Lal's blend of international exotica and bumpin' beats has won acclaim across the boards. Arguably as known for their social conscience and politics as they are for their music, the stage was set for some good times when Bunk Bedouin caught up with them amidst the lawless ether of the internet.

You suddenly wake up in 18th-century England, and two warring factions exist '” one trying to maintain the marriage between commerce and land, and another trying to push commerce into the realm of abstraction, no longer anchored to any sort of physical reality. What do you do? Nic: Convince them to create a participatory economy, where everyone shares things equally. Rose: Being a South-Asian woman, and trying to tell them what to do, would cause a stir, not to mention being dressed in the fashion of 2004. I'd probably be attacked. I would tell them I come from a time where both ideas are implemented and both have created mass environmental destruction and human suffering for the majority, while the minority lives in luxury. If they want to change the outcome of my and their futures, they have to get away from the idea of commerce altogether.

I read this graffiti on a wall that said 'œthe future is just a modified past'?. HOLY MOLY, that's some heavy stuff! What's blowing your mind lately? Rose: Working at the Toronto Women's Bookstore. It's truly a place where everyone has a voice and is treated with respect. I've always had to hustle different odd jobs and I've always been worried about job security. Working in a place that actually appreciates your work, wants to hear your opinion, pays well and has health benefits is amazing. What blows my mind is that there aren't more companies who get the idea that if you trust and treat your workers with respect, they will work hard and will want to be there. Nic: Fanon's idea that the black man's soul is a white man's artifact.

Lal has a history of combining music and politics. Is it a musician's obligation to use their craft for good? Nic: We live in a political world, there's no way of escaping that. Rose: We mix politics and art because we have to. No choice. We've been brought up in a system that has worked against us and we come from collective histories of slavery, poverty, colonialism, chauvinism, abuse, environmental catastrophe, etc. No one is obligated to do anything. That's the problem. Most don't think in terms of a global community. We are not taught the values of community and our connection to each other, the planet, the stars.

What's wrong with a simple, catchy pop song? Rose: Nothing, as long as it was written in a simple, natural way. If you sit down to write a song with the intent of it being catchy, that's where people fail.

Rotunda. Grotto. Preposterous. I need to hear them in a sentence ever so badly. Rose: Is this a test? Fun. Don't use these words too often. I've learned from this experience! Sitting in the grotto of my mind I try to find my way around this rotunda-like question, and I find it quite preposterous!

Choose Your Own Adventure, or Use Your Illusion? Rose: Adventures are Illusions are Adventures. No?

Points for technique! Given infinite resources, would Lal be interested in piecing together a ragtag band of freedom fighters who traverse the world in an amphibious 4x4, fighting crime and breaking hearts? Rose: I don't need infinite resources. That would make it boring and uncreative. I would rather walk or bike, hang on to a dolphin, or whale shark. Why break hearts? I'd rather heal and make love. Crime cannot be fought. Society must be deprogrammed and recreated, so that crime no longer is necessary. Nic: Yes, we would want infinite resources.

Uh oh.. did I forget to ask you any questions about your music? Rose: It's all good! Much more interesting than blabbing about our music. I've heard it enough times. Thank you for a wonderful and interesting interview.