Premiere: Watch Bobby Beebob and Siyer Team Up with Drummer Jaime Dudley on Dexterous New Song ‘Deception’

Indian-origin Australia-based seasoned composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Bobby Baskaran aka Bobby Beebob has worked with everyone from Remo Fernandes to Sandeep Chowta and he found a worthy collaborator in vocalist Shriram Iyer aka Siyer around 2012 in Melbourne.

They went on to release a bilingual Hindi-English song “One More Try” in 2013, marking the launch of the Saffron Groove Project. Bobby Beebob says, “This was almost like a ‘pilot’ project where we both used our respective east/west influences to see what could result from the experiment. After the success of this project, we realized that our ‘hybrid’ musicality had serious potential and decided to keep writing music together.”

Iyer and Baskaran have now named their debut collaborative album – comprising six new tracks – as The Saffron Groove Project and the latest offering from it is “Deception,” featuring Bengaluru-based drummer Jaime Dudley. While the duo have so far explored ballads and the like, “Deception” heaps on the grooves, with Iyer rendering raag bhairav in bandish form. “We then added some layered harmonized English vocals, ambient sound FX and strings to thicken up the arrangement,” Baskaran says. Iyer adds, “We wanted to engage listeners with a fresh mix of sounds and innovative and somewhat unexpected elements, providing an edgy and memorable listening experience. It certainly is one of our favorites and hope that it resonates with others as well.”

Dudley’s involvement came after Baskaran saw the drummer in action on a visit to India, but there’s also the obvious connection between Baskaran being a co-founder of erstwhile rock band Moksha and mentor-producer Richard Dudley. Jaime says about his involvement, “Collaborations like these always push me to think outside the box, and I look forward to working with artists of such remarkable caliber, when the opportunity provides for.”

The Saffon Groove Project covers everything from heartbreak to hope, memories and ambition. Iyer says, “We did not shy away from picking themes that meant something to them, refusing to go down formulaic paths. The album aims to be a beacon of hope, revival and, of course, entertainment.”

Watch the video for “Deception” below. Stream the album here.