Delhi 2 Dublin Resonates

By Dave O Rama | BC Musician Magazine

Brought together for a one-off performance at the Vancouver Celtic Festival in 2006, their unique blend of electronic dance beats infused with Punjabi Bhangra and Celtic folk music has resonated with audiences in a profound way and has made Delhi 2 Dublin a much sought after touring act both in Canada and internationally.

Currently on tour in eastern Canada, I caught up with D2D lead singer Sanjay Seran hours before the band is to take the stage in London, Ontario. The current tour will see the band working their way back through the United States and the Prairies then finishing up back home with several dates in BC before everything settles down for the holiday season.

As Seran explains, “we have a new agent in the states who’s killing it for us. He manages Balkan Beat Box, so he knows exactly what to do with us.” Seran is stoked at the positive reception D2D has received south of the border. “We show up at certain festivals all over the states and we’re right at home. We also finally got to do some gigs in L.A. and get that ball rolling as well.”

Seran figures Delhi 2 Dublin currently puts in about two hundred days a year on the road, including recent excursions into Europe and the Asian Pacific Rim. Seran explains that their secret is about being disciplined on the road. “We eat healthy and try to get to the gym when we can. We don’t party on the road or drink. There’s no way you can maintain that with all the demands of touring.” He Jokingly adds, “coconut water, that’s the magic trick.”

The Delhi 2 Dublin musical hybrid has certainly given the band a broad appeal where their live bookings can span electronic, Indian, folk and world music events. This gives the band wide appeal but I also wondered whether there is ever any resistance from musical purists within these diverse audiences. Seran is straight up on the question: “The Indian audiences have completely accepted us – it’s the hard core folk-heads who complain that this is not what folk festivals should be like.”

Read the rest of the in BC Musician Magazine here!