Although I love bass for its velvety, deep tone, it is often played exclusively by white men, leaving the instrument devoid of innovations from women and minority communities. However, Indian bassist Mohini Dey brings her heritage and diverse musical background to change the game.
(Photo Illustration by Maya Dutt)
Her songs feature impossibly fast runs and impressive feats of technique, but she also chooses to highlight musicality over sheer difficulty. While Dey’s style is comparable to virtuoso musicians like Steve Vai or Polyphia, she shows much more stylistic diversity.
In her self-titled debut album alone, she has songs that range from prog-rock and jazz to virtuoso and funk. It never fails to surprise me when the album goes from the rapid, disorienting beats of “Meat Eater” to the slow, rich chords of “Colorful Goddess,” but I could not love it more.
This diversity can even be heard within songs. “Introverted Soul” blends rock and funk together.
The track starts off wild and energetic, as Dey’s fingers fly across the bass. Halfway through, the song takes a dramatic turn, and the intense backtrack is stripped away to highlight a funky electric guitar and Dey’s clean sound. The choice is jarring, but the simplicity is the perfect way to juxtapose the track’s hyperstimulating beginning.
She also incorporates Indian classical music in many of her songs. In “First Food Then You,” Dey sings a beat traditionally meant for tabla, an Indian classical instrument, which the drums then replicate. The call and response is enchanting, and my breath always catches in my throat as she slowly speeds up into the song’s signature riff.
Her skill has not gone unnoticed by other musicians. Dey has played alongside giants in the music field, most notably A.R. Rahman and Willow Smith. This allowed her to grow both her technique and her loyal fanbase, but her music is still criminally underrated.
No matter what metric is being used to measure her talent, Dey will blow any test out of the water with her instrumental lyricism, impeccable technique and deep knowledge of music. I will wholeheartedly support her as she plays “Kick’B’ass” music, and so should everyone else.
