Let's talk Latin America
Let's talk Latin America
Hailing from Punjab is Bristol based DJ and producer Indian Man. Tiffany Ip chatted to him about his new single, Cumbia De Konnokal, which blends the sounds of Colombian cumbia with South Indian konnokal and jazz influences.
Indian Man’s style bending music is not only a reflection of his overall independent spirit but also of his desire to re-shape our engagement with traditional sounds, restoring our relationship with culture and tradition which is in danger of being lost as times are changing. He welcomes the fact that our sense of tradition gets diluted generation by generation, but also emphasizes the need to stay in touch with our cultural roots.
Indian Man explains that growing up as a 3rd generation British born Punjabi comes with expectations, rules and traditions. Deciding to learn the guitar aged 12, he was influenced by the music of traditional jazz players like Django Reinhardt and Billie Holiday. However, he also kept in touch with his traditional musical roots by playing and touring in a bhangra band (a style of music and dance associated with the Punjabi region) called RSVP. He then went onto study Jazz and developed a passion for electronic music, and eventually launched himself as a garage DJ, showing his appreciation for a wide range of musical genres. These diverse musical ventures informed his own work: diving into his mixes, you will find a tapestry of various styles such as Jazz, hip hop, dub and Bhangra. He prefers not to label his own mixes and plays whatever feels good to him, expressing his desire to represent freedom of identity and expression of culture through music.