Bombay Bassment: It was important to experiment and fuse local sounds

(From left) DJ Chandu, Levin, Ruell and Bobkat

Q. What was the inspiration to cut Bombay Bassment x FUNC VIP? Was there a trigger?
A. We wanted to move away from the norm of putting out an album - record live + mix + master - a process that everyone goes through. We realised that there is a wider scope with new sounds to be discovered and discussed the same when we met up with Randolph (Correia).

(From left) DJ Chandu, Levin, Ruell and Bobkat

Q. The album has plenty of Bombay flavours. How was the experience of fusing East Indian and Marathi sounds with Reggae and Hip-Hop?
A. It was important to experiment and fuse local sounds because that is the future of modern Indian music. It was difficult 'not' to make it sound like a remix with Indian instruments thrown in randomly. We looked at it as if we were creating a record from scratch, a record that had all our Bombay experiences rolled into one; all our clubbing days and the chaiwallah hanging sessions in one. From Janata Bar to the Razz Rhino days, this represents a vital side to our culture.

Q. How much has the scene changed since you first started? What about listeners, especially from Mumbai?
A. From when we started out, the scene has constantly been evolving and will continue to do so. There are new venues, festivals and revenues streams for artistes. Audience tastes and how music itself is consumed has definitely evolved. Mumbai and its audience has always stood behind us through our journey in the last six years and that helped us deliver our best every time.

Q. Has the Internet helped take your music to otherwise unthinkable markets?
A. The Internet has definitely taken our music and made it accessible to people not only in India, but also across the world. The World Wide Web wasn't specifically created for this, but the way consumers and content creators have accessed it has made the world smaller.

On: June 3 (as part of their five-city India tour)
At: antiSOCIAL, Rohan Plaza, 5th Road, SV Road, near Ramee Guestline Hotel, Khar (W).
Call: 65226324