Canada-based Punjabi artists Shally Rehal and Kultargotbounce aka Kultar Randhawa are stepping up the heat with their new collaborative effort in their latest single Step, which comes with a funky music video that travels from the disco era of the seventies, nineties to the early 2000s.
For those who have never heard them, Shally Rehal is an Indian - Canadian singer songwriter blending different sounds from Punjabi Hip Hop and R&B based in Surrey BC. Versatile in his musical tastes, his inspirations include Drake, J Cole and Chamkila. Rehal started making music at 17 and refined his sound until releasing his first single Top Gear in April of 2020. Shortly after he met Kultargotbounce who has been executive producing and curating his sound which came together on their first release Nakhra. Rehal has made it clear that his smooth vocals and talented songwriting have made him a force in the Punjabi music scene that is here to stay. Following up on the early success of "Midnight EP", Step his next collaboration with Kultargotbounce.
Kultargotbounce on the other hand is a producer and mixing engineer hailing from Surrey, BC, Canada. Creating a buzz as one of the rising tastemakers to work with, he has collaborated with Juno nominees Powfu and Manila Grey, as well as award-winning poet Rupi Kaur. Kultargotbounce has been a name in the production and sound engineering field for a decade now. In just 2 years he’s accumulated over 14M streams across his production and mixing work. With releases under his belt that have come out via Columbia Records, R&R Digital/Warner, and a flurry of independent labels, Kultargotbounce continues to develop a deep and diverse catalogue of Hip-Hop, Pop, Indie Pop/Rock, R&B, Punjabi music, and scoring. Coming off the recent success of the Punjabi R&B EP "Midnight" with Shally Rehal, they joined forces again on Step.
According to Rehal the song is about asking someone to come and dance with you while praising their beauty. Adding to that KGB says that Step is about coming together in song and dance. “The world just went through a rough moment with Covid making us distant from one another. We wanted to create a song that gave an inviting feeling of harmony. Step makes you want to drop everything and just dance”.
Rehal has been listening in to KGB’s work since sometime and reached out to him to mix and master the song. “We've been working together on everything ever since. This song is one of many gems that we have created since then”.
“Shally hit me up on Instagram back in April 2021. He had a record he needed to get mixed and wanted me to handle that for him. I was originally supposed to just mix and master the song, but the vocals he had recorded needed some work still. We ended up re-recording that record and when I heard his vocals in person, I instantly knew I had to produce my own records for him. In the coming months we worked on several records together but it wasn’t until October 2021 that we produced and recorded Step . This record made us both step out from our usual box (pun intended) and discover new ranges in vocals and production” says KGB.
Both artists are happy that their new buoyant new song Step has been well received. The music video also makes you get up and dance. The concept for the music video was KGB's idea that came shortly after recording the song. It transitions through three different and distinct eras. The video is funny, cool and it puts a smile on your face when you watch it and it truly captures the energy of the song.
KGB adds, “The concept of the video was to prove just how timeless this record feels. The video journeys through the aesthetics of the 1970’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. You’ll see us in vibrant clothing and rocking hairstyles from the 70’s. You’ll also see Shally in a traditional kurta chadra paying homage to our legends of the golden era. Finally, you’ll see us arrive in the early 2000’s with classic basketball jerseys and oversized clothes”. This is not the first time the duo have worked together. Step, they say exists in its own realm. They have released music with smooth R&B and soul vibes like their recent release ‘Midnight’. What makes Step different from their earlier work is that Step has fun and energetic sonics that are very different from their previous release “Midnight EP” which was a collection of dark and moody R&B tracks with classic Hindi samples on some of the outros. With Step they bring a contrast in the sound and visuals.
So what’s in store for the future? “We have so much music coming in 2023. After the release of Step we'll be continuing the flow of music with some Punjabi and English collaborations, another song with the team at Snakes & Ladders and much more” says Rehal.
“We’re super excited for the next single. I won’t give too much away but we’ll be having someone join us for the next record. 2023 is locked and loaded with releases. We’re so privileged to be in the position we are in with many records ready for the world to hear” signs off KGB.
Song Title: Step
Artist: Shally Rehal, Kultargotbounce
Release Date: 14thFebruary, 2023
Label: Snakes x Ladders
Genre: Punjabi, R&B, South Asian
Here is the song links to Step:
Consolidated link:
SoundCloud:
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2rMWeS6yWY7qcUSUFfbBcc?si=1G0evdjsS9WtNw6ADEfq6g
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ooPOSQjbY&