Delhi 2 Dublin are no strangers to the Nelson area. They are regulars at both the Spiritbar and Shambhala Music Festival. They are headed back to Spiritbar on November 15 and 16 for back-to-back shows. But before they return to the Kootenays, {vurb} editor Megan Cole caught up with DJ and producer Tarun Nayar.
What is the one album in your collection you can’t live without?
You know which album I’ve been listening to a lot recently is Kaya by Bob Marley. I don’t know if that’s the one but it’s the one that comes to mine. I got a new iPhone so all of my music got erased in my transfer, I put a couple albums on it and Kaya was one of them. It’s been nice revisiting that. A close second would be the Eye in the Sky by the Alan Parson’s Project from way back in they day. That’s one I have on vinyl and it gets played on stop when I’m at home.
I know you guys tour internationally, and visit a lot of “exotic” countries, what is the weirdest food you’ve eaten on the road?
This isn’t me but the fiddle player that played for us for a while Jaron, he is a great Canadian musician who isn’t playing with us right now because he is busy with his own project, but he was in Brunei with us a year and a half a go and everything was kind of weird so we weren’t expecting normal food textures. We were all sitting down for dinner at this deluxe resort hotel we were staying at. He sits down and there were these skewers, these marinaded skewers of meat and he just starts chowing down. We were all so hungry and he realizes he had been eating raw chicken skewers. He didn’t realize you were supposed to take them and grill them before you eat them. He just all of a sudden had this horror panic stricken look on his face and I asked what was up and he said “These were raw.” And I saw raw what, and he said “Raw chicken.” He started trying to make himself puke at the table. He didn’t get sick from them. He has a strong immune system that little mountain goat.
As the producer for Delhi 2 Dublin, what do you think of all the mainstreaming of electronic music in top 40s music right now?
I don’t mind it. I think it is kind of natural and a long time coming. I think the UK has had electronic music for their mainstream for a long time. There have been cross over hits before. I’m a little tired of the whole chain saw dubstep thing, I think a lot of people are. But I’m still into bass music. I think bass music in general is still evolving and people are doing a lot there. Anytime drum and bass peaks its head back up from obscurity it’s great. I don’t think electronic music should be only underground, I think everyone should listen to it. I think that is one of the interesting things about us having electronic music in our sound, it makes it more accessible to people who don’t listen to electronic.
You guys spend a lot of time on stage, but what are some of the best live shows you’ve seen this year?
I saw a great show last night in Vancouver at the Vogue, it was Matisyahu and more important it was the trio he tours with called Dub Trio, which I think is my favourite live band at the moment. There is a reggae artist that we’re all a big fan of called Taj Weekes. We got to see him play a couple of times at Salmon Arm Roots and Blues this year. I stayed for the whole Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Fest this year, it was so nice, and Shred Kelly at the after party totally killed it. That was a total stand out. Five Alarm Funk played a great show at Salmon Arm as well. We were at this great festival called Bali Spirit Festival in Indonesia in March and there were a couple of bands there that were great. There was one hip hop crew from LA called The Luminaries and there is this guy from Hawaii, a great performer called Nakho. He plays with a band called Medicine for the People. We really appreciate when we get to see other bands play at the festivals we visit.
What’s your favourite place to visit when you’re in Nelson?
I’ve always wanted to go to the Preserved Seed, but it’s never open, they have the weirdest hours. Oso Negro is obviously a favourite and we have a really good buddy who hosts us when we’re there and tubing down the Slocan in the summer.
