Kolkata's very own funk band Popcult’s new single, C Funk, has found audiences far beyond their imagination. The reason is not hard to find, if one lends a careful ear to the song. Incredibly infectious, the grooves of the drum and congas meld into the bass licks, backed by a frolicking guitar and jangling keyboard. Tanya Sen’s voice is exotic and sensual in parts, and carries the dancing element very prominently.
All in all, this song is a complete product. “C Funk is basically Calcutta Funk — an interpretation of living in the city. It is an easy city to live in, but is the worst place due to lack of professionalism,”
says bass player Mainak Nag Chowdhury. “On the other hand, the song is completely about Kochu da (percussion maestro Monojit Datta).” The verses talk about leaving behind frustrations and breaking out of the shackles that the system tries to place on us, to curb our freedom.
“It is what Kochu da used to tell us. Life is unpredictable and when that realisation sets in, the transformation from boys to men is complete,” offers Mainak. The other members of Popcult are guitarist John Paul, drummer Gaurab Chatterjee and keyboard player Dominic Saldanha . Originally started as an acoustic duo in 2017 by Tanya and John to play cover songs, the outfit gradually expanded into a full-fledged setup, intent on making original music.
“It’s exciting to do original material. And, none of us have really played funk music in this dedicated manner. It’s a new journey,” notes Gaurab. Popcult plans to release a slew of singles, instead of bringing out a traditional studio album. “We want to keep releasing singles, as we don’t want to be sitting on the
material. In today’s day and age, it’s important to put content out. We are working on the upcoming
singles,” says Tanya. The video, directed by Ayan Mitra, is a very attraction-seeking piece of work, albeit tastefully.
Immaculately dressed band members play their respective instruments while Tanya dances and sings on a black background, separated at times by perpendicu- lar light strips. C Funk, which aired on VH1 six times a day for two weeks, features Sourav Chatterjee on congas and percussions, playing an essential part of the sound. The response the song received has been overwhelming, says Tanya.
“Musicians enjoyed it as much as commoners across all ages, which expanded the audience base,” she adds. Though the chorus of the song might seem like a strong and hopeful answer to all those suppressed souls who want to break free of shackles, it is also a narration of Monojit’s untimely death, a couple of years back.
“He died in Gurgaon, in a friend’s house, before the soundcheck at Pianoman. He was very happy, dancing in nothing except red boxers,” recalls Mainak. The line: ‘In the end/ there’ll be no pain/ We’ll go dancing and partying into the light’, seems like a fitting farewell ode.