I come from a folk musician's family. I grew up in this atmosphere and I love folk music, it is my blood. I am in Europe since six years. I gave concerts of my traditional music and made the audience discover my roots. I also listen to various kind of music and I liked them. I wanted to add what I was discovering to what is a part of me. A little bit like the different clothes we wear when we travel - dhoti and penjabi in India; kimono in Japan, kilts in Scotland; etc…- inside we are the same, a human being. That is why I created this group: SENSES.

I wish to use always acoustic-instruments (because I think they are powerful enough and give a danceable rhythm with the madness of the playing) and to add other modern sound elements. Now many things happen in music and if I appreciate that I am also afraid that we get used to listen only to rhythm more or less violent and aggressive. I wish that during the concerts of SENSES the audience dances with heart not only moved by the rhythm but also charmed by the melodies, that you can sing later because they stayed in your ears.

This group will always be opened, in movement. Its formation will change with the meetings, the desires and the availability. There will always be a part of improvisation. The idea is to give a musical base I composed and that everybody can express himself inside with his instruments, his voice and his dance. It is not a new idea and I tried it several times. Always I knew a particular happiness to communicate deeply with people with whom I am unable to understand the language, and the audience was happy to share this exchange. You will listen to several acoustic instruments: a djembe, a piano, a bass, drums, guitar, accordion, a violin, etc… and a khamak. This instrument is new for the European audience, it is my fetish instrument. I like it particularly for the totally crazy rhythms you can play on it. It has a strong personality for its small size.

In mixing all those instruments in one group I want to show one more time that different cultures can in the music get together and mix and stay distinct. It is a theme I like in my heart, this musical mixing which creates a universal language; the freedom, at last.

When you are on stage with the only desire to share your music with a musician who comes from somewhere else, the listening is vibrating. You can hear it like an endless interrogation point; you can smell it in the air like the memory of a forgotten perfume; you can see it on the smile of the musicians; you can touch it like the "stick" on the violin take the rhythm of the fingers playing on the accordion; you can taste it in singing words you don't understand.

Bapi - Cologne - June 1999