Raggabund, a Latin-inspired reggae band on a South Asia tour, takes the stage in the suburb this evening
Raggabund, a Latin-inspired reggae band on a South Asia tour, takes the stage in the suburb this evening
A lot of people might feel that the core ethos of reggae music - one love - resonates strongly in today's fractious geo-political climate. Don Caramelo of Raggabund, a Latin-inspired reggae band from Germany, is one such person.
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The members of Raggabund
"We live in very windy times. There are many issues that we have to face if we want to live in peace in this world, and music can be a transmitter of that message. And reggae in itself has always been rebel music. It is music for taking a stand, for highlighting injustice, racism and all that stuff," he says.
In essence, then, reggae is a clarion call for harmonious living, which will ring loud this evening at a Bandra venue, when Raggabund takes the stage for a live concert. The band is on an extensive South Asia tour, playing gigs and conducting workshops across cities in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. The members of the act have never been to this part of the world before, which, says Caramelo, has only raised their excitement levels.
Paco Mendoza
"We want to catch the vibe and all the different languages, colours and people of this region," he says, adding, "The first show we did was in Karachi, and it was awesome to see how the people were singing and dancing along." The band then travelled to Colombo, before beginning the India leg of their tour in Chennai and moving on to Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Pune and 'probably the biggest city of them all', Mumbai.
The two integral members of Raggabund - Caramelo and his brother Paco Mendoza, who are travelling on this tour with De Luca and Mikey Board - grew up in Germany. But they are of South American descent, which indicates where the band's Latin influence comes from.
Don Caramelo
"We have a big family in Peru, and since childhood, we have had a view of two parts of the world living in Europe and with our family in Latin America. So, we have imbibed the South American culture, music, vibe and the heart, and brought it together with what we were listening to in Europe to develop our own style," says Caramelo.
He continues, "Reggae is only one part [of our sound] because we also love other Caribbean music, like dancehall, and all the Latin stuff, like merengue and salsa, along with hip-hop and electronic beats. We try to combine these genres, with reggae being the glue to keep it together."
Speaking about this evening's concert, Caramelo says, "We want to celebrate positivity, and introduce all the colours of this world to the audience, through reggae, Caribbean music, beat boxing, acoustic guitars, electronic beats and different languages," adding, "We want to show them that we are all the same, because the most important thing is 'one love'. That says it all."
Time 6 pm onwards
At St Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra West.
Call 22027710
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