San Reetam is a musical collective, making infectious pieces of work like new release, Carry Me. It’s a funky pop song that mixes elements of retro soul with a more modern pop sensibility, showing just how talented this group are! I decided to have a chat with MDB, producer and songwriter for San Reetam – don’t forget to check out Carry Me at the bottom too!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new single titled Carry Me. What can you tell us about the track?
Carry Me is essentially a groove-based banger hiding some rather introspective lyrics. The writing process always starts with music first, but with this one I had the idea early on that it would be a reflection on the difficulties everyone seems to be grappling with, in regards to the effects of social media on mental health. This partly reflects some things I have been trying to understand about myself, but I think this is an evolving issue for society as a whole.
How has the reception to Carry Me been so far, and where can it be purchased?
We’ve had some lovely reviews from a few well respected online blogs, including yourselves! We already had a good sense of audience reaction as it was played over several shows during 2023 before it went anywhere near the recording studio, and you could feel the audience with you on every word. You can purchase it direct via Bandcamp.
Do you have any more singles planned for release soon?
Yes! We have three singles in the production pipeline, all very different in genre and style. The standout difference from previous tracks is that we finally managed to get our drummer 3D into the recording studio, so these will all have a very ‘live’ feel. We’ll hopefully get the first one out this summer!
Are there any plans to release a full-length album or an EP in the near future?
The model is geared towards singles as the finances for an album aren’t there, but this allows you to spread marketing costs over the year towards each single launch. Having said that I have thought about re-releasing and mastering the singles as an album once we hit the track number threshold for an album. A short-run vinyl pressing would be lovely.
Carry Me is a funky, bluesy song. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?
Stevie Wonder is a massive influence on multiple fronts – as a singer, a songwriter, instrumentalist, producer – the list goes on and on. Production wise I have also recently been doing a lot of research on the production methods of Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien, obviously for the Michael Jackson albums. They took multi tracking and mixing to new heights, but it always came from an arranger’s perspective, as Quincy is an incredible arranger for orchestration. Arranging is a part of my day work outside of songwriting, so I was incredibly motivated to bring the two worlds together on this track.
You’ll be surprised to hear that day to day listening is completely removed from the songs styles I write. Currently in the car is a beautiful album by Sheffield based folk guitarist and singer Jim Gehdi, In the Furrows of Common Place.
You’re a musical collective. How does everything work and how did you get together?
We met after depping at a gig and it grew organically from that, recording a couple of songs together and then branching out into live shows. There’s a San Reetam that exists in the studio and a San Reetam for live performance. Studio tracks will generally emerge from my song ideas and I will produce the production from start to finish. The genres are diverse, anywhere from the funk of Carry Me to the orchestral power ballad Between Hearts. Tracks are rarely entirely programmed as you need real musicians to provide warmth and energy to the sound.
And this is where the collective comes in to its own, including our pianist/arranger Joe Pike, Eve Lesedi vocalist/saxophonist and 3D on drums. Here the collective musicianship starts to take over the songs and they further evolve as each member makes the song their own. It’s wonderful to witness.
You’re based in the south west. What is the local music scene like in your part of the world?
Diverse. There is something for literally everyone, especially in Bristol where there seem to be more niches and sub genres than I have ever experienced, and I grew up in London! Across the south west there is also an incredibly vibrant folk scene and it’s heartwarming to see such an old form of music still going strong and inspiring new artists each year to join that music tradition.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
More singles (one that I’m particularly excited about), a live show (see the next question) and something else… surprises are always worth waiting for.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Thursday 18 July in Bristol, The Louisiana. It’s gonna be a mega show of artists curated by the incredible Bristol Music Show of BCFM Radio who broadcast a monthly unsigned music show. Their show probably best represents what’s going on Bristol in terms of newly released songs and live gigs, and they have been incredibly supportive of us from the beginning.
Any last words for the fans?
We’ve been blown away by audience reactions at live shows, singing along and dancing, quite a surreal yet magical experience. Follow and subscribe! Take the time to click those buttons on Instagram and Spotify as it helps those strange algorithms to improve our visibility online. Promoters look almost exclusively at these stats, so if we can show your support in other cities, we’ll bring the party to your town!