Dappest & adL set to revive the golden era of 70s and 80s of Disco and Funk in signature style

Dappest & adL set to revive the golden era of 70s and 80s of Disco and Funk in signature style 

The vibrant duo of Dappest & adL (Dapher & Adiel) who recently released their EP Heartbeat and Heartbreak are excited for their musical journey

North East of India has always been a major attraction for tourism given its pristine beauty, unique cuisine, folk and modern music. The number of music festivals in the cluster is a testament to the craze for music for the demography. What stands out is the diversity of music enjoyed there, from folk tunes to modern music, which is mostly independent and not Bollywood driven. On the occasion of the recent news of a Shillong duo-Dappest and adL (Dapher and Adiel) opening for global sensation Akon, we spoke to the artists.

adL says, “ We participated in the Cherry Blossom festival contest in 2022 and won. That stage gave us the opportunity to connect with the production team in Manila as there were international judges too. Later my friend also helped us pitch our names to the Manila production team.”

Dappest also added the contribution of the state government, “We must also acknowledge the efforts taken by the Meghayala government. While there was a cash prize for the contest, they also made sure that our work was well noticed by national as well as international judges.”

Continuing about the festival scene in the North East, adL shared, “We are happy about the buzzing concert scene on this side of the nation. We have performed in local festivals in Shillong and Dimapur. We are also doing After-party for Hornbill on 6th December. We are happy to connect with our North East brothers and sisters.”

Dappest adds,”While North East musicians are also gaining popularity across India and heading in a good direction, more representation would be appreciated. We come from Church culture and have grown up listening to harmonies, Gospel Music, Afro American, Hip Hop. This culture is very prevalent in the North East and this kind of music needs to be presented in India too.”

The duo also shared thoughts about the recent EP which went live on music streaming platforms and would debut live at the Akon show, Heartbeats and Heartbreaks, adL shares, “The biggest inspiration for the EP has been Micheal Jackson and the 70s and 80s era. The baseline is the disco and funk of that era but with a modern twist. I pitched the idea to Dap (Dappest) and we just started writing. My idea of dance meshed well with his lyricism. It's basically dance based but the framework is limerence.”

Dap continues, “The four tracks demonstrate the different stages of love-falling love, being love, and falling out of love. The response is great but we want to reach the right audience. Our objective is to revive the era of music in the 70s and 80s.”

About working with each other, they feel that they complement each other perfectly musically. Dap says, “We met in 2019. I think aDL is fantastic with his production and pushes me to do my best too.”

adL adds, “It's not easy to write. I have myself tried to write but Dap is really good. Also, I feel its easier to work with someone who is more malleable. I am not a producer who wouldn't listen to musician and just do his own thing. But even the musician needs to be without any ego. Dap is just that. So we work well together.”

Apart from representing India for Akon show, and doing an after party for Hornbill they also have an India tour planned January onwards.