Delhi 2 Dublin singer reflects on first India tour, upcoming Burning Man show

Vancouver-based world music group Delhi 2 Dublin may have been performing their fusion sound for a decade this year, but they are still achieving a number of firsts even after 10 years together.

The band, which is playing at Surrey Fusion Festival this weekend, recently performed in India for the very first time, and are set to also make their first appearance at Burning Man, the experimental arts and music festival held each year in Nevada's Black Rock desert.

Sanjay Seran, one of the founding members of the group, whose music blends Celtic music, bhangra, hip hop and other genres, said the group was immediately welcomed by their audience when they performed at Sulafest in Nashik, India.

A hit in India

"We went to India and all of a sudden we didn't have to win anyone over," Seran told North by Northwest host Sheryl MacKay.

"We were accepted right there and then."

The reason, Seran said, is that heavy bass music has become very popular in the subcontinent.

"People might not understand, you're going to think only Bollywood or whatever if you don't know too much about what is happening in India.

"But the bass festivals that are happening in India and the music that's coming out of there is dirty and grimy and bass-y and absolutely awesome."

Seran said he also appreciated that the sound technicians at the festival knew what their instruments were — instruments such as the tabla (a pair of hand drum often used in traditional Indian music) and dhol (a double-headed drum used often in Punjabi bhangra music)

He said they were able to bring out the best sound from these instruments, an advantage they had over other sound technicians who don't always know the instruments they're dealing with, who he said often just call their tablas either congas or bongos.

"They knew how to mix a dhol, they know how to do it so it's sitting in the bass, and it was just powerful," he said.

Shot music video in massive slum

He said that during their trip to India they also had a film crew with them filming a documentary about the group, and filmmaker Kedar Sonigra also shot a music video in Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Mumbai (and the same one featured in the film Slumdog Millionaire).

The music video, which features local children from the area channeling scenes from classic Bollywood movies, was meant to show that people in the slum live normal, full lives, Seran said.

Seran said he was first reluctant to tour the slum, because he didn't want to be a voyeur into the lives of people who have significant hardship, but said he was glad he got to see it.

"I saw the kids, there's schools, it's not what the Hollywood version of a slum is," he said. "It's a fully functioning society."

Seran said the group are also excited to go to Burning Man for the first time ("Our first Burn!" he said).

"I don't know what to expect … but I'm prepared to just be there and fully be open to the experience."

With files from CBC's North by Northwest

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