Komposit aims to transcend borders through music

By W. Jacarl Melton

Daily Arts Writer

Komposit. The name of this promotional and DJ crew has become synonymous in the University community with packed events at venues like the All-Star Cafe and the Cavern Club, not to mention countless house parties and student group functions. "The hypest parties I have ever been to have been hosted by the Komposit crew," claims Engineering junior Jason Johnson. Judging from positive feedback like this, it seems as if Komposit has been successful in its attempt to create a New York club vibe within the confines of Ann Arbor. However, Komposit's goals stretch further than drawing crowds to Church Street or making a large profit. Instead, they hope to promote diversity and bring people together through music.

Then first-year students Nihar Kulkarni and Kumar Rao originally came together in October of 1996. Sam Eliad, current Engineering senior Fun Cheung and current LSA seniors Luke Bassis, Willie Cho and Wil Hao joined them soon after to become the founders of Komposit. Currently, the crew consists of six members. Included in the lineup now are Rao, a Business senior, LSA seniors Clint Carte, Kulkarni and Edson Sasso along with LSA juniors Eliad and Ram Dharmarajan. Eliad said each member brings their own unique quality to the group. "We hit all aspects," he said. "Geography, class and mentalities but we're brought together through hip-hop. We achieve diversity."

Despite the diversity found within Komposit and the statistical data of the University, Rao feels that there is a lack of interaction between different groups, particularly racial and ethnic, on campus. He describes the phenomenon of seeing people together during the day and then separating into different racial or ethnic cliques at night as "disheartening." Deejaying, Rao feels, serves as "a venue to celebrate similarities," because people, regardless of ethnic background, are able to enjoy the music in a similar manner. To further address this issue, Kulkarni added that Komposit's goal is to "breakdown racial, cultural and ethnic barriers and bring diversity through hip-hop."

LSA senior and Komposit fan Sona Bajaria said she believes the group is doing exactly what it envisions. "I am impressed by the diversity within the group itself," she said, describing the group's diverse members as "a significant factor in bringing together people from many different racial and cultural backgrounds" at their events.

Komposit's reputation for attracting crowds to dance and hear their blend of hip-hop, R&B, reggae and Latin has allowed them to spin at a wide variety of events. On campus, Rao said they have worked with the AIDS Charity Ball and other campus groups like the Indian American Student Association and the Mixed Initiative. He stresses that whenever they can help out, Komposit will. Kulkarni added that their endeavors have "never been about the money," but rather doing something positive.

Off campus, Komposit continues to explore new ventures. In addition to performing at local venues like the Cavern Club, they have done work at Detroit's St. Andrew's Hall as well as clubs in Chicago and are scheduled to head to Boston within the next few weeks. In the near future they would also like to take their talents to Los Angeles. Recently, they began working with the Internet company [tradequake.com] and in the past have been involved with Sony. Group members can see Komposit becoming a marketing company some day. However, they have not forgotten their efforts in promoting diversity on campus. Komposit members are working on initiating multi-cultural dialogues with the help of U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks of Queens, New York, as well as having a multi-cultural fair. Members hope to bring the vibe created at their current events into those they have in their future plans.

Through all their different activities, Komposit believes they have accomplished several things. For one, Rao points out, there have not been any major incidents of violence at their events, disproving the myth that hip-hop oriented crowds are prone to violent acts. Also, Rao said, "We're running a business," which requires a great deal of management and responsibility on the part of all members. Komposit's ability to draw support and have popularity seems to be a testament to their success in that field. Yet probably the most important thing they have accomplished is helping other students interact and forming bonds between themselves as Komposit members. "We reach people of all backgrounds" and "we all have a common goal," Eliad said. In pursuing this goal of bringing people together, members of Komposit have forged strong relationships amongst themselves that they hope will translate into greater unity between people of different backgrounds within the University community.