Fusion music with Indian elements has its own long story, of course. From Alice Coltrane to Shakti to Goa trance, the idea of putting the musical traditions of India and, well, the West together and seeing what happens is nothing new. Even if you ignore the fusion movement as a genre, the overall idea of including Indian classical (and non-classical) music in Western structures is not remotely new. Forget Zeppelin and The Beatles; Indian music has been sampled in hip-hop for years and years now.

Nagpur’s Riddhi Vikamshi approaches this idea from the opposite angle, which is to combine classically Indian-centric melodies with elements of Western popular music. Indian artists are doing this a lot these days, and ‘Suno Morey Mohan’ proves, yet again, that it works.

Featuring Vallabh Kaorey, Hrutuparna Bargat, Kanak Masram & Shounak Hirde, ‘Suno Morey Mohan’ takes the form of some recognizable Hindustani vocalizations and delivery (most decidedly not for the purists), but behind it is a groove straight out of 2010s hip-hop, a mix that is not as outlandish as it used to be. There’re R&B synths and keys on top of that, and one would do well to note that all of this lies underneath some ‘Indian’ instrumentation. You will even come across a violin lead section… The song goes through a nice bridge and a sort of ‘refrain’ not unlike a standard English pop song, but it’s done with so much colour and a sense of fun that you can’t help but enjoy it to some degree.

Sure, this is far from the most involved fusions, which focus on technicality and the ‘spirit’ of cultural togetherness. What Riddhi aims for is a comfortable song that is easy to listen to, catchy and just something to put on when you’re in a good mood. So if you can take it for what it is, you’re going to have a nice time with this one.