Miss Pooja - Lak De Hullare

Miss Pooja, who is well known for her duets, has released a video for her song Lak De Hullare. The song was first released on her album Breathless and was produced by DJ Sanj.

I should declare my love hate-relationship with Miss Pooja‘s music. There are songs by her which I play often, but there are also songs by her that I cannot stand. Miss Pooja has a good voice, but sometimes her songs are so clichéd or badly put together that I cannot listen to them. I’ve even left the dance floor at parties when they come on because I hate hearing them.

Lak De Hullare was a song on Breathless that I did not like. There was nothing innovative about it and the lyrics sounded like those inso many other Punjabi songs. It was repetitive and a bit too slow to for dancing.

Despite not liking the song, the video for Lak De Hullare appeals to me. There is no story line and the video is relatively simple. It consists of Miss Pooja singing in different traditional outfits with male and female groups of backing dancers. The set and the clothes are bold, bright and clashing. Girly hearts flash between scene changes and there are fairy lights and diamonds everywhere - even slung over a tractor.

To my surprise I was entertained for the full length of the video. The glitz and glamour distracted me from the song. It didn’t seem to take itself too seriously and it felt fun to watch it. There is a definite Punjabi theme, but it is subtle and doesn’t rely on wheat fields or Miss Pooja waving her paranda around. The video could have been a parody of some recent Bollywood music scenes, but I don’t think the directors intentionally made it that way.

Overall Lak De Hullare is a kitschy colourful video from Miss Pooja. A rare instance when the video is better than the song.

Take Five: Mela Dance Performances

The Boishakhi Mela in London kicked off the start of the mela season in the UK. Melas are great and along with seeing all the famous artist I like seeing the members of the local community show off their talent. There are always dance groups performing, but one thing I have noticed is that they all dance to the same songs! Often these are Bollywood super hits and the dance moves are easy to copy from the film choreograph. They are usually performed well, but it is boring for the audience to see the same routine to the same song over and over again. Today's Take Five is made up of five songs that I would love never to see performed at a mela again.

Devdas - Dola Re

Dola Re Dola is an older song, so performances to this are getting rarer. The year that the film was released it seemed that everyone had a routine to it. I remember one mela where I saw it performed at least five times by different groups. Often performed in pairs, with one dancer playing Paro and the other Chandramukhi.

Tigerstyle - Ik Banere Video

Tigerstyle’s new single Ik Banere was released yesterday which I blogged about here. A video has been made to accompany it and shows the story behind the sleeve art on the single.

This is a simple video. Unlike other bhangra music videos there are no girls, dancers in clubs or cars. It shows Inkquisitive, also known as Amandeep Singh, going into his studio and putting Ik Banere on his ipod. Whilst listening to the track he draws onto a giant canvas. Shots show details of what he is drawing and Punjabi calligraphy flashes onto the screen. He then colours in the illustration and final shot shows the viewer what he has made.

A video showing someone drawing may sound boring, but this is not the case. It is beautifully shot and the close ups of the canvas kept me interested. As someone who can barely draw, the whole process fascinated me. I like how the video begins in black and white and switches to colour when Inkquisitive starts to add colour to the picture. The artwork is stunning and I wish that the final shot had been longer so I could see more of it. The picture that accompanies the single is just a small piece of the original canvas and the video is so far the only place to see it.

I was disappointed by the video for Kudi and thought it was unoriginal and cliched in comparison to the track. However, with Ik Banere Tigerstyle have proved they can push the boundaries when they make videos as well as their music. It's creative and experimental just like their sound. I doubt a video with scantily-dressed dancers would have worked for Ik Banere as the song is so different and Tigerstyle have done well to come up with a concept that is one of a kind.

Overall, this has to be one of the most unique music videos I have ever seen and I want to see more like Ik Banere. Far more interesting than watching dancers in a club.

Romay - True Vision Review

Romay, a producer who set up his own record label called Acoustic Science, has released an EP called True Vision.

The EP consists of four electronic drum and bass tracks. It is short, but the songs themselves are all over five minutes long. This length allows Romay to properly develop and explore his ideas in each song. There is lots of rich bass in each track which Romay balances nicely with vocals or other instruments which are lighter in tone.

Rain or Shine is a heavy drum and bass track with simple repetitive lyrics. A break in the middle prevents it from becoming too intense. A live version of the track recorded during a performance at Royal Festival Hall is on Soundcloud. This live version has female vocals instead of male vocals which gives the it a completely different feel.

Rise of the Sungas opens with a sitar sample which is repeated throughout. There are lots of different elements in this track that work well together. The song constantly changes and this makes the track seem a lot longer than it is which is a good thing.

My favourite track on the EP is True Vision. It starts with some classical male vocals which evoke a past era. The bass then kicks in and Romay ensures it goes together wonderfully with the vocals. In an interview with Nihal, Romay said he had spent a lot of time engineering it to make it sound right and this hard work shows.

1st Contact takes the listener all the way to the final frontier. It begins with a message about exploring space and conjures up images of flying through space. A picture may be worth 1000 words, but this song manages to describe a whole universe in just five minutes.  

Verdict: Romay is talented at what he does. Although True Vision is short it is well produced and full of fresh ideas and sounds. Perfect soundtrack for a cosmic holiday.

Kuly of RDB Passes Away

EDIT - The following statement has been posted on the Official RDB facebook page:

The international music fraternity has faced a saddening loss with Kuly of music band RDB, passing away on Monday 22nd May 2012 in Houston, Texas, USA. The popular music group member sadly lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 35 years old.

Kuly was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April 2011 and underwent radio and chemotherapy. He was receiving treatment at a specialised clinic in Houston at the time of his death.

Kuly was an intrinsic part of RDB, a leading international music group, famed for their contribution to globalising Bhangra and Indian music. His legacy will remain with RDB and their super-hit tracks such as Aaja Mahi, Singh is Kinng, Aloo Chaat and Shera di Kaum.

RDB and the family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time and thank their fans and well-wishers for their continued support and condolences.

RDB's facebook page has been opened up for those who wish to pay their respects to Kuly and his family. To leave a message please visit: http://facebook.com/rdbmusic

Kuly, the eldest of the three brothers that make up RDB, has unexpectedly passed away in America. According to the BBC Asian Network, it was thought that he had been ill for a long time and was undergoing treatment there.

Condolences have been posted on twitter from artists and fans. Many have expressed their shock at his early death. Those in the bhangra industry who worked with him have paid tribute to his talent, sense of humour and genuineness. 

RDB have been making music for over a decade and produced hits including Sadi Gali and Tenu Thakia. They also set up their own label Three Records and worked with artists such as Gubi Sandhu and Manak-E. The brothers performed all over the world and were currently planning a tour of Pakistan. In a recent interview on Pakistani TV Kully said he prefered producing music to performing it live.

RDB are one of the few British groups to make an impact in Bollywood and performed at the IIFA awards. They were associated with actor Akshay Kumar and provided songs for his films including Singh is King and Kambakkt Ishq. As well as Bollywood have also collaborated with western artists including Snoop Dogg and German musician Peter Maffay.

Terry Mardi has set up a facebook page in his memory here.