By Aparmita Das
“We are from Bombay, not Mumbai… Bombay!” This line from the chat with Bombay Bassment lingers on in the mind.
They have travelled all the way from Mumbai… well, Bombay to Meghalaya to get the people here and other attendees dancing to their distinctive, happy music at the recently concluded Shillong Autumn Festival.
On the day of their performance right after their soundcheck, we struck up an informal “unscripted” conversation over lunch. It kicked off with an introduction to the band members – Bobkat alias Robert Omulo (vocalist), Ruell Barretto (bass), Chandrashekhar Kunder aka DJ Major C (samples/percussion), and Jeremy (drums).
Born in Bombay way back in 2010, the reggae ensemble is all about feel-good music. At least that’s the way the band brands it. In their own words, theirs is happy music… the music one can dance to and identify with.
“We are not pigeonholed in one specific genre,” Bobkat said, as he went on to explain that each member of the band comes from a different musical background. “You may hear hip hop, reggae, and Afro in our sounds, so there is a wide variety of music from Africa, the Caribbean, and the US, but we take the influences and modify them to create a sound that fits the local scene.”
The band’s over-decade-long journey was certainly no cakewalk for them. They recalled their first performance and were filled with nostalgia.
“Remember? Our first performance was in Delhi, where we played two gigs,” Major C said, surveying the sentimental expressions on the faces of his bandmates.
Only three people had made up the audience in the first gig, and just two for the second. “I will never forget that,” Ruell said.
“This acts as a reminder that it is important to never lose sight of one’s roots. Since then, the number has consistently grown,” he (Ruell) beamed.
Six years into their debut, the size of the audience grew. Performing at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival in 2016 as the first Indian hip-hop act, they attracted around two lakh people. Though it was a vast platform, they insisted that neither the size of the stage nor that of the audience has ever been important to the band members. “A stage is a stage to us,” Major C added.
Typical of their fun vibe, they did not fail to mention that they prefer steady and stable (or “hard”) stages, given that the band members frequently dance during their performances. This was evident at the Shillong Autumn Festival, too.
That evening, people had congregated on the grassy area and beside the stage by the Umiam Lake, in anticipation of Bombay Bassment, the evening’s headlining act. A few lone stars could be seen studded in the jet-black sky… as if smiling away to glory for what was to come next.
Ruell had actually meant it when he remarked, “We are here just to have fun”.
As soon as they took to the stage, the atmosphere in the area changed. When the audience heard Bokat’s Weio weio yo-yo, which had echoed into the distance, people who were seated far from the stage hurried to the front and were seen jubilantly swaying to the foot-tapping, “must-dance-to” sounds of the song, Reggae Over India.
When the audience was asked to describe Bombay Bassment’s performance, they simply said, “They were such a vibe!”
Well, “vibe” is a phrase that people use nowadays to express the inexpressible, which is a big praise for musicians. You can be certain that your music has achieved its goal if a regular person “vibes” to it.
What is an artiste if you cannot connect to the masses? The band’s performance holds testimony to the members’ sincerity when it comes to their unbridled passion for music, and this must be the reason why they are much-loved and called for at different festivals in the nation and abroad.
“We have performed at every festival imaginable in India. So, we have encountered many types of platforms and audiences. Whether two people or two lakhs, we never compromise with our energy level and give our best,” Major C asserted.
On the subject of his influences, Jeremy, the drummer who had been quite silent during the discussion, finally piped in. “I initially started off as a metal drummer. As a result, if you ask me for just one name, I kind of feel pressured and mix up all the names. But, Steve Gadd and Jojo Mayer have greatly influenced me.”
Bobkat, on the other hand, holds old-school hip-hop and dancehall as his influence.
Ruell grew up listening to a lot of English and Bollywood retro music. “As I grew older, I was introduced to rock and alternative rock, but one thing that remained constant was that I never stopped listening to reggae bands, and this is what inspires our band’s music,” the bassist said.
Major C, who has been DJ-ing since 1995, was also inspired by retro, reggae sounds. “But I love Afro-Caribbean music. I pick elements from all of these genres and form my own,” he emphasised.
Before it got popular, the band was already doing hip-hop, Afro, and reggae dancehall. “We are literally the first hip-hop band in the country and if you see anybody else doing it, rest assured, they borrowed it from us,” Bobkat said, smiling.
As the country’s first hip-hop group, the band has been an inspiration to many young artistes. “I used to advise the young rappers back then – who are, incidentally, much older now – that they should start by developing their native language skills. Get to know the man on the street. Connect to him with your music,” he added.
The singer claims that an artiste will soar to fame in the music industry when the average person in their community can understand what they are singing. “People outside of your own country will not pay attention to you as long as you are not recognised in your hometown. I want the aspiring artistes of Meghalaya and North East India, in general, to know this; establish yourself here, and people will notice you everywhere.”
“I get the feeling that North East India has still maintained a passion for music. The people here appreciate bands and respect artists. And in this festival, I saw teenage bands taking the stage and performing, which we hardly get to see in Mumbai. I hope this passion is kept alive,” Bobkat mused.
It was DJ Major C who emphasised the word “Bombay” while introducing the band and remarked, “We are from Bombay, not Mumbai… Bombay!”
Bobkat explained that the era they come from was the age of Bombay… one that was not political, but cultural. “Mumbai is modern and technological, and it has severed ties to the glorious past. When people discuss the charm of the city, they refer to Bombay’s charm rather than Mumbai’s,” he chuckled.
Away from the talk on the music, the taste bud-tingling aroma of freshly cooked food transported Bobkat to Parsi eateries of yore in “their” Bombay and, closer home, to Nongpoh.
The conversation between them went along the lines of…
“Well, eating makes me think about Nangpoh,” he (Major C) quipped, as band members correct him, “It is Nongpoh, not Nangpoh”.
“Oh sorry, Nongpoh. On our journey to Shillong, we stopped at Nongpoh, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch. We love North East Indian cuisine and look forward to it on our every visit,” Major C said, sporting a faraway look.
Long after the festival got over, what remained was that Bombay Bassment remains ever open to ideas. Even now, true to the essence of their music, they are connected to the people, to the streets… and bring that quality onto the stage.