Bangladeshi rock
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
Bangladeshi rock music | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Early 1960s in Chittagong, Dhaka |
Typical instruments |
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Derivative forms | Bangladeshi heavy metal |
Bangladeshi rock music, or Bangla rock music, is a style of music in
From the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, Bangladeshi rock was heavily influential in the development of various
Rock and roll (1960s to mid-1980s)
Origins
The foundations of Bangladeshi rock started in the 1950s as a fusion of
There is much debate as to who was the first rock band in the country. Zinga, formed in 1963 in
Before becoming a successful
The Concert for Bangladesh
As
Concerts for relief efforts were held at 2:30 pm and 8:00 pm on Sunday, 1 August 1971 in
The Concert for Bangladesh was the first-ever
Post-independence
Most of the Bangladeshi rock bands from the 1960s did not become successful and disbanded after the war in 1971. Some musicians went abroad or formed new bands.[13]
One of the first bands of independent Bangladesh was Underground Peace Lovers (UPL), formed in 1972 in Dhaka.[14] Uccharon were the biggest band of that era in South Asia. Inspired by 1960s rock music and some Hindustani classical music, their frontman Azam Khan introduced hippie fashion to the scene.[15] Khan was also a freedom fighter and renowned protest singer during the war, and inspired soldiers during training with his songs. His first song, "Hai Allah Re!" became a hit in 1973. "Bangladesh", a song released by his band in 1975, was a protest song and inspired many bands to write songs about the struggle of the poor.[16] They had more hit songs later in the decade including "Ami Jare Chaire" (1975), "Ashi Ashi Bole Tumi" (1977) and "Papri Keno Bojhena" (1978).
On the other hand,
Pop rock
In mid-1970s Bangladesh, more bands were formed, mostly in Chittagong and Dhaka. There were twenty to thirty bands in the two cities playing in clubs, hotels and halls. Most of them were influenced by the British Invasion, Adhunik music and the early rock and roll scene in Bangladesh.[17]
The Akhand Brothers Band is often called[by whom?] the country's first pop rock band. With songs like "Abar Elo Je Shondha" (1972), "Ke Bashi Bajai Re" (1974), and "Neel Neel Shari Porey" (1978), the brothers Lucky and Happy Akhand became very popular throughout the country.[18] They helped almost all successful bands and artists like Ferdous Wahid, Kumar Bishwajit, Ayub Bachchu and James, throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.[how?] Pop rock music was also led by the Chittagong-based band Souls. After their first single "Mon Shudhu Mon Chuyeche" in 1980, the band was appreciated by older rock bands. They released their debut album Super Souls two years later, which made them one of the most popular bands in the country. Though not considered a rock band by many critics,[who?] Feedback was successful during the decade, using keyboards as a lead instrument, which gave them a more techno sound than earlier bands. Inspired by Azam Khan, they imitated hippie fashion, wrote songs to change the cultural values of Bangladesh, and were often political.[19] The band Miles released a self titled debut album in 1982, which was the first all-English album in the country. It only featured two original songs by the band.
Most 1970s bands disbanded because of their vocalists' prominence. In the 1980s however, bands stayed together and continued to release hit singles and albums into the 1990s.
More subgenres emerged, such as psychedelic rock and hard rock. Nova was successful in the 1980s as a psychedelic rock band.[20]
Development (late 1980s to mid 1990s)
Pop and hard rock
Bands from the 1980s continued their success along with new bands of the 1990s. In the 1960s to 1980s, many rock bands were formed in Chittagong, but often went to Dhaka in the 1990s for better studio services and success. The 1990s are sometimes considered the most productive decade in Bangladeshi music history.
In contrast, hard rock was more influenced by 1960s psychedelic rock, blues rock and 1970s Bangladeshi rock artists. The most successful and influential psychedelic rock band of the time was Nova.
The most successful blues rock band was Love Runs Blind,[25] which went on to release several bestselling albums. Ayub Bachchu, the vocalist and electric guitarist of the band, is considered[by whom?] to be the greatest guitarist of Bangladesh and the one of the first to use distortion.[26] Some earlier bands also became interested in the genre as its popularity grew. Feedback and Souls had some hard rock songs in their albums from 1993–1996.
Heavy metal
With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and the British heavy metal bands of the 1970s, heavy metal was introduced in Bangladesh in the mid-1980s by several bands formed by high school and college students. The bands that played heavy metal developed a sound characterized by overt rhythmic basslines, highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness.[27]
Bangladeshi heavy metal songwriters, inspired by the lyrics of
Though it was a significant subgenre of rock, many heavy metal bands were not as popular as Warfaze, and most disbanded in the same decade. The genre reached peak commercial popularity in 1997–1998, before many acts moved off in a variety of directions, including Warfaze and Cryptic Fate, who began to develop neoclassical metal and thrash metal respectively.
New subgenres and Chharpotro (late 1990s to mid 2000s)
Folk rock
Some Bangladeshi rock bands wanted to show their respect for the country's classical and folk music to classical music lovers, musicians, and critics. Following Azam Khan[29] and the bands Windy Side of Care and Spondon, Dalchhut included folk rock on their first three albums, Ah (1997), Hridoypur (2000) and Akashchuri (2002).[30] Aurthohin formed mainly as a heavy metal band but also composed folk rock hits like "Adbhut Shei Cheleti" and "Amar Protichhobi". Frontman Saidus Salehin Sumon also composed folk rock songs as a solo artist. His debut solo album Sumon O Aurthohin was one of the first folk rock albums in the country. Aurthohin's first few records are also considered to be some of the first pure folk rock records in Bangladesh, as they used rock instruments in their songs.
Folk rock music gradually changed in the mid-2000s, when Bangla started composing Lalon songs as a band. Lalon-inspired folk rock first appeared on their debut album Kingkortobbobimurho in 2002. Their attitude toward conservative Bangladeshis impacted the band members, and along with many bands of the era they were protesting against conservative religious leaders and politicians. Many bands started covering Lalon songs, as they connected with his philosophy on a spiritual level. Lalon Band and Arnob are some successful artists who performed Lalon songs. Renowned rock musician Ayub Bachchu was inspired to make folk songs by these bands and released Vatir Gane Matir Tane (2006), an Abdul Alim cover album. The genre later influenced successful bands like Chirkutt and Shironamhin, who experimented with many rock genres, mainly classical, rock and folk.
Disagreement over what the best decade for Bangladeshi rock was led to a feud between musicians Sumon and Bachchu. In the early 2000s after Aurthohin's first release, Bachchu said they are "a good band, but their music has no role behind the development of the country's music industry".[31] Bachchu also warned people that AmaderGaan.com, which he claimed was run by Sumon, was spreading information online that he felt was bad for the music industry. He made the comment after learning that Sumon had alleged that he never promotes newcomers nor gives them space in the music industry.[31]
Alternative music
Throughout the 1990s, American and British alternative bands influenced several young bands in Bangladesh, especially late 1990s and early 2000s
Around 1998, Wire, Kopropholia, Clover Minds, and the Spanking Monkeys began playing alternative rock in Dhaka. However, they were not very successful at the time.[32][33]
Grunge
Around the same time, the band
Chharpotro
Chharpotro is one of the most important band mixed albums released in 2001. It was a huge milestone for the country’s band industry. The main idea was to promote newer/underground bands to people. Bands like Artcell and Black started their journey and debuted with their first songs through this album. Bands like Metal Maze and Cryptic Fate also gained popularity after the albums release.[35]
Experimental
New millennium (late 2000s to mid 2010s)
Blues rock
Ayub Bachchu started his project AB Blues Club around 2007. He said, "A number of our songs are in blues scale, but we usually perform them in a more rock flavor".[38] A Jazz and Blues Festival was held in Dhaka in 2015 and 2017, where musicians from Bangladesh, the UK, and the US performed.[38][39]
Progressive and experimental metal
In the mid-2000s folk and alternative rock scene, a few
Many Bangladeshi progressive metal and experimental metal bands have changed popular rock music. Bands like Karnival and Owned have especially progressed the industry. Karnival released three successful albums, and Owned has published two. Bands such as Messianic Era, Ossrik, Seventh Sign, Jogot, and Attic are also notable.[43] By the end of the decade, there was a resurgence of hard and alternative rock in the country, with bands like Unmaad, the Conclusion, Adverb, and The Perfect Criminals releasing albums.
Possible decline
Many critics and musicians have claimed that rock music declined in popularity in Bangladesh during the 2010s.[
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is mainly an underground genre, which became commercially successful in Bangladesh in the late 2000s, when Powersurge and Mechanix took part in D-Rockstar 2008.[51] In that competition, Powersurge finished in first place and Mechanix in second. They were the most significant bands of the genre in the country, and they introduced thrash and groove metal to a wider audience. Severe Dementia introduced death metal a few years before them. Death metal vocals are usually delivered as guttural death growls or high-pitched screaming, complemented by downtuned, highly distorted guitars and extremely fast double bass percussion.[52] The genre's bands had no intention of commercial success, as they were all fans of underground extreme metal of the 1980s.[53] These three bands are considered[by whom?] to be the pioneers of Bangladeshi extreme metal, introducing a different style and sound to rock. They were also criticized for the horrific images on their album covers. Other significant extreme metal bands of the decade include Hallucination, Minerva, Dissector, Thrash, Trainwreck and Nafaarmaan. In 2018, Powersurge guitarist Saimum Hasan Nahian urged the organizers of Wacken Open Air to hold a concert in Bangladesh.[54] The Wacken Metal Battle concert was held in the Russian Cultural Center in Dhaka. Five bands, Karma, Ionic Bond, Torture Goregrinder, Infidel and Trainwreck took part in the competition, with the latter being declared the winner.[55] They also performed at Bangalore Open Air, where they competed against other metal bands from Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. They won entry into Wacken Open Air, the first Bangladeshi band to do so.[56]
Notable bands
Formed | Name | Genre | Language | City of origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | The Rambling Stones | Rock | English | Dhaka |
1972 | Uccharon | Rock, pop rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1972 | Spondan | Rock, folk rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1972 | Souls | Pop rock, soft rock | Bangla and English | Chittagong |
1976 | Feedback | Pop rock, soft rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1979 | Miles | Pop rock | Bangla and English | Dhaka |
1980 | Nagar Baul | Blues rock, hard rock | Bangla and English | Chittagong |
1983 | Winning | Soft rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1984 | Warfaze | Heavy metal, hard rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1985 | Different Touch | Pop rock | Bangla | Khulna |
1985 | Obscure | Pop rock | Bangla | Khulna |
1986 | Nova | Rock music, hard rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1991 | LRB | Hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal | Bangla | Chittagong |
1991 | Ark | Pop rock | Bangla | Chittagong |
1993 | Cryptic Fate | Progressive metal | Bangla and English | Dhaka |
1996 | Shironamhin | Progressive rock, alternative rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1996 | Dalchhut | Folk rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1998 | Aurthohin | Heavy metal | Bangla | Dhaka |
1998 | Black | Grunge, alternative rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1999 | Artcell | Progressive metal, progressive rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
1999 | Nemesis | Alternative rock | Bangla and English | Dhaka |
1999 | Bangla | Madari rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2001 | Stentorian | Heavy metal | Bangla | Dhaka |
2001 | Vibe |
Progressive rock, hard rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2001 | Lalon Band | Folk rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2002 | Arbovirus | Alternative metal, nu metal | Bangla | Dhaka |
2002 | Chirkutt | Experimental rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2005 | Meghdol | Alternative rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2006 | De-illumination | Symphonic metal | Bangla | Dhaka |
2006 | Joler Gaan | Folk music | Bangla | Dhaka |
2006 | Powersurge | Thrash metal | Bangla and English | Dhaka |
2007 | Shunno | Alternative rock, pop rock, pop | Bangla | Dhaka |
2007 | Border | Hard rock, Folk rock, Rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2007 | Trainwreck | Heavy metal | English | Dhaka |
2010 | Bay of Bengal | Experimental rock, experimental metal | Bangla | Chittagong |
2012 | Indalo | Rock, psychedelic rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2016 | MNB (Mizan n Brothers) | Progressive rock, rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2017 | Avash | Alternative rock | Bangla | Dhaka |
2023 | Half and Half |
Rock | Bangla and English | Rajshahi |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Zinga Biography". zingagoshty.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ Karim, Elita (11 October 2003). "The Windy Side of Care: Rafi Omar and Rafique M. Islam interviewed about their days as carefree boys". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Noted bands rock the audience at International Convention Center". The Daily Observer. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Zafar Iqbal, an actor, musician and a freedom fighter". Dhaka Tribune. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ a b Lavezzoli, pp. 186–87.
- ^ Schaffner, p. 146.
- ^ Eds of Rolling Stone, p. 42.
- ^ Leng, p. 111.
- ^ James Sullivan, "George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh Featured Drug Trouble for Eric Clapton, Stage Fright for Bob Dylan", spinner.com, 1 August 2011. Accessed 12 October 2013 (archived 20 June 2013).
- ^ Interviews with Charles J. Lyons and Kofi Annan, in The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited.
- ^ Rodriguez, p. 51.
- ^ "Past Winners Search", grammy.com (retrieved 14 March 2013).
- ^ Mahmud, Jamil (4 July 2011). "A lesson in the evolution of Bangladeshi rock music". The Daily Star. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Underground Peace Lovers: We practiced music from our hearts". Dhaka Tribune. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "Bangladeshi rock, once the sound of rebellion, the scene is now fading". Quartz India. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Where have the rebel bands of Bangladesh gone?". The Daily Star. 15 December 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "The Turbulent Evolution of Rock music in Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 30 April 2004. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "The Akhand Brothers: Happy Akhand's romance with music". The Daily Star. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Feedback and Maqsood O' Dhaka: A soulful musical expedition of Maqsoodul Haque". The Asian Age. Dhaka. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Nova still making mark in Bangladeshi rock scene". Dhaka Courier. 28 September 2018.
- ^ a b "1990's: The decade that shook the whole country". The Daily Star. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "31 Years Celebration of Bangladesh Musical Bands Association". Bangla Tribune. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "The Evolution of Band Music in Bangladesh". The Financial Express. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Hasan: My biggest inspiration is Michael Jackson". The Daily Star. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "The Last Riff". The Daily Star. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Looking back at some of Ayub Bachchu's songs". The Daily Sun. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "The Metal Rebel: Bangladeshi scene report". The Metal Rebel. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Warfaze ranked 4th in The Top Tens 'Top 10 Hard Rock Bands of the World'". The Asian Age. Dhaka. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Rockbaji: Heavy on this side, hard on the other. The ideal recipe for Bengal-Bangla tie-up". The Times of India. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Dalchhut: How it's going on". The Daily Star. 25 November 2003. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Ayub Bachchu and Saidus Sumon: The feud that rocked the country". Dhaka Tribune. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Underground". The Daily Star. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ "Legacy Of Bangladeshi Rock and Roll". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ Mehek, Sabrina (15 February 2014). "BLACK". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Charpotro [Band Mixed Album]". banglacdcovers.blogspot.com. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Arnob, Sahana, Shironamhin and Bappa: Tagore in their hearts". The Daily Star. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ রবীন্দ্রসংগীত নিয়ে 'শিরোনামহীন' ['Shironamhin' on Rabindra Sangeet]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b Ferdous, Fahmim (3 November 2015). "'I want to show the world you can do Blues in Bangla'". The Daily Star. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "'Jazz & Blues Festival' kicks off tomorrow". The Independent. Dhaka. 28 January 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Onibarjo: De-Illumination's inevitable story". The Daily Star. 18 September 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "NSR IV rocks Chittagong". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ "Silent tears of underground music in Chittagong". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ Humphrey, Boogey (15 March 2018). "2010s Bangladeshi Band's that will change the face of Bangladeshi Music". The Daily Star. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- S2CID 143994283.
- ^ Hasan, Mubashar (16 May 2018). "Hip-hop music of Bangladesh: They wield rhyme as a weapon with Tupac as their guide". The Conversation. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ Sadia Siraj and Maruf Allam, The Problem of Copyright Compliance in the Music Industry of Bangladesh: An analysis (Dhaka, 2017), pp. 45–46.
- ^ "'Stop piracy to protect the music industry', urges musicians". Dhaka Tribune. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Joy Bangla Concert". BD-News24. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "RockNation". The Daily Star. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Chirkutt to perform at SXSW as the 1st Bangladeshi artist". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "D-Rockstar 2: BAMBA in hunt for a great young rock band". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ Ferrarese, Marco (8 April 2014). "The Dark Joys of Bengalcore: the story of Extreme metal in Bangladesh". Roads & Kingdoms. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ Henley, Joe (16 May 2017). "East Bengal Extreme Metal worships the Old School". Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ "Wacken Metal Battle 2018: Bangladeshi bands to battle for a place in the Bangalore Open Air". Dhaka Tribune. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Trainwreck to perform in Wacken Open Air 2019". The Daily Sun. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Wacken Open Air 2019: A Trainwreck in Wacken". The Daily Star. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
Sources
- Siraj, Sadia; Allam, Maruf (2017). The Problem of Copyright Compliance in the Music Industry of Bangladesh: An analysis (PDF).
- Peter Lavezzoli, The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, Continuum (New York, 2006; ISBN 0-8264-2819-3).
- Nicholas Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, McGraw-Hill (New York, 1978; ISBN 0-07-055087-5).
- Simon Leng, While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison, Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ISBN 1-4234-0609-5).
- The Editors of Rolling Stone, Harrison, Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, 2002; ISBN 0-7432-3581-9).
- Robert Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980, Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ISBN 978-1-4165-9093-4).
External links
- Best Rock Bands of Bangladesh by TheTopTens