Two communities came together at Yellowknife’s Top Knight on Saturday for a unique dance party.
Tony Williams of GQ Entertainment and Vash Kumar merged music from India and the Caribbean at their Bollywood Dancehall event.
Williams called it an event meant for everybody to “come out and enjoy and just learn the culture.”
He said there’s a crossover between the likes of dancehall and afrobeats in other parts of the world.
“In Japan, they’re very heavy in the dancehall culture, and there’ve been dancehall queens crowned. It’s just crazy how different cultures adapt to the Caribbean music,” he said.
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Even if attendees weren’t familiar with music from India, Kumar said, they’d be surprised by the links with western music, pointing to Canada’s Drake wearing a T-shirt bearing the name of late Indian singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022.
“We are getting that big recognition and I’m very happy with that. Even Drake was following that rapper. Like, how strange is that? Coming from a small town to a big international thing. It’s a big thing for me,” Kumar said.
Williams and Kumar hope there will be more events like this where attendees keep an open mind and, if they recognize a song, aren’t shy in sharing their knowledge.
“The only way for you to understand the culture is just to come out and enjoy,” Williams said.
“You don’t need to know the language. You just need to listen to the rhythm, the vibe of the music.”
Williams wants more live events in Yellowknife that incorporate multiple cultures, arguing that with so many talented musicians here, there is potential to infuse a sound unique to the city.
