CAT FIGHT IN THE NIGHT
Manjit Singh, Vivek (from Gabriel Audio) and Robin Nathan in the studio
CAT FIGHT IN THE NIGHT brings together two aspects of my life in the suburbs in South Auckland. Cats, and Indian music.
My street is infested with cats. At night, they get us out of our beds with their screeching and growling. We rush outside in our PJs and dance around like crazy people, clapping our hands and barking like dogs. Blissful silence as the fiendish felines slink away into the darkness. But 10 minutes later, the fighting starts again.
A couple of years ago, I rescued two feral kittens. Now fully grown and rather plump, one of them patrols our property with an eye out for intruders. At other times, he IS the intruder, intent on colonising the neighbour’s garden. I make sure he stays inside at night. Little Solly, his sidekick, has no aspirations to annex and is happy just to sleep in the sun and set his internal stopwatch for the next feed.
Over the road, there’s a long-haired, expensive cat, two black and whites, and a ginger who acts like he owns the street. Behind us are a lookalike pair of tabbies, and last week someone new moved in, bringing a sweet tortoiseshell girl and a marauding dark boy. Jon, our neighbour, has no cats, but the space under his deck is hot property and all the cats claim it as their own to sit and plan their next dastardly moves. And that’s not counting the various homeless strays who pass through with hungry eyes.
South Auckland is now home to many hard-working new Indian immigrants. Bearded men in turbans accompanied by women draped in beautiful saris are a common sight. I’ve been to the local Sikh temples with friends and enjoyed the live music on offer…usually tabla, harmoniums and vocals. They also have large kitchens and cook fresh food every day. Even if you’re not a Sikh, you are welcome to come and enjoy the daal, rice, pakoras and tea.
Manjit Singh
I’m particularly fond of the bubbling rhythms of the tabla (or hand drums) and really wanted to feature this flavour on the CAT FIGHT song. Through my contacts, I discovered Manjit Singh, who runs local classes teaching kids to play tabla. Manjit also has a jazz-fusion band and is open to new projects.
I had no idea how to best record the tabla, so I contacted Vivek (from South India), who runs Gabriel Audio in Mt Roskill. A Sikh friend also introduced me to the distinctive sound of the Tumbi, a twangy one-stringed instrument from Punjab, and I was keen to include it as part of the melody line.
I hope CAT FIGHT IN THE NIGHT gives you a snapshot of the sights and sounds of my life in South Auckland. Thanks to NZ on Air, who supported the song as part of the latest ‘beetBITE’ collection by Levity Beet and fleaBITE. And special thanks to my Sikh friends for welcoming me into their world.
