Listen: ViceVersa’s New Love Anthem “Saviour”

ViceVersa. Photo: Vandhana Rajan Swamy

Mumbai electro hip hop act ViceVersa [Rohit ”˜P-Man’ Pereira, Manas Ullas and Sidd Coutto] bring out the big guns on their new single “Savior”. Giving company to the gloriously heavy bass the group is known for are some Marley-esque Caribbean beats. “We’ve always loved reggae,” says frontman Pereira. “We wanted to experiment with different sounds on this track.”

The idea for the song had been on Pereira’s mind for over two years. “I had the vocals and lyrics at the back of my head, I just never got around to recording it,” he says. The song finally took off last year with bandmate Coutto. “We were in Goa for the ViceVersa India Tour and we had some time to kill, so I told Coutto about the song. We recorded it on this mobile recording set-up he had in the hotel room,” recalls Pereira.

The band then worked with producer Abhishek Ghatak on the final version at Mumbai’s Headroom Studios. “He breathed life into it,” Periera says about Ghatak’s work on mixing and mastering the song, “He put in so much detail.” The track itself, according to Pereira, is about positivity and love and having a great time, with lyrics like “Let love be the only weapon tonight.” The band tested the waters performing “Saviour” at a couple of their shows and got the reaction they were hoping for from fans. “It created a relaxed, positive party vibe. Everyone was ready to have a good time,” he says.

Meanwhile, the trio are also looking forward to the second edition of the multi-artist gig, ViceVersa Party, to be held next month. The first gig took place on Halloween last year during the band’s Get Rowdy Tour and featured Pereira, Coutto, electronic producer and frequent collaborator Mr. Doss and Mumbai-based rapper Ankur Johar aka Enkore. “We wanted to blend different genres, encourage artists to hop on to each others’ songs live onstage, because that’s something you don’t really see,” the frontman explains. “Like, there’s no hype man scene in India.”

The lineup for the upcoming gig on May 20th^ 2016 will see the return of Mr. Doss and Enkore with ViceVersa, and Kinga Rhymes of Mumbai’s Finest as a new addition. “I feel there is a spotlight on rappers who perform in regional languages as compared to those performing in English,” says Pereira. “But there will be no divisions like that at the ViceVersa Party. It’s about building the collaboration.”

Listen to ViceVersa’s latest single “Saviour” and get a free download here.