It started the moment UK hip-hop and graffiti emerged: young Asian Britons generated many of the most stylish tags and a lot of the toughest beats. Then, in the footsteps of two-step soul, bhangra and rare groove, came the tidal waves known as acid house and techno. For awhile, they drove Asian talent out of the main picture. Ragga, a young black "bad boy" music, had the swing.
Early in the Nineties, another underground took shape: junglist, the ultra-young, ultra-black UK techno. Now, names like Mark Rider, Dan Donnelly, Rob Playford, Dego and Junior are tied to known hit records -- and junglist music compilations are best-sellers.
In tandem, Asian-language music has a whole new focus: marrying the junglist theme (cutting percussive beats and break-beats together so fast they trip each other) to Hindi, Punjabi -- and ragga rhythms. What began as a flourishing tape culture has now exploded. Appropriately, Christmas Day saw its birth with Bollywood Mix.
Billed as "PRODUCED & MIXED BY MR SMITH...DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!!!", Bollywood Mix has a colour xerox cover and six cuts with titles like EK LARKI DEKHA TO (JUNGLIST MASSIVE) . Shops which stocked it shifted an average of 1,000, leading of course to Bollywood Mix 2, with Mr Smith's liner notes: "DJ BOOKINGS...DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT; TEL: DON'T CALL, WE WILL CALL YOU".
Mr Smith's precursors were artists like Raga Kaka Winston, whose tape Bhangra Inna Me Yard proved sonically provocative beyond expecations.
Bhangra Inna Me Yard (Coconut Mix)
Raga Winston, who is Jamaican, alternates between Hindi, ragga and Punjabi constantly. With a listnership attuned to his beats, it didn't take long for Columbia to issue Bollywood. Even so, it was Bally Sagoo's re-mix, CHURA LIYA (available un-remixed on Bollywood), which changed the game again. The re-mix is currently shifting 400 per shop. But the competition is hotting up...it consists of local, spontaneous product such as DJ Gora's BOMBAY MIX, whose cover has been printed on the "wrong" side of old JURASSIC PARK posters.
Bombay Mix, Track IV
NB: Asian mixer has a laugh at the expense of white boys trying to be black and street...
Bhangle has made big gains where bhangra never could: viz London's Tuesday night club Bombay Jungle, which is run by Shakir of Outcast Records and whose excellent DJ is female.
Along with junglist (aka jungle), this is Britain's first real new music development since punk. It has had to become British to survive; also it's had to listen to the street and its denizens. It can be ordered from the source below. And, in terms of what makes music matter, it's unbeatable.
Hindi, bhangra and junglist-style mixes can be bought or ordered through Sangeeta Music UK, Ltd via (UK) +171-247-5954/5941; fax (UK) +171-247-5941.
Sangeeta's Top Five Hindi Tracks
- Zamaana Deewana
- Raja
- Chahat
- Ravan Raaj
- Criminal
Sangeeta's Top Five Bhangra Tracks
- D.C.S. Eat The Rhythm
- Total Kamlee
- X-Tra Hot 10
- Bombay Jungle
- Hard'N'Hot
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