Apache in India

Aneesh Bhasin

UK-based bhangramuffin and reggae musician Apache Indian, aka Steven Kapur, created waves in India in the early Nineties with his hits like ”˜Chok There,’ ”˜Boom Shack-a-Lak’ and ”˜Arranged Marriage.’ But towards the end of that decade, he had virtually disappeared from the country. That, he now explains, was because he found the sudden fame a bit too much to handle. Apache was performing live at Mumbai’s Blue Frog on February 25, as part of a small tour around the country. “When I came to India, I saw a lot of changes. There was a time when they were playing a lot more Bollywood music and not so much international music. But back in the Nineties, they were playing a lot of international music,” he says. “And now it’s come back again. I see a lot more going on. A lot more hip-hop bands, a lot more reggae bands. So everything at the right time,” he explains his decision to come back and play live.

While Apache’s been consistently releasing records internationally in the meanwhile, he says the new album he’s working on will see an India release too. “I am back with Universal to release a new album, that’s gonna come out this year. This feels like a good time ”“ am hearing these new groups like Reggae Rajahs and Bombay Bassment.” But before the release, he wanted to test the waters which is why this small tour. “It’s almost ignorant to say that you have to just take what I’m doing.”