A record producer and DJ, Bally Sagoo released his first album in 1990, blending traditional Indian music with reggae, R&B and disco. In the decades since, the U.K.-based musician has released over 20 albums of remixes and original songs, many of which went platinum. In February, he visited Lahore and sat down with The Standard to discuss what keeps drawing him to the city, his career trajectory, and more. Excerpts:
The last time you were in Pakistan was around 20 years ago. What have you been up to since then?
I’ve been all around the world. The latest thing I’ve done was in the Kareena Kapoor movie that just came out [“Sada Pyaar Tut Gaya” in The Buckingham Murders]. I’ve been to India, I’ve been to different parts of the world and I thought I need to come back to Pakistan and record some new tracks, new vocals, instruments … and here I am. There’s things you can’t get anywhere else [but Pakistan]: not just the food but the musicians here, there’s great writers here. I’ve had a very amazing journey from here with some of the biggest hits in my career. They’re actually from Lahore.”
Magic Touch, which you created in collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, was a groundbreaking album fusing traditional South Asian music with modern beats. What was your main inspiration behind this project?
Nusrat was signed to the same record company I was signed to. They asked me if I’d like to work with this Sufi singer. I agreed but told them my beats and sound are going to very different from his; they said that is what they wanted to hear so we brought him to the studio in the U.K.
I recorded all the vocals with him in one afternoon. It took 6 months to put the whole album together. It became a groundbreaking album, catapulting Nusrat to a new, wider western audience like clubs and party scenes. It wasn’t a traditional album and was a huge hit globally, including in Pakistan. It was selling like hotcakes.
How has your music evolved since you first started blending Bollywood with Western styles in the 1990s?
It is good that it has evolved as, obviously, I’m one of the trendsetters. Growing up in the U.K., I mostly engaged with black music, reggae music, dance music, soul music, disco music. The Indian elements came to me years later and now everyone is doing it. Bollywood is doing it; many of the mainstream Pakistani acts have western vibes. Traditional singers are singing on modern beats. I’ve obviously influenced many people.
Do you feel your creative process has changed over the years?
No, it’s pretty much the same. I enjoy what I do. I’m a party animal. I go all around the world, I hang out with the best of the best people who are always just putting me on different music and sounds and playing me stuff. I love hearing more music and I never listen to one type of sound. I always listen to all types of stuff, whether it’s Arabic, India, Egyptian, French, African. That’s what really keeps me buzzing.
How do you see the role of music in bridging cultural gaps, especially between India, Pakistan, and the West?
It connects people and you’re always going to get some people who don’t believe in it or don’t think about it or don’t want anything to do with it. I want to see more people jamming together from different cultures. What’s wrong with that? I don’t care about politics and stuff like that, I never have. I just do what I enjoy doing: connecting musicians and singers and songwriters and making music for all types of people. I make music for everyone.
How do you feel about your influence on the current generation of musicians, especially in the South Asian music scene?
It’s nice when people reach out to me and tell me they grew up with my music or just ask how I came up with a sound 30 years ago when we didn’t have so much of today’s technology. Obviously, the technology you have today makes life so much easier. Social media has made selling music much easier; we’d have to rely on someone hearing a song on the radio and then going out and buying the tape or the record. Now, everyone knows immediately what’s happening across the world. Everyone is connected with the same phones, the same clothes, the same fashion. Its brought everyone together and with that comes all this music and new sounds.
Amitabh Bachchan stayed at your house for 6 months when he was bankrupt in the late 1990s and you both collaborated on music projects, including the album Aby Baby. How was the experience living with him and making the album?
I told him if you are going to make this album, you have to come to my studio in the U.K. So, he came and stayed with me in my house. It took a hell of a long time to put the album together but it was fun and we became friends. His late father was a poet so he wanted to recite poetry rather than sing because he is not a singer. “Kabhi Kabhie” was my favorite track off that album; I made him do a deep voice with heavy vocals and put a lot of bass on it.
You also toured across India with Michael Jackson. How did you view him and the effect he had on the music industry?
He had a big influence on my life growing up. As a kid, I bought his records when I was at school. I was, like many, a diehard Michael Jackson fan. The music he made inspired me. Quincy Jones was the man, really, who was behind Michael. Their sound really influenced me to get into music. Those were my role models. Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones just go together.
With Michael, nothing was fake. What you see is what you get. He’d sing a song, go on stage, and sing the song just as well. A lot of people today can’t perform their own songs; they lip sync because they just can’t hit the notes. There’s a lot of auto-tuning. Sometimes it’s used for a good reason, but sometimes a singer can’t do without it because they sound bad.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career, especially as a pioneer of Asian Underground music?
It’s like anybody else, really. I’ve had people that don’t like my music or believe I was disrespecting Asian, desi, Indian, Bollywood, whatever you want to call it, music. No one has the right to say how music should sound. There will always be someone who likes music you don’t like.
That’s not to say there haven’t been challenges. It’s still a struggle. I’m still experimenting every second of the day. Music and beats are in my blood. I think I was put on this planet to make music.
I love teaching, helping people with advice because I’ve been so blessed and fortunate. I’ve worked with some of the most amazing singers in India, Pakistan and the U.K., making so many albums and hit songs. I don’t like it when people ask me how I feel “now” that I’ve “made” it. Nobody’s made it. There’s no such thing. You’re still climbing, you’re still traveling, you’re not at your destination. There’s no end point because if you made it there, then you gave up.
You’ve worked with a wide range of artists across genres and cultures. Which collaboration has been the most memorable or impactful for you?
I am what I am because of all the singers that I’ve worked with and the songs I’ve made. They’ve sung great songs with me and I’ve made some great music with them. Obviously, the top of the pile is going to be the stars like Nusrat Ali Khan and the Punjabi singers I’ve worked with. I’ve also worked with the best playback singers in Bollywood like Sonu Nigam.
I’m always looking for new artists so I’m here in Pakistan and It’s always the same formula: I ask everyone if they can sing. I’m always hungry for a vocalist.
What advice would you give to young musicians who want to experiment with fusion music or break into the global music scene?
Be original, try to do something yourself—have your own style. Don’t try to get fame overnight because it’s not going to happen instantly. If you rush it, you’ll just end up like everybody else. Try to be different, and don’t be afraid to push boundaries. Experiment, because people will try to knock you down; I still have people knocking me down all the time. But it’s okay, just keep pushing forward.
The main thing is to enjoy the ride and love what you do. If you’re not passionate about it, it’s going to show in your music. It’s easier now than it was back in my day because you have access to so many tools. You don’t need a million-dollar studio anymore; you can make music right in your bedroom. What really matters are the ideas in your head. You shouldn’t complain about what you don’t have—just work with what you’ve got.
Jam with people! We need more live musicians because we’re lacking that live feel. Personally, I use both live music and sample-based production, whether its loops, drums, or other instrumentation.
I’ve been making beats since the ’90s, and I released albums called SagLoops that were basically just looped beats because people kept stealing my beats and I figures I may as well put them out for people to use easily.
What are you listening to these days?
A lot of world music, global music, and artists like The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, and some DJ-based music, whether mainstream or not.
There isn’t one person I look at today and think they’re making something like my heroes or the people who have inspired me. My biggest inspiration is Bob Marley because his music really hit me when I was a kid. Nothing I listen to now impacts me in the same way, but that’s probably because I’m older and more reflective. I always reminisce about what was there and how things used to be.
What did you think about the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef that happened recently?
I think it’s great; it’s good for the music scene. It keeps everyone talking. He [Kendrick] performed at the Super Bowl. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but love him or hate him … he’s entertaining.
The beef puts a smile on your face because I don’t think it’s nasty. It’s all just publicity. If you’re in the news every day and it’s all about what you and someone else are saying to each other, it just builds more hype. They might even be calling each other and planning it out. You never know.
Are there any Pakistani musicians or producers you’ve been looking at with interest recently?
That’s why I’m here [in Pakistan]. I’ve been trying to catch up with the Pakistani music scene because I’ve been away for over 20 years, and I want to know what’s going on. I’ve been asking my friends here about who’s hot right now, what the scene looks like, and who everyone is listening to besides the legends.
Do they have a Bieber or a Drake equivalent here? Who’s setting the trends? But people have struggled to name younger artists who are really smashing it.
I’m also curious about female artists; is there a rising female star or is the industry still male-dominated? Are there female rappers here? I’d love to work with them if I like their music.
What are you currently working on?
I’m working, not just here but around the world, in different countries. I’ve come here to record some new vocals with new talent and artists. Yesterday, I was dubbing instruments like mandolins, and now I’m recording fresh vocals for a new album—a new project I’m working on for this year. It’s been a long time. I may release a single from the album, but my focus remains on creating full albums. I will still release a CD for my album, as I always have.
What’s your take on Coke Studio and its impact on South Asian music?
I think Coke Studio Pakistan is the best thing in the world—by far. It’s much better than India’s version. I’ve been watching it for many years, and I think it’s absolutely brilliant. The sound, the production, and everything they do is just amazing. I love it. In fact, when I’m at home chilling with my boys and relaxing, I watch Coke Studio.
I remember watching it back in the day, thinking, “Hey, man, this is really cool.” When India tried to do its own version, it just wasn’t the same; it didn’t compete or stand up to Pakistan’s. People often ask me why I don’t do Coke Studio since I’ve made so many songs. And I say, if I ever did it, I’d do it for Pakistan.
So now that you’re here can we expect to see you at Coke Studio?
You never know.