‘Gombai’ is the literal translation for Doll in Kannada. Smokey The Ghost is never afraid to try something unconventional and this time he took it a step further by conceptualizing a hypothetical conversation with ‘Gombai’. He has also driven inspiration from a Kannada theater play called ‘Matriyoshka’. He has successfully conveyed how all of us are Gombai in one way or another just serving our purpose.
The track also features MC Bijju from Bangalore and has been mixed and mastered by Diefferent from Mumbai’s Finest. It comes along with a subtle but compelling video. Furthermore, it was shot in Channapatna which is known for its doll making industry and is also known as the “Town of Toys”.
Smokey told me the following when asked about what the track is about,”So I sat through all of their practices and noted down dialogues that struck me the most. I took the dialogues and rearranged them into lyrics in a way that it seems as if I am talking to a doll about the rest of the world. The track is about family and how we are all dolls of the same kind. Like the Russian Matryoshka doll. You know, the doll in a doll in a doll.”
Snap from ‘Gombai’ music video
Diefferent who has been the spine for Mumbai’s Finest for quite some time justified why he went for mono mix and master. “Smokey was already keen on how the track should sound from the drums to the guitars and violin. I kept it simple at first with just a mono bass and drums. Later we proceeded to a whole mono mix and master because we wanted it to sound that way. A mono master doesn’t mean it lacks dimension in anyway as you can hear on the track. Making Smokey and Bijju stand out was easy, getting the violin right was the tricky part,” he stated.
Bijju also told me what makes this entire experience so memorable. He stated, “The track was indeed fun, performing for the mature crowd and getting appreciated was the best part. Video shoot was easily the most fun part.”
It is very clear with this release that Smokey is not the kind of rapper who follows trends and will try and go new school. He still believes in keeping his original style and like always delivers something which is out of the box. It is good to see abstract and conceptual hip-hop still being prevalent in India. And we hope to keep hearing more of such kind of music.