KOCHI: Six decades after Mohammed Rafi crooned ‘O..duniya ke rakhwale..’, the mellifluous track still continues to entice music lovers. And, it is this seamless love for vintage that enriches ‘Yaadon Ki Baarat’, a music band that focus on old Hindi songs.
Says Abid Anwar, one of the founders of the band, “The love people here has for songs by legends like Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle is immense. We were surprised by how much Malayalis, especially those in the Malabar area, love old Hindi music. It’s for the same reason we started the band a year ago.”
Now, Yaadon Ki Baarat has come out with their first cover, a medley that weaves together four beautiful tracks by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle.
“This is our first cover version and the feedback is very encouraging,” says Abid.
The cover version blends Pyaar Maanga Hai (Kishore Kumar), Oh Mere Dil Ke Chhain (Kishore Kumar), Jaiye Aap Kahan (Asha Bhonsle) and Chehre Hai Ya (Kishore Kumar) to create this track. This will be first in the series of covers that will be released soon.
The quartet - Abid Anwar, Neha Venugopal, Jeevan Padmakumar and Akash V H - has been gracing stage shows for some time.
They say they wanted to do their bit to bring old songs to youngsters. “That prompted us to rehash it a bit, especially on the orchestration, to give it a flavour that appeals to the youth. But, we take care to retain its innate charm and essence. After all, that is what that drew hundreds of music lovers to it,” says Abid.
These experiments were met with a positive response. “People love these tracks and are open to such experiments. We substitute instruments like tabla with Cajon and drums.
The change in rhythm patterns and sounds appeal people. Unless we mess with the true songs, people will continue to love it,” says Abid.