Laxmi Bomb To Release New EP ‘Mah’ BHARAT’

Mumbai-based electro-pop band Laxmi Bomb, like its frontman Keegan Pereira, is unconventional. Pereira tells us about his approach to making music: “You introduce yourself to a song the way you would to a girl at a bar. You think she’s pretty and that’s when the game begins. You wonder whether you should say something wise or funny, it’s about taking the conversation further.” It’s also one of the few Indian alternative bands that draws from Nineties Hindi film music without taking a dig at it or just sampling it. Instead, Laxmi Bomb makes music that sounds like Hindi film and pop music composers such as say Biddu or Anu Malik, have taken to electronica, however frightful that thought may be. Says Pereira, “Our songs draw an imagery that is familiar. There’s an amazing plethora of music that India has to offer and we wanted to embrace it. We want to bring out that old school charm and embellish it with a western sound.” Citing artists as diverse as Daft Punk, Apache Indian and Alisha Chinai, it’s no surprise that the Laxmi Bomb incorporates local beats and grooves, layered with synth and modern arrangements. Says the band’s drummer Levin Mendes, “It wasn’t meant to be genre-bending. We just like to be able to listen to our own music.”

Beginning with home experiments with Ableton and the basics of production, Laxmi Bomb started in 2013 as Mendes’s attempt at solo songwriting. Says the artist, “This was the first time I sat down and made a complete track without jamming. I would sit for hours, complete a track in two nights and then hand it over to Keegan so he could lay his vocals on it.” After being offered a slot to perform at Sitara Studios, Mumbai, for the fourth edition of Ctrl Alt Del, Mendes and Pereira realized that they would need more instrumentalists for Laxmi Bomb if they wanted to translate their studio productions to live performances. The band then grew to include bassist Ruell Barretto, who is also Mendes’s collaborator on his hip hop band Bombay Bassment, and keyboardist Joaquim Fernandes. Says Pereira, “Our music comes from a place where it’s absolutely unfurnished. We’ve consciously made it sound raw.”

The band’s first EP focused on Mumbai and their second EP Mah’ BHARAT will look at a bigger canvas. Says Pereira, “It’s thematically larger ”“ we’re trying to cover every aspect of Bharat, whether it’s deception, greatness or cultural diversity. The vivid energy of India is important to the EP.” While Hॐ was put together by Mendes and Pereira, the new release will include the musical inputs of all four members of the band. Adds Mendes, who has his role cut out more sharply now, “Now more than just having that control, it’s about adding meaning to each track. It will sound different and more mature.” The five-track EP will feature tracks such as “Andaman Eve,” “Keralite” and “Shillong Train Running.”

Mah’ BHARAT will release in September this year.

 

Listen to Laxmi Bomb’s “Andaman Eve:”