The Bangalore Collective, started three years ago, is an initiative by few of Bengaluru’s musicians, artistes, DJs and professionals from the event community. They are collaborating through music to help raise funds for those fighting for survival due to COVID-19 in Bengaluru. They will be releasing their cover version of the Michael Jackson’s ‘Heal the World’. The English version will be released on April 29 at 5 pm and the Hindi version, written by DJ Sasha, will be released on April 30.
The core members of The Bangalore Collective are Neeraj Kapoor, DJ TT and DJ Yon. Neeraj, who was a DJ in the 1990s in the New Night Watchman, dabbled with DJing and ran an events management company. “I was busy with my corporate career but luckily I kept in touch with stalwarts of the entertainment industry.”
Neeraj says ‘Heal The World’ is among their favourite tracks. “We decided that while we had time, we could create something around it. I decided to contact a few DJs and singers. And then I spoke to a few more and a few more.”
Video shot at home
The video is a ‘home project’, says Neeraj. “The team shot the entire song at home, we just had to be particular about which phone was being used and the video resolution. Blue Print Productions have made the video. They co-ordinated from their respective places. You will get goosebumps when the track starts flying. The video will be released on YouTube, you can get information from The Bangalore Collective’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages and the individual artistes’ social media handles. All the social media handles will have a call to action that will lead to an Instamojo link.”
For a cause
The Bangalore Collective is working with establishments such as National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and The Shah Foundation. Neeraj says: “All the proceeds raised from the music video would go towards the Feed The Needy Campaign of NRAI and The Smally’s Foundation.”
Hindi version
Neeraj says that though there are some tweaks, the English version is true to the original. Speaking about composing the Hindi version, DJ Sasha says: “I joined the Bangalore Collective with this initiative. I started writing a couple of lines in Hindi and while the chorus is in English, the stanzas are in Hindi. The idea is to give an idea of the current scenario of how everyone can come together to heal the world.”
DJ Sasha, whose full name is Sasha Sammbi, has been a DJ for two decades. “My interest grew during my college days. I would copy CDs onto cassettes that my friends would listen to on their walkmans. I had a pretty collection of music. I then played at house parties. My music is eclectic — I play retro, hip hop, Bollywood, House etc. I adapt to the event and crowd I am playing for. All my sets have the track, with the audio and the visual.”
DJ Sasha is a former state cricketer, who played for Karnataka. “I am a current billiards state number 5 in Karnataka. I run a snooker academy in Bangalore called Cue School by Pankaj Advani, right now we are in DPS in Sarjapur. I also run a company called Sports Masters.”
While Neeraj says that we must stay home, stay safe, and flatten the curve, DJ Sasha says: “We should not wait for a crisis, like a pandemic, to happen to make a change. Making a change and contributing towards the underprivileged should be a constant. Do your bit everyday, don’t wait.”
For video links visit: English : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl2eq1GAGXs and Hindi : https://youtu.be/-VR5WVaF4bk. For details visit Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/thebangalorecollective/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebangalorecollective/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/thebangaloreco1