Recently, DJ Dev had the pleasure of hooking up with Mitch Hyare to talk about the latest on him. He's commonly known as the best dhol player in the world. He is part of a couple of groups namely, 'Lethal Dholis' & 'Daku Knox.'

1) For those who don't know just give a quick introduction of yourself? How long have you been around? How did you get into all the music business?

This is going to sound like a match making thing (laugh). My name is Mahaveer 'mitch' Hyare. I'm 21 years old. Born and raised in Coventry, UK. I live in California. I'm a dhol player who has been playing professionally for 8 years. I'm also a hip-hop producer for e40 and other mainstream artists. I've been in the music scene locally for quite some time now. I actually got my debut professionally when I met RDB in Toronto 4 years ago.

2) Who taught you this amazing art of playing the dhol?

I actually learned from Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti. Like all other dhol players, I used to play to tapes and watch uncle ji on my first birthday party video. I knew of him, but didn't really get to meet him till I was 15. I spent about a year with him learning, but then took learning to another level and began playing on stage with him at shows. Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti is family. I owe so much to him.

3) You've featured predominantly on the Untouchables label in the UK, are you signed with them? This is a tricky one. When I met RDB in Toronto, we instantly clicked. We all became good friends. Untouchables aren't always about signing artists. They were my best friends, and I felt honoured when they asked me to record. I didn't want anything out of it, I didn't even want recognition. I just wanted to have fun with music. I never signed to Untouchables, but I would be at their gigs and record for them if they

Mitch Hyare

ever wanted me to. We are all friends. Respect to Untouchables for staying true friends.

4) You've worked with a wide variety of artists? Is there anyone special that you would like to work with again?

Oh man! So many artists. You know what, I would love to play for Surinder Shinda again. He is my favourite singer, and he gave me so much respect after the gig. To hear from a don that you're "a guru" at dhol is something. Don't get me wrong; I still enjoy performing with B21, RDB, Sukhbir, and all the UK boys. It's just Shinda is the don, and to work with him is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

5) Has there been anyone who has been a bit awkward to work with (Anyone with a slightly big ego)?

HAHAHa! Now you're trying to get me into trouble. I have to be honest though. All the desi artists I have worked with have been really down to earth. Even the hip-hop artists I have worked with have great respect for others in the same industry. I haven't come across any problems yet. You know, people look at us and think we all have egos, but they would be shocked to find out that we're just as shy as they are. Instantly, if we don't acknowledge people we "have egos", but some of us are just to shy to. Hahaha

6) How original do you think the bhangra scene is at the moment?

Bhangra is huge! It's crossed over to hip-hop and R&B. I mean, Just wait till dakuknox drops tunes. PMC paved the way for all desis to be noticed. Even Rishi Rich is stepping into the scene, but I think that bhangra is being sold out. Very few original artists are keeping the roots alive. Bhangra needs to go back to the heera/premi days. We need to maintain our culture. The scene is big, but we need more original artists.

Mitch Hyare

7) What are your thoughts on bootlegging? Bootlegging has it pros and cons. There are a lot of areas, especially in the US, where UK bhangra music is inaccessible. Bootlegging gets music out there to loads of people. Music buyers become more aware of artists that aren't usually known. The downside to it all is that economically it hurts the industry. Personally, I wouldn't want my album to be bootlegged.

8) Tell us a little about your two groups Daku Knox & Lethal Dholis?

Three guys run lethal dholis. LD1, Husky, and myself. Lethal dholis started out as a group of talented dhol players in UK performing at shows. It's now dhol players from Uk, Canada, and the US who have united to form this crew. The album side of lethal dholis perform on untouchables UK albums. It's become a sort of corporate. (Laugh). End of the day lethal dholis are a bunch of friends who share the same passion (dhol). We teach, we perform at gigs, and continue to be dhol players for certain bands. Daku Knox is the first desi crew who have been producing in the mainstream hip-hop scene. Daku Knox is made up by a trio of producers LD1, Husky, and myself.

9) Is it true you are the current World Dhol Player champion? If so, what did you have to do so win such an award?

I'm not the current dhol champion since the competition is an annual event. I was the joint winner of the competition two years ago, and achieved my goal. I don't want to be like some dhol players who are after fame, and re-enter the competition. When I had won the title, promoters felt that it was an added plus to feature me as the world's best since I did win the title. The title just stuck with me everywhere I went. It's something that people still recognize me for. The dhol competition takes place in Toronto, Canada. Here, dhol players from all over the world compete. We're given 5-8 minutes to freestyle while Professional judges critic our playing ability. The promoters brought Narinder winnie to judge once. That was a blast.

10) Which mainstream artists have you worked with?

I started to produce for E40. After my appearance in VIBE, I've worked with Dj Quik, Clipse, Rick Roc, 112 just to name a few. Daku Knox is currently working on our mainstream album dropping soon, with the help of our manager OLH entertainment.

11) Any more plans to dip into the mainstream?

Our management is really well connected in the rap/hip hop scene. They are affiliated with Jive records which gives allows us to put our foot through the door easily. OLH have plans for us to work with artists soon. We just waiting to make our debut to the industry as a whole. We're going to keep a lot on hush until it's time.

12) Crowds can go crazy when the dhol is played live. What has been you best experience of the crowd going wild? What was the feeling like seeing so many people feeling the 'dhol' while you were playing it?

Yeah crowds can go crazy, but the best crowd I had was in Hong Kong. I was performing with Sukhbir at the time. I've never seen a better crowd. People were going absolutely nuts out there. It's a great feeling knowing that people were feeling my style. I enjoy making people happy, and to see the crowd react to the dhol the way they did just got me hyped. I don't think I ever played dhol like that again.

13) For any wannabe dhol players what are the tricks to the trade? I mean what should you do to learn how to play the dhol properly? There isn't any trick to the trade. You just got to be unique. I had started this trend, in the US, of playing dhol behind my back while performing. I even made my own beats and styles. Dholis would see this and begin copying me. There's nothing wrong with it, but you have to be unique. That's what's going to make a dhol player.

Mitch Hyare

You have to stand out from the others. I don't know about playing the dhol properly? There is no proper dhol playing anymore. Bhangra lovers are intrigued by new and interesting beats. There are so many styles now days. Find one, and elaborate it to fit your personal style of play. I would have to say though, that the best place to learn is India. Otherwise approach dholis like Shinda, Kalsi, and Simon. Ustads are hard to find as well, but if you know one, approach him/her.

14) Dhol playing is extremely popular in the UK; do you give Dhol playing lessons?

I do teach students personally. I currently training a dholi(… shhhh.. .it's a secret..) for the annual dhol competition. I've always wanted to teach kids. There are so many dholis that are picking it up for the wrong reasons. They are thinking about fame and attention. I have been working with a couple of investors to start free dhol schools nation wide. Dholis of all ages will be able to walk into a hall and begin learning from me. I want to kids to pick a dhol up because they have the passion for it.

15) What can we expect from you in the near future in terms of music and tours plus anything else that we should know about?

I've been working in my studio on my solo debut desi album. (It's another goal of mine). I'm staying away from sampling. I want this album to be original. I'm also working on a few desi albums for some Indian pop singers and UK bhangra artists. My label will organize a US tour when the album is released (summer 2k4). Right now, I'm doing an Australia tour in February with b21, safri, and pardesi. I have a Canada/US tour lined up with RDB/Sukhbir later this year, and I have an east coast US tour happening soon to start promoting the album. This tour will feature singers and mc's from the album performing live.

16) Any final words for the thousands of Desitunes4u readers?

Keep a lookout for surprise drops by lethal crew. Make sure you keep it locked here at desitunes4u for all the exclusives. Thank you.

"Live it loud, Live proud", Mitch Hyare

That ends the interview, firstly a big thanks to Mitch for taking some time out to chat to us. Make sure you check out the site's he's talked about plus if you would like to e-mail him direct then you can at mitch_dakuknox@tmail.com now!