FOLK SOUNDZ - DHULLAY DI VAAR (OUT SOON)

Buzz Punjabi recently caught up with Folk Soundz, a young music producer based in California, USA, to talk about his upcoming single "Dhullay Di Vaar." Check it out below!

For those of our readers who don't know you, please introduce yourself.

Sat Shri Akal Ji. My name is Sanjay Dhanota. I am a former student of Lal Chand Singh Bhatti Ji and my musician alias is Folk Soundz (stylized as FOLK SOUNDZ). I have been remixing old Punjabi songs under this alias since 2011 and in 2016, after acquiring sufficient knowledge from Ustad Ji, I took my first step into original music production.

How have you progressed after the success of "Ghukkar Di Maut" and how was the experience like working with a legendary artist like Surinder Shinda?

It was a dream come true. Ever since high school, I have been listening to his songs and been a huge fan. I never imagined that I would be able to make a song with him. Another dream of mine was to make a song with Kuldeep Manak Ji as well, but that, unfortunately, was never meant to be. That's God's choice.

Who has influenced you into pursuing Punjabi folk and traditional music?

My teacher, Ustad Lal Chand Singh Bhatti Ji, has been a huge inspiration for me, musically. He is a wonderful, charismatic teacher who made learning folk music fun. In terms of musical content and/or melodies, I would say Kuldeep Manak, Surinder Shinda, Kartar Ramla, Mohammad Sadiq, Amar Singh Shonki, and Idu Shareef are my main influences. I have numerous original CDs of many of these artists and even today, they continue to inspire me.


You're a talented writer yourself. Do you think lyrics are more important or music is?

Thanks for the compliment. I think in today's Punjabi music industry, the standard has reached a new low for both lyrics and music. The initial mistake was made by musicians and lyricists, who created such songs, and then the audience popularized these songs that were solely about showing off, guns, and/or other vulgar material. I am currently 24 years old and in the past 5 years alone, I have heard 20 times more stupid Punjabi songs than I did, total, up until the age of 19. It takes two hands to clap, so in today's industry, I would say lyrics, composition, and music, all, are equally important; for our industry to thrive and excel.


Tell us more about your upcoming single. Who are you collaborating with and how did this project come about?

This second song is called 'Dhullay Di Vaar' and it's releasing on April 13th, 2017 through Against All Odds. It features Sukhi Khan, the son of legendary Dhadi Idu Shareef, as well as Jelly Manjitpuri and Laddi Dhaliwal. Very excited to put this song out as well. I have conceived, written, composed, orchestrated, arranged, and produced this song. I have also played various keyboard instruments for it as well, so a lot of hard work is coming together in this song.


How would you describe yourself using only one word?

Music.

What is the best place for fans to connect with Folk Soundz?

Everyone can follow me on:

Facebook - facebook.com/folksoundz

Soundcloud - soundcloud.com/folksoundz

Instagram - @folksoundz

We would like to thank Folk Soundz for taking time out to conduct with interview - we wish him the best for "Dhullay Di Vaar."