Naf and Thomas

They burst on to the scene with a rich mix of pop, bhangra and hip hop. But in keeping with the times, the Bombay Rockers — Naf and Thomas — have thrown in some electronica in their latest album. A t2 chat...

From the successful Rock the Party to your latest Rock And Dhol — which you say has a ‘new sound’ — how has the journey shaped up for Bombay Rockers?

Thomas: It’s been a natural journey; we try to keep evolving with each album. With lot of electronic vibes now, I don’t think we even gave it that much thought. We have naturally incorporated electronic vibes. The album Rock and Dhol is up-tempo, with a lot of electronic influences. It’s a new time and a new era and we just found that it really fitted our music well.

How has the Bombay Rockers sound evolved from Introducing, your debut album, to Rock and Dhol?

Thomas: A lot of things have happened. There were pop, hip hop and some dance elements in our previous albums. We have added some electronic vibes to our new album and it sounds even better.

The core sound of the band incorporates hip hop and bhangra seamlessly. How did you achieve this?

Naf: We don’t do that much hip hop and bhangra anymore. We have tried different genres like dancehall and mostly pop, Punjabi/ Hindi. But yes, it’s been our trademark from the beginning— the mixture of the genres.

Thomas: We have done that blend a couple of times but we tried to do it in a different way, we did it with Aari Aari. We blended it with rap instead of just hip hop and we did it for Dhola on our second album Crash and Burn. We don’t want to overdo the bhangra and hip hop as so many people have done it. We have done Punjabi stuff in a different and new way.

What is the ‘new sound’ on the album?

Naf: The new sound is more electro. Rock and Dhol doesn’t justify the sound of the album but it justifies Bombay Rockers.

Who are your biggest influences collectively?

Thomas: For me, it’s mostly the producers like Neptunes and Timbaland.

Naf: It’s a mixture of ghazals, Punjabi music and Bollywood that has influenced me.

What’s next in line for Bombay Rockers?

Thomas: Right now, it’s all about promoting Rock and Dhol and touring. That’s our agenda.