With Delhi 2 Dublin, the Canmore Folk Music Festival will present sounds from around the world.
D2D is a Vancouver-based group which fuses Irish Celtic and Punjabi music with modern electronic dance sounds.
Lead singer Sanjay Seran spoke on behalf of the band.
“We’ve played in Canmore a few times, at the Can Ho,” he said. “It was one of the most shocking surprises we’ve ever had in terms of the type of sound that’s able to come out of a place like that.
“How our music sounds there, it’s one of our favourite places to play and he’s one of our favourite sound guys to work with. And we’ve had a great reception from anyone that’s seen our shows there.”
Describing their music is a little less simple.
“It’s kinda like it’s Indian and Irish, heavy electronic bass with definite dub and reggae influences,” he explained.
That said, the music they play fits in very well with a folk festival, he stressed.
“We’ve played a lot of folk festivals – we’re playing forms of folk music, Punjabi folk and Celtic stuff, it’s all forms of folk music – and I don’t think that changes because we put them on electronic beats,” said Seran. “Just because we’re doing drum and beat versions, I don’t feel it’s no longer folk music.
“Folk music is the music of the people and as people change, I feel definitely that the music should be changing with them.”
What they play is representative of today’s folk music, he said
“Folk music was the fun music, people would get together and dance and sing and tell stories, and we’re still doing that and we’re doing it in a festival scene,” he said. “We are dance music, so our priority is to have fun on stage for us, and I think that translates to the audience.
“We want to make high energy, fun music. It doesn’t mean we don’t take it seriously, we take having fun seriously. That’s our goal; if when we’re on stage it’s not a party for us, then something’s not right.”
Which is not to say the music cannot be slower or chilled out, said Seran.
“It’s still in that vibe,” he said. “We let the music speak for itself. We’re not overly political, we’ve got some views definitely, but we’re more spiritual and we feel if we bring happiness, we’re doing our job.”
When it comes to being a musician, writing music, recording it and then performing it live are all cherished aspects, but the performing is the reward for all the work, said Seran.
“Being on the road is really not that fun, but once you’re on stage, it’s the time of your life,” he said. “Recording is really fun, it’s an interesting process, you’re kinda growing as a person, where you have to dig into yourself and see what you’re capable of doing, especially with lyrics.
“It’s an opportunity to let a little bit of myself out in a song, but my writing is based on something I think or feel or experiencing or am going through at that time. You put a little bit of yourself out there in the recording process.”
This summer, D2D is doing much touring, playing shows and festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“If you play club shows and you’re headlining, it’s smaller, but they’re definitely all there to see you,” he said. “In festivals, you get people who are there for the whole experience and they end up catching you.
“But there’s something about the big stages, you’re just free to move and not be restricted. For us, the bigger the stage, the more crazy we can get and in that way the festivals are really great. And the atmosphere’s awesome, because they’re usually in the summer, people are chilled out, you get to take in other acts and stuff like that, so it’s a little more relaxed.”
Canmore will be more of a small festival, but that too will have great appeal, said Seran.
“The little festivals are a little more intimate, and people catch you walking around,” he said.
The festival takes place July 30 to Aug. 1 at Centennial Park. D2D’s main stage performance is July 31 at 10 p.m.
