The Golden Man & College Girls

Bappi Lahiri Everybody Dance With Me

It always happens that the day after I need it, I finally come across an amazing song or couple of songs that I really could have made use of the night before. Case in point, I DJed at Casa del Popolo last night for Thums Up!, playing a selection of Bollywood hits and also-rans. People came out, I screened the Amitabh Bachchan film Bombay to Goa and fun was had. But had I played the above song, I think it would have lifted the bar just that extra special bit...

Bappi Lahiri is the hefty gold-loving disco king of Bollywood, known as The Golden Man. His most recognizable work in the West is his soundtrack to Disco Dancer, Jimmy being sampled by MIA, but yadda yadda yadda, our concern here is the narcissistic go-go freakout Everybody Dance With Me. This song obviously owes a gigantic debt/royalty cheque to Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vidda, but pushes it one step further with a Morricone-esque trumpet intro and some guest vamping from an unidentified female playback singer. And just to make it all the better, the movie's called College Girl.

Thums Up! Classic Bollywood Sights & Sounds In Montreal

Meri Haton Mein Nau Naw
from Chandni (1989)

Tomorrow is the first night for Thums Up, a Bollywood DJ night at the recently expanded Casa del Popolo. Since the demise of the Garam!Garam! monthly, which also focused on sounds of the subcontinent (with DJ Valeo (formerly Khiasma, of the Masala blog), I've had the opportunity to DJ some of my Bollywood favourites along with Rishi of phenomenal psych-pop outfit Elephant Stone. Having enjoyed it quite a bit and being given the opportunity to by Niki at Casa del Popolo, I jumped at the chance to do a Bollywood monthly.

As my tastes lean towards the Golden Age and pulpy 60s & 70s films, I'll most concentrate on Burman & Rafi-penned hits, unforgettable songs from playback queen Asha Bhosle, and forgotten gems from Bollywood's golden age, while we'll project some movies featuring the daring-do of matinee idols Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Dharmendra.

There's more information on the Facebook event page.
Casa del Popolo - 4873 St. Laurent, Montreal, QC

Pardon My Hindi & Pop Montreal present 2nd Bollywood Party

Asha Bhosle & R.D. Burman Piya Tu Ab To Aaja
(from Caravan O.S.T.)
Kazi Aniruddha Piya Tu Ab To Aaja
(from Bollywood Steel Guitar)
~ My favourite Bollywood song of all time ~

I'm excited to announce that I'll be playing the second Bollywood party (hot on the heels of July's fun-as-hell party), presented by the capable and loving folks of Pardon My Hindi, Elephant Stone and Pop Montreal. Along with a performance by aforementioned band (and Polaris Prize nominees), Freelove Fenner and Magic Hall of Mirrors will also be playing. I'll be DJing Bollywood classics from the glory days of Amitabh Bachchan, Rahul Dev Burman and Ms. Asha Bhosle (of course), along with DJ Desipower.

More information on the Facebook page, or just show up this Friday, November 13th at Casa del Popolo for an evening of Desi dance and subcontinental swagger. Come by and say hello!

Square Quotes: Montreal Arts, Music & Culture Podcast

Square Quotes Podcast, Episode 1

In this inaugural episode of Square Quotes, hosts Alexander Buckiewicz-Smith and Jay Watts III fumble their way through two interviews, while producer Ali Rahman wonders what exactly it is that he’s got himself in to.

The two guests, gracious and forgiving to a fault, were Montrealer Sam Shalabi and Jon Fall Ryan of Brooklyn’s electronic noise-improv sextet, Excepter, both of which will be performing in Montreal as part of the Suoni per il Popolo festival.

The episode features contributions from both interviewed artists, as well as three selections of music picked by the hosts in their quest for obscurantist internet supremacy. Thrill to the sounds of “Guzar Jaye Din,” a Bollywood song from the film “Annadata;” get girl crazy with Chuck Jackson as he exalts the fairer sex in “Girls, Girls, Girls;” and smother yourself in sentimental kitsch with the Portuguesed-American Jeanette as she runs us through “Porque Te Vas.”

More episodes to come, as ABS and JW3 find their footing, and producer Ali continues fretting.