JOIN USAdding new tunes to old classics
DJ Suketu recently launched his new album ‘DJ Suketu & Friends present RD Burman Reinvented’, in which he has incorporated new-age elements like dubstep and electronica into the songs of Burman.
Metrolife speaks to him about the album, the reaction he expects to it and changes in the world of music.
A lot of thought was put into the album — it wasn’t simply the result of an overnight decision. “I’ve always wanted to make a remix album. Earlier this year, EMI Music approached me for the same and I jumped at the opportunity. Just doing an album with various mixes wasn’t really thrilling and so, we decided to do a sort of theme-based album. We narrowed it down to making a music director-specific album and who better to
pick than R D Burman!” says Suketu, who has always loved Burman’s music.
He shares that the reason he picked Burman was because he has created some timeless melodies and tunes, which everyone — both young and old — can relate to. “I spoke to producers who have worked with him. I found out that he never restricted himself to doing just what everyone else was, or what he had done before. So, I felt that if he was alive and creating music today, he would have used the current digital technology in his music,” he says.
On his part, he has ensured that each remix retains Burman’s feel, but is packaged with new sounds.
“The emotion of every song has been kept the same, so that no one listening to it feels that it has lost its original value. If the original Yeh Jawani is a fun song, our remix is
as fun and bouncy,” explains the producer.
Artistes like Javed Ali, Sophie Choudhary, Anushka Manchanda, Mustafa Zahid, Anusha Dhandekar, Sukhbir, Chin2 Bhosle and Manasi Scott have also sung in this album. “In remixes, producers normally use singers who are not too experienced. Here, we took artistes who have made their name in the industry,” he says, adding, “working with them was excellent as it was not just my thought and creative juices which were flowing. Each one gave excellent inputs to his or her own songs, making each song unique in its own way.”
Talking about the music industry in general, he mentions that he has noticed a lot of independent directors like Amit Trivedi entering Bollywood and feels that it is a positive change. “New music directors are making a mind-blowing style of music and ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Dev D’ are classic examples of this. In today’s time, change is the most important thing listeners are looking for. No one wants to listen to the things that they are used to.”
He has similar feelings about the number of international acts coming to India and collaborations with these artistes. “The world is becoming ‘one’ through music. Today, we are making music that would appeal to people world over. Who would have ever thought that a singer like Akon would sing a Hindi song?” he concludes, making his point clearly heard.