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Bada Boom by Ranjit Barot
Bada Boom by Ranjit Barot, a CD Review by Raul Amador
I am always excited to discover the musical richness of the world. These sounds may not be new where they originated, but they can be new to me. The musical treasures of India are our current area of interest. The Beatles exposed us to the Sitar and Ravi Shankar. Aerosmith brought us “a Taste of India”. Most recently, we were totally engulfed by ”Jai Ho” and the soundtrack of “Slumdog Millionaire”! As always, I contend that music is the only universal language that unifies the entre world.
Bada Boom by Ranjit Barot teased me in the first thirty seconds of the first track “Singularity” as I asked myself… “What kind of funny disjointed piece is this?” Then, suddenly without warning, the rest of the track knocked me on my butt as this amazing, powerful, monster piece got underway. This is a serious blend of “East” meets “West” where neither is compromised.
The level of sophistication found in this music tells me that there is an advanced musical scene in India with very deep roots in a solid cultural base. I had visions of what “Modern” India must be like as I listened.
The supporting cast for Ranjit Barot’s compositions and arrangements are all stellar in their own fields. It’s kind of like a “Steely Dan” approach to making a CD with “Ringers” in the studio. We need to keep in mind that Ranjit himself is driving all these pieces with his drums, keyboards and vocals.
The fact that Matthew Garrison and Dominique DiPiazza are in the line up tells you a little something. As if that weren’t enough, additional bass support comes from Elie Afif, Mohini Dey and Nicholas Fiszman. All do a solid job here. Since we are busy throwing names out here, let’s mention that John McLaughlin pitches in on Guitar! The many other very talented musicians that collaborated on this project are way too many to list here.
The delicious “Indian” flavor comes from the masterful use of Veena, Indian percussion, djembe, and Vocals. Some highlights include “Singularity” that I already mentioned; Listen for Matthew’s excellent support on this one.
T=0 starts off slow but quickly comes to a fast and furious boil. Dominique’s “Percolating” bass work keeps this one on the hot burner!
“Supernova” eases us into a calm and serene state only to weave us into an intricate tapestry of musicality.
“Dark Matter” opens with a percussive Vocal attack and evolves into a deliberate groove supported by some serious brass and vocals tied into a fusion feel.
The last track, “origin” ends this CD with the perfect feel for a “Bollywood” dance number. Get up on your feet and move those arms!
There is lots of very cool material here. Check it out!
Namaste!
Bada Boom by Ranjit Barot Available at Amazon.com. And visit online at www.ranjitbarot.com
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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