RDB BRING ‘RYTHEM, DHOL & BASS’ TO THE BRIT-ASIAN SCENE

Hailed as the Brit-Asian version of the Black Eyed Peas, RDB are currently recognised as one of the UK’s leading urban-Asian music artists, having provided a ground-breaking soundtrack for cross-over film of the year, ‘Speedy Singh.’

The next-big-thing in Asian music comprise of three brothers, Maj, Kuly and Suri, who wrote and produced the track “Shera Di Kaum” in their Toronto studio. Combined with Ludacris’ vocals to give it a hip hop edge, the collaboration fuses eclectic western musical beats with the infamous drum and dhol of South Asian music, bringing Bollywood music into the mainstream.

But their success has their beginnings. Prior to their formation in 2001, the brothers spent years being immersed in music by their father, who taught them to sing religious songs and to play the harmonium in their local Gurudwara since they were very young.

Their traditional beginnings have now brought them here, as together, the brothers have radically pioneered the style of traditional British Bhangra music. They have remoulded the style into a raw urban sound, ensuring their work was cut through.

RDB are now regarded as the most prolific music band to have emerged from the ‘British Asian Music’ scene, crossing into international stardom.

The group has enjoyed stupendous success over the years with multimillionaire viewership, sell-out concerts and globally televised performances, stamping the fact that the RDB sound has struck a chord with music aficionados worldwide.

RDB’s previous collaborations also include Snoop Dogg, Elephant Man, Yukhmouth from DTP and Public.

Asian World caught up with the international sensation to discuss their exciting new career so far…..

1)      Your new track, Shera Di Kaum is already a chartbuster in globally. Did you guys have a feeling that it will be a hit while you while you were making the song? 

We like to think that we are prone to making hits for every project we do as we collectively put our heart and  soul into all of our work.  Shera Di Kaum most certainly had a unique uplifting feel to it when we were composing the music in our studios. From the lyrics and vocals to the composition and melody, the track encompassed various elements which we felt would strike a chord with the global listener. Furthermore, having two greats in the track, from the West in the form of Ludacris and the East in the form of Akshay Kumar, we had a strong feeling that the song would resonate and connect the world over and we’re so thrilled it has. They were the icing on the cake. But to be honest, if it wasn’t for our fans, supporters and well-wishers the song wouldn’t be the chartbuster it is today.

2)      When did you start your musical journey, tell us about those early years.

Our musical knowledge started from a young age when we used to assist our father perform in front of the community at our local Gurudwara, playing the harmonium and tabla. This gave us a great understanding of our musial creativity and we mixed this with our passion for technology and started experimenting with sounds. Our first sign of pursuing music as a career came about when we decided to hire DJ equipment and entertain our friends and family at Surj’s 18^th Birthday party. We soon realised we had a drive in music and with the help of our family invested into more studio necessities. Our first sign of stardom came with the help of our first record label which we setup with a partner; we released our debut Bhangra album in the UK and hit over 50,000 units in 2 weeks. Baring in mind these were independent sales away from any mainstream outlets. And as they say, the rest is history – after continuing to produce and release albums (over 25) we expanded and performed our genre across to different parts of the world.

3)      What have been the milestones/ turning points in your career?

So many to choose from….

Our first every DJ’ing performance at Surj’s 18th Birthday Party

Our Debut Bhangra Album in The UK in 2001

Working with Akshay Kumar

The collaboration with Snoop Dogg and now Ludacris

4)      Tell us why you choose to call yourself RDB?

RDB stands for Rhythm Dhol and Bass. The key fundamental elements we draw inspiration from when we produce our hits.

5)      You have been called the Indian version of Black Eyed Peas, right? How do you take that? Or rather, do you agree to that?

We’re humbled with the comparison to such a multi-award winning, successful group. We do admire them for their incredible work and are hopeful to perhaps to a collaboration one day. I suppose the cutting edge electronic music and simply being 3 guys and a girl would spark such a comparison.

6)      What do you think it is about Punjabi tunes/raps that make this genre Bollywood’s all-time favourite?  

We’d like to say and believe that we are now more than ever before on the brink of a musical revolution. The Bollywood market has now crossed more barriers and its viewers have become ever so much more diversified into both Indian and mainstream music. Adding a Hollywood feature and a Punjabi hook-line has created a totally new style of a “hit song”, which several of the film producers are realising. This is a time for change… Bollywood is ready…. its audiences have proven their ready…. and of course… so are RDB.

7)      Lastly, what’s next on your mind and on your platter? Tell us what’s in store…?

We are releasing more music than ever before and we are trying to keep the ‘hit makers’ title alive by continuing our efforts in the international music industry. We count our blessings each day and are so grateful to the almighty and the undying love and support from our fans and well-wishers. The biggest single project that almost all of our efforts are on these days is our new double CD album Worldwide – it will feature literally our best music to date. For more info please visit us on Facebook or www.rdbmusic.com