- HOMEGROWN WORLD
- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
Canada-based artist, Samant, channels childhood memories of found cassettes into 'CANINDIAN', an album rooted in retro Bollywood and hip hop. Mining old tapes, he crafts tracks like RAJA, ASHA and TAKKAR that feel both chaotic and nostalgic, forming a seamless, intergenerational conversation that reimagines vintage Indian pop without losing its warmth.
My first initiation into music was through my parents. My dad's cassettes and my mom's CDs were my gateway to the magical world that music could transport you to. Their taste became my taste, from hip hop to retro Bollywood. These forms of physical media also became a way of getting to know my parents better because, of course, my dad began his day with random Kannada songs.
Inspired by his Babaji's old cassettes, Canada-based artist Samant created, 'CANINDIAN' a medley of the beats and sounds he heard while rummaging through them. "I went down quite the rabbit hole, listening to a variety of tapes that were the soundtracks of my childhood. It was a way to reconnect to my roots and explore the sonics of a rare cultural era where western instruments and compositions became commonplace in Indian pop culture," he says.
The resulting tracks are chaotic and fresh, yet somehow reminiscent of music you'd hear in an old dance club. The first track, 'RAJA', is immediately disarming, feeling like the intro to the hero of an intense action film, someone in the vein of Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer. Then you move to 'ASHA', which, as the name suggests, draws heavily from the Asha Bhosle era of Bollywood, when music was spunky, confident, and a little playful.
The project taps into a nostalgia that feels new. 'TAKKAR' feels like a tune for a long drive, and then surprises you at the end, sounding like the start of a confrontation between two villains with their guns drawn. The whole album flows seamlessly from one song to the next, almost like a long, abridged story.
By the final track, it's clear that this isn't just a tribute to a bygone era, but a conversation across generations. Samant takes the sounds that once played from his family's cassette decks and hands them back to us, reimagined, without losing the warmth of the originals. For anyone who grew up with a parent's music spilling through the house, this album feels like coming home, in your own unique way.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
'Loops' Is What Happens When A Musician & A Visual Artist Combine Their Creative Practices
Sunflower Tape Machine Talks White Boy Music & The Lost Art Of Being A Loser
Nischay Parekh On TV Dinner, Life After Parekh & Singh, & His Upcoming 'Tiny Tour'
