.
“There is quite a vibrant music scene in Goa,” points out Pralay. There are many popular mainstream English bands, playing covers and some originals, and a few regular Bollywood bands and singers, plus a whole lot of DJs playing the regular new and old hits. Apart from this, there are a lot of people doing interesting music to more niche audiences - there are people doing classical guitar, jazz ensembles, gypsy music, electronica etc. There are always international musicians who keep travelling to Goa and performing here too, because Goa is now such an eclectic mix of influences from all around the world.
Audiences are getting exposed to all kinds of music and many of the ‘different’ bands are finding loyal audiences and venues in Goa. Many locals, of course, would love nothing better than a cover bad playing a mix of English, Hindi and Konkani hits, but there’s an audience for all kinds of music here. These Retro songs have great melodies, which is what makes them such great material to work with. The new generation is already exposed to them regularly, and Groove Dakshina is an attempt to so this through a specific genre.
“The older songs had more effort put in to develop melody lines and variations, because the audiences were patient and were willing to let music grow on them. They got into your system subtly, while today, it’s a sledgehammer approach - catch the listeners attention immediately, or disappear, feels Pralay who hopes that ‘Groove Dakshia’ will help reintroduce the younger audiences to more layered music and maybe open their minds to non-formulaic original music when they hear it.
