Delhi 2 Dublin

I usually talk about historical stuff, because I'm a historical writer. But an occasion like this requires a break in routine.

Yesterday, I was privileged to happen about a brilliant concert by Vancouver-based band Delhi2Dublin at the Anand Mela (an Indian street fair). Their sound blew me away. A mix of bhangara, Punjabi fusion, electro, acoustic, celtic, with a touch of reggae, breakbeat, drum n' bass, and hip hop. Simply contemplating that combination does no justice to what that band of five young musicians can do.

They play electric fiddle, electric base guitar, electric sitar (whoa—the sound is similar but the shape and size has been modified so it can be worn and carried like a guitar), dhol, tabla, and synthesized electronic music, in addition to vocals in English and Punjabi. Tarun Nayar plays the tabla and electronics, Kytami the fiddle, Sanjay Seran does the vocals, Andrew Kim plays the sitar and guitar, and Ravi Binning the dhol and tabla.

Delhi2Dublin was formed for a one-off live collaboration performance at the Vancouver Celtic Festival on March 16, 2006. They were so popular that demand for future performances led them to band together. They're all Canadians with Sanjay, Tarun, and Ravi of Indian ethnicity, Andrew Korean, and Kytami Irish and a mix.

Their self-titled first album, released on December 13, 2007, reached #3 on the Canadian world music charts. Their second album reached #1 on the CHARTattack world music charts. They've performed at the Vancouver Olympics, SXSW in Austin, the Keelung City Ghost Festival in Taiwan, and various international music festivals.

Here, listen to them and see what has me so fascinated...