Bappi Lahiri is the undisputed King of Disco, but his mastery over synth and percussion stands as unparalleled

While Bappi Lahiri is synonymous as being the loudest cheerleader of the disco movement in the Hindi film industry, a huge part of his legacy is occupied by the singer-composer’s unparalleled use of percussion even in genres not renowned for their rhythm. Disco, as we know, is music that is designed to make you dance with tunes that are repetitive and beats that are pulsating. Coupled with the distinct synthesizer sound, the only programming goal of the disco era was to get you on your feet. And if there is anyone in Bollywood we have instantaneously associated with that, it has been Bappi Lahiri. To simply restrict his prowess to the popularity of disco would be a great travesty because few in the late 1970s to early 1990s have explored the world of percussion the way Bappi Lahiri had. He became the gold standard [pun unintended] of rhythm because his love for funk, and then disco made him bring the electric bass sound to the forefront. Funk’s passion for the bass is the inspiration behind the pumped-up bass groove in disco and early electronic dance music.   Be it as an independent instrument or by simulating the sound off his synthesizer, Bappi Lahiri got the bass to set the rhythm more often that we have realised. Take, for instance, how ‘Inteha Go Gayi’  [from Sharaabi]  has an extended bass and snare intro with the periodic bass drum sound kicking in. Or how ‘De De Pyaar De’ from the same film too remains in our memory thanks to the iconic and repetitive bassline that holds its own even after the tabla section kicks in. Even in a much later song like the Telugu ‘Rum Pum Bum’ from Disco Raja that Bappi Lahiri had composed, it is the unmistakable bass that stays with you.  

While RD Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal are frequently considered among the earliest users of synth, Lahiri stands out in his ability to use mechanised music in a manner that was far ahead of its time.

Back when the synthesizer was first being used, it was mostly as an instrument that would replace the keyboards while composers still had drummers and other instrumentalists as part of the orchestral style of playback recording in Bollywood.   Apart from being a keen percussionist, Lahiri was also very enamoured by the true potential of the synthesizer, particularly those that were specifically designed to reproduce the sound of the electric bass. Used along with a drum machine, bass-driven synthesizers like Roland’s TB303 back in the day locked in the drum and bass to perfectly synchronise the pulsating, syncopated sound that Lahiri became famous for. Recall how the disco rhythm of ‘Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re’  is on loop, and you will find it hard to shake off the urge to dance.   The Bappi Lahiri rhythm became a distinct synth-backed beat that would go on playing either as a bassline or a drum groove. Yet he was so much more than that. ‘Tu Mujhe Jaan Se Bhi’ from Wardat and ‘Koi Yahaan Nache Nache’ from  Disco Dancer  both benefited deeply from having intros set to the melodic rhythm of the xylophone sound; even though one is a typical disco number and the other is not.   Tailoring his sonic palette to fit the requirement of the film’s mood, Lahiri was not averse to using Bollywood’s favourite replacement for the tabla: the dholak. In the  famous song ‘Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost’ from  Aap Ki Khatir,  the interplay of the dholak and the harmonium are renowned to give us a rustic milieu number. With a generous dose of drunken hiccups and binged burps, Lahiri recreated the mood of the movie through carefully tinkering both the talent and the technology that was accessible to him. Who can forget the bongo rhythm that set the beat for Madhuri Dixit’s pathbreaking fisherwoman dance of joyous seduction from Sailaab: ‘Humko Aaj Kal Hai Intezaar?’ With the effective use of the bongo and the snare, Lahiri recreated the Koli cultural aesthetic, leaving us and co-star Aditya Pancholi gaping with dropped jaws in the process. Saroj Khan’s choreography immortalised the song [sung by Anupama Deshpande] with Dixit gyrating to the rhythm without once seeming obscene on screen. Riding on Dixit’s shoulders for a dance number is an easy bet for a composer given that the actress is classically trained. But what about creating music for a dance number to be picturised on an actor who truly cannot dance to save their life? Take, for example, Sanjay Dutt in Thanedaar. The Michael Jackson ‘Bad’-influenced choreography for the immensely popular ‘Tamma Tamma Loge’ was meant to give less dance-type steps to Dutt, and instead leave more focus on movement instead.   Lahiri lifted the tune directly from Mory Kante’s ‘Tamma’ but he added a percussion flourish that has gone on to define the sound of the song. It opens with a bongo and drums mix, and goes on to showcase an array of percussion sounds, including that of a syncopated robotic synth beat and the wholesome nature of the tabla. At seven minutes and 54 seconds, the song was a herculean challenge for Dutt to dance to, but Lahiri made every second of it worth the time.   Dutt was not the only actor to struggle with dancing on screen. Parveen Babi grooved convincingly to ‘Raat Baaki’ from Namak Halal even though she was not the most graceful dancer of her time. With Asha Bhosle’s ethereal vocals and Lahiri’s strong control over the rhythm, Parveen had nothing to worry about. The song even today reminds us that all you need to do when you listen to his music, is to groove. Even the swaying of your shoulders is enough. With his passing, we are forced to grasp that not only was Bappi Lahiri the King of Disco in Bollywood but he was also the metronome of our time. Senior journalist Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri has spent a good part of two decades chronicling the arts, culture and lifestyles. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.