Brooklyn-Mumbai producer/DJ/ Radio Host Rajah Betta has been slowly carving a space out for Indian & South Asian sounds on the dance floor. Closely following the release of his song ‘But’ which also happens to be apart of the electronic music compilation ‘Yaar-Dost vol. 2’. The compilation curated by Padmini Records, showcases him as a far more serious producer highlighting his versatility as an artists of Indian descent. But his latest release digs deeper into the popular culture of Indian sounds and re-contextualising them for a global ear.
Rajah Betta is a part of a larger and younger Electronic Music scene that not only values the process, but the variety of spaces and communities for which the genre bends itself. Through his discography he displays his nuanced understanding of the genre particularly in the Brooklyn and Jersey sense. The relative formlessness of melody – which happens to be the core component of music originating from the Indian subcontinent – is refreshing and truer to the originally imagined style of the genre. ‘Offcuts’ is not just a “fusion” of Indian pop culture and the dance floor but part of a regular consignment of tunes that are making their way to a club near you.
Through his catalog it feels simple enough to recognise his commitment to being a supplier of dance tunes rather than a glorified producer. There is an enjoyment of the more fleeting nature of club music and an unpacking of global sounds through more recognisable and accommodating sub-genres. There is also a heavier inclination to imagine the idea of a crossover with a subtler approach. Even with ‘Offcuts (SF021)’ he has imagined the use of popular Indian samples in the context of a raw dance floor energy. For those of us who are obviously familiar with these sounds may feel that this treatment is very straightforward and could’ve been mangled in to a more unrecognisable form. But that seems to be exactly the kind of thing that Rajah Betta was hoping to achieve.
As the EP opens we are greeted with a strikingly familiar tune that’s chopped upto tempo. The song ‘Dirty Hairy’ spends very little time getting into a heavy bass driven drum pattern, rooted in the late night underground sound of New York. Some time in and the sample slowly reveals itself. “Washing, Washing….’ and immediately the Indian listener at least, connects the dots as to what’s to come. Rightly anticipated, the breakdown showcases teh classic Indian tune “Washing Powder Nirma’ in all it’s glory. Rajah Betta has used the tune almost in entirety, which I must say caught me off guard at first. And I’m guessing that’s also what this tune represents of some level, a moment of surprise. At this point I also realised that the project is meant to be fun and unserious and rooted in dance floor etiquette which lays heavy focus on the rhythmic interaction of samples. It is not intended to be some kind of seminal statement. The opposing tastes of the drums and the sample represents a lighthearted experiment that emphasises that electronic music isn’t strict as far as form is concerned. Looking past my initial shock, the sampling work with the word ‘Nirma’ seems obvious but the use and placement of the guitar is very tasteful. Moreover the track still preseves the “hard” sensibilities of the club sound.
Moving on to the second track titled ‘ChokL8′ I was expecting a similar approach with a highly accessible sample that the track would be lathered in. But the second track revolves around a deeper cut ,’Chok There’ by Indian Apache. The use of the sample here relies on the Patois flow. Definitely sitting on the opposite end of the spectrum in this EP, ‘ChokL8’ exemplifies Rajah Betta’s versatility as a user of samples. He isn’t relying purely on the antics of the sample here, which is something that can be said of the previous song. ‘ChokL8’ for sure is a more rounded track that successfully fuses the relatively underrepresented part of India’s indie sound with a more a straight edge club aesthetic. It’s also a more serious tune compared to ‘Dirty Hairy’ which is more lighthearted and transitionary. The use of drum breaks is more pronounced and shifts the weight from the shock of ‘Dirty Hairy’ to the driving pulse of this track.
‘Offset (SF021)’ is best enjoyed on the dance floor where the songs, I imagine, will really work their magic. It isn’t something to be consumed in isolation but in communion. The shared moment of you pretending to singalong to the verse on ‘ChokL8’ with your friends, or the shock value of ‘Dirty Hairy’ catching your entire crew off guard, are all possibilities in the club. The beauty of such releases is that it needs to be experienced in the space it was designed for.
Listen to ‘Offcuts (SF021)’ on Bandcamp
