For a journey that began from singing in Gurudwaras, UK-based brothers Kuldeep, Manjeet and Surjeet Ral or RDB (Rhythm, Dhol, Bass) as they’re better known, has indeed come a long way. Responsible for some big international and Bollywood hits, and have been pivotal in both performing and producing for several Bollywood crossover films including the comedy flick Speedy Singhs (for which they wrote the lyrics, the music and production, along with Grammy winner Ludacris), Singh is Kinng, Kambakkht Ishq, and Aloo Chaat. Their other international collaborations include tracks with Snoop Dogg, Elephant Man and Public Enemy. Now, despite the tragic loss of their brother and band member Kuldeep aka Kuly to brain tumour early this year, the band has been blazing forward, recently picking up a horde of awards for their work, which the brothers proudly dedicate to their Kuly Paji…
How do you feel after having bagged two awards at The Lebara UK Asian Music Awards 2012?
It’s great to receive awards for the work you put in, and to be honest, the Best Desi Act Award was a shock, as we been mixing it up between desi Punjabi Bollywood and urban. But the Commitment to the Scene Award meant a lot to us. Kuly Paji would have been proud of us for receiving the award and for all the work we are doing in his name. There were talks about a possible collaboration between David Guetta and RDB… There are talks about a lot of things and I guess it’s because we have collaborated with Snoop Dogg and Ludacris. Well, there is a new collaboration that has been sealed, and it will be revealed soon.
You recently dedicated Yaadhan to your brother Kuly. Is there any other project that’s coming up as a tribute to him?
Yaadhan was a tribute to him from the family and singer Nindy Kaur did Tut Giya Dil on her behalf. Here onwards, every composition that we bring out, will be dedicated to him.
How well-versed is the Chennai audience with your kind of music?
They are quite up-to-date to be honest, which is a shock, as the last show we did in Chennai was massive. They knew every song and even danced to all the new songs. Nindy Kaur was a house favourite. Her songs and stage presence got the crowd going. With music traversing boundaries, do you think that it is gradually losing its authenticity? (As it’s believed that all music sounds the same today) Well, I believe music is becoming repetitive, but it’s up to us to change it. RDB has always made a stamp on creating its own sound and we continue to do that merging world music together, RDB style.
What will be your next album about?
Our next album is called Worldwide and will show our music hits across the world. It will be a blend of all styles and features from the camp — be it Nindy, Smooth, Raftaar and some other major international stars. Any Bollywood projects in the pipeline… Yes, we are working on the soundtrack of a new movie right now, but can’t reveal the details. The songs will be for the dance floor, but we are trying to bring out some slow songs and item numbers too.