“Don’t forget your history, know your destiny...” was singing Bob Marley in his song “Rat Race” in 1976, and this is very close to the idea of music that inspires the Reggae Rajahs, arguably the first Indian reggae sound system, who will perform at the Aquarium lounge in Greater Kailash this evening. Their music is highly inspired by traditional reggae rhythm, but also has new features. When asked about the influences they have, the band answered, “Old is gold, you have to know the past if you want to build a future,” says Diggy Dang, the lead vocalist. The group, composed by three members has Diggy with Dj Mocity and Mr. Herbalist aka General Zooz. They began to perform in 2009 when the friends reunited in Delhi.
At the beginning of their history, the reggae scene in India was very poor and faraway from being a collective movement. “There was only dancehall and there were few good DJs, mainly playing in Goa, but now the situation is slowly changing and even if reggae is still an underground culture, many groups are slowly spreading it across the country.” The band does not use vocalism only to heat up the crowd. They use it for proper singing, a fact that is very rare in newly born reggae sound systems, too often used to find a good mix of vinyl records without providing an original contribution.
Reggae Rajahs are very active and, as they said, music is for them “A full time job. Of course, now, we are not getting much money out of it, but it is what we love to do.” The band loves playing all over India but has experienced also the European reggae scene with a long tour and a constant presence at the renowned international reggae festival Rototom.
They love playing in clubs because it is possible, literally, to touch the vibes of the audience but they enjoy open air festivals much more. They love the crowd. Indeed, their love for festivals is perfectly in tune with the best way to hear reggae music: open air and many people dancing in the daylight.
