Regaling diverse audiences with a fusion of spirited Rajasthani music and soulful Sufi kalam, 'Barmer Boys', a band of musicians from Rajasthan's Manganiyar tradition of Rajasthan are making leaps in the Indian music circuit.
Featuring percussionist Rais Khan, vocalist and Harmonium player Manga 'Mangey' Khan and 'Dholak' player Tarif Khan, the band which has performed at multiple events like the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Escape festival, Roskilde festival in Denmark, has been gaining much prominence after being featured on season 3 of MTV Coke Studio (August 2013).
The band released their first album 'At Home: Barmer Boys' in 2011 on Amarrass records.
While Manga Khan lends vocals to numbers like 'Bolo toh Mitho Lage', 'Hum bhi Jaaney', 'Parosan Le Gayi re', Rais Khan is impressive with indigenous folk instruments like 'morchang', 'bhapang', and 'khartal'.
Apart from lending strong percussions, Rais is also the man behind the contemporary face of the band with his brand of impromptu, boisterous beat-boxing, which he picked during collaborations with UK beat-boxer Jason Singh.
The artists say that it is their way of constantly trying to present a blend of "new sounds keeping in mind young audiences".
Ankur Malhotra of Amarrass Records, who are behind bringing the band together says that experimenting with contemporary sounds is a learning experience for the artists as much as it is a way to pull younger audiences.
"They (artists) are also very curious. Right now they've already jammed with the top stars from Male, from Niger, from Istanbul, the US, places all over the world. They've interacted with so many different sounds, so for them it is also a learning process," Malhotra told PTI in an interview.
Ankur says that is a process of give and take, giving the audience contemporary music as well as finding a platform to present music from the roots of our culture.
And the audiences don't seem to be complaining as they can't help but be drawn to the rustic notes of Barmer Boys when the band performs on stage donning typical Rajasthani attire with bright turbans and flowy 'kurta and salwar'.
