Retro hits rock city pubs

Old hits are on a new high. Youngsters are now gyrating to the sensual Dhak dhak karne laga and the peppy Naino mein sapna — old but evergreen songs that gave Bollywood some of its famous latkas and jhatkas. Be it in the film world or ad world, old melodies from the 90’s, 80’s and even earlier are striking the right chords with young music enthusiasts, who are loving and lapping up the snazzier and contemporary remixed versions of the tracks. “The concept of dance music is not new in India. Infact, most of our songs are supposed to be danced on. Who can forget the amazing ladies’ sangeet before the weddings or chirpy dance moves of Jitendra! Contemporary Bollywood dance music is highly influenced by elements of hip-hop, house and electronica. I would say that good music is one which always evokes memories, longings... There is ‘stuff’ attached to the music that we listen to, this stuff could be old memories, people or a special moment. I think this emotional connect with old Bollywood songs combined with dance euphoria forms a hit equation in contemporary dance clubs,” says Prabhat Kumar, a city youngster. Riddhika Malhotra, a young clubbing enthusiast, adds, “Retro hits when remixed with new tunes give a new twist to the entire song. We youngsters always welcome something that is new and experimental yet has meaningful lyrics.” City-based DJs are also welcoming the comeback as it gives them a wider platform to experiment with music. “Classic songs making a comeback only proves that they were great and have a melody that is still able to strike a chord with youngsters. Recently songs like Dhak dhak karne laga, best remembered for Madhuri Dixit’s sensual chest-heaving step, has a new avatar in Rohan Sippy’s Nautanki Saala and is becoming really popular among city youngsters. As a DJ, I always keep the target audience in mind and play songs accordingly. Evergreen melodies go best with the theme of private or family parties, where people from all age-groups are present,” says DJ Barkha Kaul She adds, “My remixed versions of Bappi Lahiri’s Yaar bina chain kahan re and Disco Deewane are instant hits among youngsters.” Talking about the trend, Vinayak A., manager, sales and marketing of Club Rhino says, “Remixed tracks are doing well, but not all are too great in discs, as with time the sensibilities and sounds of music have changed. Some classics do really well in clubs, some don’t.”