BREAK ON THRU’

The Kamath brothers give Sufi music an electro-rock punch

Their latest track Teri deewangi has been warming the number 2 slot on the music charts for the last three weeks. From a brand of music that blends elements of Sufi with rock, their sound can be best described as neo-

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. But guitar-toting siblings Naresh and Paresh Kamath, and folk singer Kailash Kher who they make music for, differ in more than just their musical preferences.

While Kher comes from a Hindustani classical background, the brothers are well recognised on the city’s rock music circuit. As guitarist and vocalist of six-year-old band Bombay Black, Paresh and Naresh have performed numerous gigs in the country and abroad, having travelled to the US after winning the Great Indian Rock competition in 2001.

The Kamath duo started with college rock bands Witch Hammer, Modus Operandi and Crisis, later joining the jazz-oriented Divya, which included the likes of Ranjit Barot, Din Shah, Shankar Mahadevan and Roy Venkataraman.

But it was working with singer Shaan on his album Aksar, that had them change tracks. ‘‘We were as much music snobs as the rest of our rocker friends. But touring with Shaan, across the length and breadth of the country, and seeing fans in every city line up and go mad, gave us a huge reality check. We realised that being able to take your music to such sheer numbers was also a test of talent,’’ says Paresh. ‘‘Of course the fact that we made so much money was also responsible for that train of thought,’’ adds Naresh.

But it took them another couple of years, a stint with Asha Bhonsle, an offer to start a boy band, and a couple of jingles, to finally meet a perfect match in Kher.

‘‘After working with Kher, we’ve explored a whole new genre of music,’’ says Naresh. Kher’s manager asked the brothers to make music for a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan song that the singer had recorded.

Not having heard much of the legendary Sufi singer’s music, the brothers were able to give a fresh sound to the song, which surprised industry professionals. ‘‘Kailash, who comes from a traditional gharana style of music, was stunned at first, but he loved it,’’ says Paresh.

Now the trio are inseparable. After Awaargi and their last hit Kailasa, their future albums will explore other folk and traditional music.

If these rockers are cool with Hindustani music, ‘‘Kailash greets friends with a ‘Hey dude’ these days,’’ says Naresh.