by SCOTT C

Before you neatly tuck LAL away in the South Asian section of your musical understanding, know that the duo of Nick Murray and Rosina Kazi are doing much more than that. LAL is the marriage of soulful beats, breaks, samples and West Indian flavour, as well as the aforementioned South Asian spice. Murray, who made a name for himself as part of Toronto's seminal hip hop production trio the Grassroots, started making music with vocalist Kazi after their individual efforts appeared on a Public Transit Recordings compilation in 1998. Along with band members Rakesh Tewari, Nilan Perera, Sandbosh Naidu and Ian DeSouza, the duo return to Montreal for another night of serious music, this time as part of the Beats Vs. Borders 3 show to raise funds for South Asian refugees in Montreal. The Mirror spoke to Kazi over the phone from Toronto.

Mirror: I was floored by the scope of the South Asian music scene when I was in the U.K. last year. Even though LAL isn't simply playing the South Asian card, is it frustrating that the community supporting your music in Canada isn't more galvanized?

Rosina Kazi: I think that in this country, if you're not making Canadiana, or some kind of pop music, and even now hip-pop, it's difficult to get exposure and radio play in general. I don't think it's that we mix so many different things into our music, it's just that anyone doing something that is counter to the status quo is going to have a hard time. We're just starting to look at Europe and the U.K. as far as our stuff goes, but maybe they'll give us a second look because the music goes beyond pop and still appeals to the South Asian scene. We're still not doing what is typically South Asian, though!

M: How come, in 2005, we still haven't recognized the existence of so many different artists as intrinsically Canadian music?

RK: I used to get really frustrated, but I've come to accept that Canada is the way Canada is. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to try to break down barriers, or try to push ahead, but I'm no longer focusing on that frustration anymore. It's like saying, "Where do we need to go in order for this to make sense to people?" People in Canada are always concerned about making it at home, but when you stretch out and start to connect with people around the world, there's a whole other appreciation for music. People actually call you back (laughs)! Toronto's a rough town. They call you back if you're industry, or you're namedropping, but even Montreal and Vancouver are easier to get a response from. I'm about making an impact outside Canada, and then coming back. Did you see that tsunami relief concert on CTV last week?

M: I knew it was going on but didn't really catch any of it.

RK: It was a reflection of how things still haven't changed really. They got all these huge Canadian white artists to perform, and yet didn't get anyone from the communities that are affected to participate. It's not like there aren't established artists that could've contributed as well, but that wasn't really a thought.

With DJs Moonstarr and Tashish, projections by Jose Garcia and a South Indian classical dance performance at El Salon on Friday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m., $5–$10

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