After a soft Nazrul Islam song with ghazal overtones, Coke Studio Bangla Season 2 has dropped the super groovy folk fusion number — Deora — on YouTube. Deora has been sung by Pritom Hasan (who has also composed and produced the track) along with folk singer Islam Uddin Palakar and Ghaashphoring Choir.

Deora is a traditional song sung by the boatmen in northern parts of Bangladesh during nouka baich, a boat race competition held in the monsoon and autumn seasons. The energetic number also fuses other folk genres like shaari gaan — sung by boatmen sitting in a row, describing their physical labour — and jaag gaan, which is popular for its motivational lyrics.

While Deora borrows from the traditional song of the boat racers, the lyrics are by boat racer Fazlu Majhi and Pritom. Pritom’s melodious intro makes way for the foot-tapping beats and is a perfect blend of modern music and traditional folk.

The earthy tone of the pala gaan, performed by Islam Uddin Palakar, is complemented by the groovy beats of instruments like electric guitar (played by Imran Ahmed) and electronic drums (by Wadid Mahmood). Fazlu Majhi also adds a rhythmic energy to the whole production.

Armeen Musa of Ghaashphoring Choir and her troupe danced to the beats of the song with additional choreography by Riaduzzaman Ridoy and Muhammad Tahmid Hussain Sumit.

Coke Studio Bangla Season 2 has been produced and curated by Shayan Chowdhury Arnob.