MUMBAI:
Pop music doesn’t exist in India anymore and the market continues to be dominated by Bollywood, says Rupinder Magon, commonly known as Rup, of the Montreal-based fusion band Josh.
The band has just released a new album Beyond Kismat, and Magon says their music is released internationally, for the world to listen to.
“Because we live in Canada and because we’re all in different areas, we release our music at an international level and the music is released everywhere – from the US, Canada to the UK, the Middle East, Australia and many more places. We make music for the world,” said Rup.
A departure from their original sound
Josh, comprising of Magon and Pakistani born Qurram Hussain aka Q, is known for songs with both modern and traditional bhangra beats and strong influences of hiphop and pop.
Starting off with Main Hoon Tanha in 2001, they released two more albums; Kabhi in 2004 and then Mausam in 2006. Now, after a gap of five years, Josh is returning with Beyond Kismat.
“It is a project that has taken us about five years to complete. We recorded over 35 songs for this album and then we chose the top eight songs. It is an amalgamation of all the experiences that we had while travelling and doing shows in all parts of the world,” said Rup.
Further on, he also added that this album is a little bit different from their original sound as they have experimented with everything from house beats to a raw bhangra feel.
“There will definitely be that one Josh sound and that’s because our vocals lend a lot to our style. So when it comes to singing style and how we harmonise, that’s one thing that keeps that sound of ours together. But otherwise when it comes to music, we have tried to do it in a different way,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2011.
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