Roots Travellers

‘Gypsy’ is a term mistakenly given to Indian migrants who arrived in Constan¬tinople around 1,000 years ago: the locals, having no knowledge of India, believed these brown-skinned people to be from Egypt. Thus the name of this outfit is a contradiction, there being no Egyptians in Rajasthan. But ever since Tony Gatlif’s 1994 film Latcho Drom began in a Rajasthan seemingly existing outside the modern world – its Indians travel by wooden cart and dance around fires – there has been room in Western world music circles for Indian musicians marketing themselves as ‘Gypsies’.

That noted, the Dhoad Gypsies – an eight-piece ensemble based in France – are an entertaining unit. In concert, they recreate the traditional Rajasthan village-fair entertainment style, with fire-eaters and belly dancers alongside musicians. Their music is an often frantic blend of tabla, harmonium, sarangi (the bowed string instrument), dholak (a large hand drum) and vocals. While song titles like ‘Rajasthani Reggae’ and ‘Experience of Colours’ might suggest an attempt to fuse Western musical styles, this is not the case: the Dhoad Gypsies remain very much a traditional outfit. Regular touring has made them a very tight band, and strong ensemble playing and singing is their strength. Tracks such as ‘Dhabi’, with its eerie sarangi solos, are very effective and for future albums the band might consider allowing in a few slower, atmospheric numbers. On CD it tends to get a bit formulaic. That said, this is a solid effort with strong production values in both the recording and packaging.