When goth met Bollywood
Mumbai-based Indian band Superbia’s new offering is a mix of Bollywood and goth
By : kaushani banerjee
Update: 2014-11-04 00:29 GMT
Mumbai: Mention gothic music and often the images that conjure up are that of Ozzy Osborne and Cradle of Filth among others. Mumbai-based band Superbia, however, is all set to change that. Its latest album Satrangi is a gothic rendition of old Hindi classics like Tere Bina Jiya Jaaye Na, Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna and Bekaraar Karke Hume among others.
It is a seven-track album that features Gwen Athaide and Shaan on vocals. Former Miss Asia Pacific, Gwen lends her husky voice that adds a dark undertone to the popular romantic numbers of a bygone era. Using songs from this generation as an anchor, Superbia aims to produce a genre that can very well be called Indi-goth.
Eagerly looking forward to the first album, Gourov Dasgupta, guitarist of Superbia, says, “There is a certain kind of void for bands that play Hindi music. Hopefully we will fill in that space and revive the band scene. Besides making records as a group, we also compose for films. Hopefully, we can interpret film music into our sound and create a completely distinct audio experience for our audience.”
When asked about mixing goth to Hindi film music, band member Roshan Balu says, “A couple of us have grown up with and been influenced by a lot of sub genres of rock music like goth, industrial, progressive and metal, so the whole vibe came naturally and it felt right for the album. Besides, Gourov sometimes likes to wear black eyeliner (laughs).”
Gourov admits that the little worm in his head keeps taking him back to his roots, with Megadeth, Steve Vai, Nine Inch Nails and Ozzy showing up time to time. He adds, “With Shaan’s Bollywood influences, we decided to do something mad within the Bollywood palette and that is how Satrangi saw the light of day.”
Superbia comprising Shaan, Gourov, Gwen and Roshan has already been working on several other projects. “We have already finished working on several films and have signed a couple more. We come from different musical spaces individually and complement each other when we’re together, which is what we aim to present with Satrangi,” Gourov says.
Superbia is currently working on Tigmanshu Dhulia’s next and Vishwas Pandya’s Ba Ba Black Sheep to name a few.
In a career spanning over a decade, Shaan has lent his voice to some of the biggest superstars of our time. His rise to fame began with his entry into the Indipop scene in the late 90s. Shaan, who has earlier sung old Bollywood remixes, says, “With Satrangi, we have used bits of the old songs to complement our tunes and not the other way around.”
The songs in Satrangi cannot be compared to the old remixes that are out there.”
The album releases on November 7.