Ever since The Beatles went to Rishikesh, contemporary Western music has been influenced by Indian music, Indian philosophy and the Indian vibe in general.
But also Indian musicians began to use Western music and fuse it with Indian music, which, in a society as conservative as India, is an act of rebellion in itself already.
And I am not talking about Bollywood Pop, which is really mainstream in India, there is Indian Metal and Reggae and all kinds of fusion now.
A Russian violinist, an Indian bagpipe player, Punjabi Bangra dancers, Scottish Highland dancers, an Indian dhol player, all joining forces to create a remake of an Irish song, spiced up with some techno theme.
Does it get any more fusion than this?
Some years ago, the music stalls in Rishikesh were playing this song all day long.
In India I many times feel like I am in a movie, and this was the music to it.
Though I am breaking protocol a bit with this one, because the leading artist is a Westerner cooperating with an Indian guy, I still have to bring this song, simply because I love it.
It reminds me a bit of one of my favorite Indian/Pakistani music styles, Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis, the mystics of Islam.
And since we all know that the only good system is a sound system, I like to introduce to you a documentary about Reggae as a means of resistance in India.
