Tap, drum and sing: Why the cajon is becoming more popular in Mumbai

When Mumbai-based musician Joshua D'souza started performing live in 2014, his love for the drums was more than any other instrument he had picked up till then. Little did the 26-year-old know that he would smoothly transition from playing the kit for his band Tapas the same year to also playing the cajon a year later. Interestingly this change happened for a reason.

D'souza says, "After I joined my band, we noticed that a lot of pubs in Malad, Goregaon and Andheri West like Lokhandwala were looking for live music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. They, however, didn't want a full band." While these venues didn't mind five people playing on stage, he says, they couldn't accommodate a drum kit and amplifiers because they weren't acoustically treated or ideal for a band. That's when D'souza's band decided to strip down the Bollywood covers they were performing till then to play their acoustic versions. It is at this time that the percussionist decided to switch to the cajon, which was gifted to him by his parents. "I don't have any formal training with the instrument because no one taught me how to play it," shares the Naigaon resident, who took to the cajon almost as easily as he took to the drums.

The cajon is a Peruvian box-shaped percussion instrument played using different parts of one's hands or sticks to make a beat on flat surface on the front or back. Unlike the usual band set-up, which requires a variety of additional equipment, the cajon requires little to no auxiliary support, making it ideal for performance venues. Playing live gigs for a while, some musicians like D'Souza have seen and adapted to a visible change of preference for the instrument.

Hardik Mehta (right) plays the cajon during one of his live gigs in the city. Photo Courtesy: Hardik Mehta

What is making the cajon popular?
Nathanael Mookhtiar, co-founder of creative culture agency Tilt, which hosts live gigs, says there is a reason why music players like the cajon. "Cajon gives you a holistic sound and can substitute a drum kit in an acoustic setting----a singer-songwriter setup in a two-piece or three-piece band. From a cajon, you get the thump of a kick drum and it also gives you the snare sound that comes at the top," says the vocalist-guitarist, who also plays the cajon on occasion. .

City-based percussionist Hardik Mehta, who started his musical journey with the tabla before moving to drums and then cajon, which he has been playing for six years now. He says, "Playing the cajon is similar to playing the tabla for me. The only difference is that it infuses a Western rhythm into the music."

Like other musicians, Mehta too has noticed that more and more venues now prefer cajon players over drummers. While there are many reasons for it, the Borivali-based musician says, "Travelling with the instrument is similar to travelling with a backpack, although slightly larger."

Breaking down space, logistics and cost constraints, music performers say the reason for this change is because restaurants and pubs that want live music may not have previously been equipped for a band. A lot of factors come together for a venue to successfully host a live gig. It first needs to have a proper stage, equipment, and a room fit for the sound requirements, the absence of which can make it difficult to have a drum kit. The drum needs mics, monitors and a sound engineer mixing the band together.

Nathanael Mookhtiar joined by a cajon player on stage in Mumbai. Photo: Nathanael Mookhtiar

"Venues that prefer cajon players over drummers have a smaller space or have never considered doing live music before, and, therefore, are not acoustically treated," says Mehta, who plays for as many as five bands in the city.

Other performers say many venues even use such an arrangement to test how diners respond to their live gigs. It helps them experiment first with smaller bands before investing in a bigger stage. This reduces costs for sound arrangements, band members' fee and getting permissions to play live music.

Mookhtiar adds, "The cost depends from band to band, but for a full setup, the starting range of a gig would be around Rs 50,000 compared to Rs 20,000 for a two-piece setup."

The growing trend is evident in the fact that today D'Souza plays the cajon almost every Sunday for brunch at Silver Beach Café in Bandra with Mookhtiar.

Building on Mookhtiar's analysis about reduced costs, D'souza says, "Since a cajon needs only a mic or two, one doesn't have to pay for sound output. I have played gigs where I don't have the privilege of two mics, so I have used just one." These arrangements work especially because restaurants "usually only want background music".

In such a case, restaurants hosting live gigs can easily avoid the entire band. "They can get the same sound with a cajon player and three people. It is usually a vocalist, guitarist and cajon player with backing vocals." This also works for musicians taking up the cajon because there aren't many venues in Mumbai that can accommodate a full band, observes Mookhtiar. So, drummers don't really have the opportunity to play as much as they would like to.

The popularity of the instrument can also be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which made many restaurants want to reduce costs on live gigs. "Smaller setups are set to be the future. One that is beyond the solo act, but not a full band either because restaurants want people to tap their feet," says Mookhtiar.

Novelty and fascination
While cajon is gaining popularity with performance venues and musicians, it is still in the early stages as far as the audience is concerned. It is not really an eye-catcher compared to the drums. "While most people don't know what I am playing, there was once somebody who came up to me and said great beatboxing," laughs D'Souza.

The fact that people don't pay much attention to what musicians play while dining, says D'Souza, gives him the opportunity to try out different techniques and beats. Being a self-taught cajon player, he is enjoying the process of learning the instrument. All of this while it takes over one venue after another in the city.

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