Friday November 2, 2007
Moving to the beat
Rhythm is the name of the game for the Diplomats of Drum.
By N. RAMA LOHAN
lohan@thestar.com.my
PRIMAL, instinctive – they both describe the most basic approach to making music on a percussion instrument and no other instrument has played a more significant role in creating a groove than the drum.
Drums come in many different shapes, sizes and dynamics and have transcended racial, religious, and musical boundaries. It takes little to get a beat going but only the best are able to make pleasing musical sense out of the instrument.
The Diplomats of Drum (DOD) knows this only too well. The ethnic-blending outfit fuses the sounds of Celtic music, bhangra, joget, funk – basically a hodgepodge of western and eastern influences to create a sound all its own.
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The Diplomats of Drum fuse the sounds of Celtic music, bhangra, joget and funk to create their own unique sound. |
The event itself will see participation from 50 foreign fashion houses and is expected to command special attention from foreign media including the likes of BBC, CNN, Zee TV, Fashion TV, Phoenix TV and TVBS, in the process placing DOD in the centre of the limelight.
Though the band consists of eight core members, the Diplomats of Drum's sound is the handiwork of Indy, Rav, Harvey, Shidee, Satpal, Ravi, Perfs, Christy, Ajeet, Sethi, Param, Rishi, and Gurbaksh.
The octet comes with credentials beyond the band as well: Rishi is the renowned radio disc jockey “Flying Singh”, while Perfs recently bagged three gold medals for solo bagpipe performance at the Asian Marching Band competition.
Collectively, the band handles a whole range of instruments, which includes harmonium, tabla, surdo, dhol, didgeridoo, djembe, cajon, rebana, gendang Melayu, beduk, gong, darabuka, conga, bagpipe, clarinet, flute, sitar, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards and more, although it is percussion-based.
“Some of us were at a friend's party jamming away when someone asked us to put together a group of drummers for a small event.
“Since we liked playing with each other, it was quite natural that we were bound by the beat of the drum ... and we all love Celtic, bhangra and Malaysian music,” reveals Rav (acting as the band's spokesperson) on the formation of the band.
It all makes perfect sense when he divulges the band's collective influences, which include the Afro Celt Sound System and the Dhol Foundation, especially after describing DOD's music as Malaysian-Celtic-bhangra. “It's our own brand of world music.”
Percussion-based outfits tend to thrive in live settings, but selling their music is a different prospect altogether. According to Rav, the struggles experienced by more conventional musical acts here are similar to DOD's.
“It's the same case with us but we may have it a little bit easier compared to other local acts simply because no one else can offer what we have – bagpipes, dhol, didgeridoo and more.
“There aren't any acts like ours, be it in terms of instrumentation or music. To add to that, our style also appeals to every ethnic group in the country, and even if you're not Malaysian, there will always be some part of our music that will touch you.”
Although DOD is largely a Sikh endeavour, Shidee fills the Malay quota while Christy does the same for the Chinese, which explains the unit's multi-racial appeal.
This is the muhibbah spirit in its purest and most honest form, attesting to music's borderless appreciation.
Uniqueness brings on its own set of problems though, and DOD is no stranger to logistical issues. Think about it: the thought of putting up an eight-piece (or more) band on anything but a large stage does sound daunting. The composition and arrangement processes can't be all that easy, either.
DOD takes it all in its stride though: “Sometimes, the sound crew is not able to provide the number of channels (on the mixer) we require, and almost every time, we've had to make do with whatever we can.
“But hey, we're easy to work with and working around these types of situations can be fun. Where musical arrangement is concerned, it can be a bit of a challenge trying to sync the melody and percussion parts together but it's never a problem as all of us are able to put our heads together and bring ideas to the table,” explains the good-natured Rav.
The band will be performing at the opening of the International Fashion Week (IFW), a major spin-off event of MIFA, where the designers nominated for the awards will get models to parade their creations for final judging.
“We have written a special piece to suit the theme of the IFW, which will be ASIAN GALA and the overall theme of MIFA, which is LOVE. It's a mix between Asian soundscapes and catchy Celtic reels.
“It's very, very percussive with a tinge of melody in the background somewhere. We're proud to be playing at the event; previously, the performers have always been Malaysian bigwigs or foreign bands.”
It's time for the Diplomats of Drum to share their sound and style this time around.
For more details, visit www.diplomatsofdrum.com.
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