An Interview with RIKSHA

Legend:
Ravi = Green
Vikas = Blue
Amit = Red

How did the group first come together? When was this?

Ravi: RIKSHA was formed in the summer of 2001 by Amit and me. It was just a side project for us to just write songs and produce different types of tracks for other artists until Amit introduced me to Vikas in January 2002. Then everything changed.

Vikas: Amit is my cousin, so I've always known him. Anyway, he brought me into the studio later on the same month, and I got introduced to Ravi and we started making some tunes. RIKSHA formed after that, making our formal debut in the summer of 2003.

What would you say makes RIKSHA unique in today's musical climate?

Ravi: RIKSHA is South Asian cool. Unpretentious, non-gangsta/thug, joyous and conscientious music that speaks about lives we live. We mean everything we say. There is an authenticity to RIKSHA that you don't find in commercial pop and hip hop.

Vikas: Our extreme sexiness. I mean, it's really unbelievable how attractive we are. Ummm okay, seriously, I think it's the topic material really. The songs represent our own musical tastes, our own thoughts. It's more personal than popular music in some ways.

Amit: I think RIKSHA's originality comes from the way we blend the retro Bollywood vibe with modern genres of music like hip hop, alternative rock, R&B and Electronica. The music is produced using original lyrics/rhymes that speak about the positive and negative aspects of growing up as South Asians in North America.

I notice many influences in your music, from Cornershop to the Stone Roses to Eric B. What would you say are a few of your influences, lyrically and musically?

Ravi: For me, the 3 you named are it. The only musical influences I'd add are Outkast, and Black Eyed Peas.

Vikas: My list is just too long to write. I think I could tell you how I've been influenced by just about any emcee you could name. I try to learn something positive from every hip hop artist I like (or don't). What sounds good, what doesn't. What people wanna hear on different kinda beats. I've been listening to hip hop for so long that my influences span almost 2 decades. So I hope I don't sound like I'm taking the easy way out…I would just hate to mention some names and then later on be thinking "Damn, why didn't I say HIM?"

How have these influences shaped your sound? What else has shaped your sound?

Amit: I've always tried to write lyrics that are meaningful and speak to the North American born South Asian youth about the blending of two cultures and their life experiences. Music is a very important part of that experience, so the blending of the popular 70s Bollywood sound of India and western popular music in our music is a very natural thing.

Vikas: Like I said, I try to learn something from every kind of music I hear. Not just hip-hop though. Once I grew out of the gangsta rap phase of the early/mid 90's, I started expanding my musical tastes: Jazz, rock, blues, filmi, and even crooner music. Good music shapes my sound.

How do you go about the music creation process? Do you all write the songs/music together or do you each concentrate on certain aspects of the music?

Ravi: I write, arrange and produce the music. Then I give the other two copies and they come back with the lyrics. Or sometimes it works the other way around where they give me lyrics and I create music for it.

Vikas: Well, initially when I started working with Riksha, the beats were already produced. So for the first few songs I recorded, I wrote lyrics for the beats. Now it's a little more conceptual…we all have more input, and songs are created from the idea outwards.

You released your first full length album "Your Very Own" in 2004. What was the impetus behind it? What did you want to get across lyrically and musically to audiences and listeners?

Amit: For me, the idea behind "Your Very Own" was derived from the fact that we felt the music industry was lacking something that we as South Asian - North Americans could identify with. When it came to popular music, the question we asked ourselves was where do WE fit in? I mean, we enjoy all genres of music, but none of it spoke to us or addressed our South Asian experience. Besides, we didn't want all the Indian music samples being misappropriated in pop today by non-South Asian artists, to be the only representation of our culture in the mainstream. So the challenge was to create popular music where the lyrics and rhymes that spoke to South Asians, but people of all races could enjoy. We wanted to produce a pop record that was from us and by us, but for everybody. It's about taking ownership; I think we did that.

Vikas: I write in a general form so it's always a personal perspective. I can't say I ever have an agenda in what I do…I just write when I feel like I have something to say, or when I have a new rhyme structure I'd like to explore. So everything I wrote for "Your Very Own" was done with a clear head and no goal other than to rock the mic.

How has the record been received so far?

Vikas: I think it's been pretty positive. It's the first release we've had, and we really never planned to make money on this. It was more about testing the waters I think, making sure we can make noise with our concept. I think when people see the live act; they'll know that we're growing better and hungrier with each show.

I notice a lot of tongue in cheek, cynicism and sarcasm in your lyrics. How has the experience of being 2nd generation South Asian shaped your music and contributed to your lyrics? What message, if any, are you trying to impart through songs like "Uncle G" and "Smells Like Curry"

Amit: I think our experiences as 2nd generation South Asians motivated us to write all the songs on the album. There is a common experience that we all share as South Asians that we don't always attribute a value to like, going to see Indian movies, eating at Indian food, dressing up in Indian clothes, listening to Indian music and attending Indian religious functions/weddings. It's what binds us and influences our outlook.

Vikas: To some degree, my verses on the album were written more for the sound than the topic material. I don't think being South Asian is ever conscientiously in my head when I write, because I never think of myself as a South Asian around my peers. That's why I think "Smells Like Curry" is really just making fun of a South Asian stereotype. We know it's inevitable that we'll be seen as South Asians so we'll have fun with it.

RIKSHA's live performances are a multimedia, high energy showcase. How important is live performance to you guys?

Vikas: I live for the stage…it's the reason I write rhymes. I love the live stuff 'cause it gives me an opportunity to be personal with a crowd. I feel like the more shows you do, the stronger you'll get as a musician. I get more confident with each appearance, so I love the live stuff.

Ravi: Well, It's a different thing from the record. They way I see it is that a live performance is about the physical thrill reaction you give the audience, whereas listening to the record is more a of vibe connection experienced by an individual listener. I think only when you experience both can you fully enjoy RIKSHA music.

What are the future plans for RIKSHA?

Amit: We're putting a video together for our single "Dolly", and that's pretty much taking up most of our time. You can't get anywhere without a video, so we just want to do it right the first time. Beyond that, all we're gearing up for our next album which is a ticking time bomb so we're really excited about it.

Music samples:
Riksha – It's the Brown
Riksha– Smells like Curry
Riksha – Dolly