Tasked by Bollywood producers with creating a cash-in disco record, Atomic Forest funked up unlikely covers of Chicago, Hot Chocolate, Deodato and Stevie Wonder, and presented one original – “Spectrum” – the heaviest Indian psych-funk jam unearthed to date.
OUT NOW» Atomic Forest – Disco Roar
Shipping now from our web store at Rappcats.
The recently rediscovered third album by India’s best-known psychedelic rock ensemble, and the story behind its genesis.
At the time we issued the Atomic Forest anthology Obsession, we were not aware of the third album that the Atomic Forest had recorded, issued under Keith Kanga’s name as Disco Roar. When it came to our attention, we figured that we owed it to anyone entranced by this hard-to-believe, underground, Indian rock scene to issue it. One track in particular stands out – another riff on Cobham’s “Spectrum.” It, in and of itself, is a worthy reason for this reissue – one of the toughest examples of psychedelic-funk music to come out of India. This is the first album that the Atomic Forest recorded.
“That Disco Roar album was the first time we were doing anything like that. It was the first thing we did. It progressed into the Hit Film Themes album. Then these guys came with more commercial potential songs (which became Obsession ’77). But originally it was just a band, the live performances that we did, that made us very popular, these simple songs,” Mammen recalls.
“It was these Hindhi guys, the guys who came to record the album were not pop music fans. They were, I think, more Bollywood type of people,” Mammen continues. “I wouldn’t anticipate them to appreciate Doobie Brothers and stuff like that, but they must have gotten in with Keith Kanga because of the demand we had at this point. They must have gotten him to do an album. He would have said ‘yeah yeah, gimme the money.’”
Mammen colors the scene: “Image Hindi Bollywood guys coming into the rock scene. It was like eating sambar with chili chicken or something. They came in with very neat trousers and we were with torn jeans. It was two different cultures. They didn’t think much of us. We were like freaks. That’s the truth.”
