Sufi in a Café

Bally Sagoo says his latest album doesn’t fall into one category — it is easy listening, global music, it has Punjabi and Bollywood flavours and is for different age groups and people

The crossover man Bally Sagoo Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

When you are more than 30 years into your career, pomp and pride can certainly do you more good than harm. UK Punjabi producer Bally Sagoo, who is best known for hits such as ‘Noorie’ and a lounge rendition of ‘Chura Liya’, is now on to his 17th album called Café Punjab . Says Sagoo over the phone from Mumbai, where he is promoting the new album, “It is a very feel-good, chill out album. It has got eight songs – all Punjabi and a few cover versions of classic songs that I’ve remade. It pays homage to my roots.” Sagoo spent about two years on Café Punjab, auditioning singers from across India. He says: “I always have a line of singers, whether it is flight attendants or waiters at restaurants. Everywhere I go, people want to sing, so I try to take time out and give new people a chance.” Shuttling between India and UK, the producer opens up about his sound and the album.

What has your evolution been like?

I’ve been making music as a child, really. I went pro in 1989 in school. I’ve started a very big music craze around the world. I was DJing since my school days in the late 70s. I was at the forefront of the desi music scene. I’ve done more than 17 albums, actually – loads of EPs and singles.

How would you describe the sound on Café Punjab?

I wanted an international sounding lounge album, really, like Café del Mar and Buddha Bar albums. That’s my music – it is very crossover. It has got oriental sounds, very western sounds and the vocals are all Punjabi so it has got a Sufi element as well. It has an old school reggae vibe to it as well. All the songs are more laidback and chilled out. It still has the Bally Sagoo signature bass line. I’ve spent a lot of money on the production and the musicians. We have gone through great detail and depth to get a nice, warm sound. You will hear the big strings, the big flutes from Bollywood – there is a lot of depth to it.

What was it like getting collaborators for this album?

The vocalists have done a fantastic job. They are all new and unknown. The title track ‘Challeya’ is sung by a Bengali girl. She’s never sang Punjabi in her life and can’t even speak it, but she has done a very good job and I love her voice. She was a bit nervous trying to sing it, but it turned out superb.

How do you feel this fits in with how Punjabi music is perceived globally today?

This is a global CD. I wouldn’t say it goes into one category really. It falls into so many different categories. It is easy listening, it is a global music album, it has Punjabi and Bollywood flavours in it. It is an international album. It is for different age groups and different people. Punjabi is very big globally anyway. It has always had that audience worldwide. We’re proud to be making music like this, but I wanted to be the first to bring this kind of sound to the scene and be a trendsetter as I always am. It is a breath of fresh air from what’s happening on the scene right now, for sure.

Don’t you feel tired of playing the old hits?

The 90s were a great time for my music – I’ve been making so much music that I never understand what happens globally, but I never worry about what the scene wants and what it is into. I just concentrate on what I like to do and hope that the fans out there will enjoy it. I keep my ears to the ground and do what other people want to hear.

I didn’t want to ruin the whole journey by throwing in some upbeat tracks and that is why I called it Café Punjab. It’s got a very feel-good vibe to it. It’ll do well internationally as well, because I don’t only think of India as my market. My market is global. That’s the important thing with my music.