Asian Underground
Asian undergroundis a term associated with variousBritish Asian,South Asian Canadian,andSouth Asian Americanmusicians (mostlyIndian,Pakistani,BangladeshiandSri Lankan) who blend elements ofWesternundergrounddance musicand the traditionalAsian musicof their home countries inSouth Asia.The sound has roots in theSouth Asian Diaspora,and many notable musicians within the genre are immigrants or children of immigrants.[1]The first well-known mention was thecompilation albumAnokha - Soundz of the Asian Undergroundreleased in1997and masterminded byTalvin Singhand Sweety Kapoor.[2]It is not a strict musical genreper se,since the specific sounds can vary wildly (fromCornershop'sBollywood-influencedBritpoptoPanjabi MCs'bhangra-influencedjungle).
History
[edit]In the 1980s, performances of folk music evolved into thebhangramusic genre, which would later become more mainstream in the 1990s and 2000s.[3]In the1990s,Asian underground was consideredhipand broke through to the mainstream, with artists such asApache IndianandCornershopfrequently entering the UK charts, with the former's "Boom Shack-A-Lak"(1993) appearing in many popular movies and the latter topping the charts with"Brimful of Asha"in 1998. The genre and other forms of South Asian music began to influence Europe's pop mainstream as acts likeBjörk,[4]Erasure,andSiouxsie and the Bansheesall released singles or remixes featuring South Asian instrumentation.Talvin Singh,known for his innovative fusion ofIndian classical musicwithdrum and bass,subsequently won aMercury Music Prizefor his albumOKin1999.[5]
Asian underground music initially had only little influence onpopular Indian musicon the sub-continent, where it was usually branded underworld music.[6]While several Asian underground artists such asApache Indian,Trickbaby andBally Sagoogained fame in India, it was only afterPanjabi MC's international hit "Mundian To Bach Ke"that British-Asian underground music could compete with domestic Indian artists likeShankar MahadevanandRemo Fernandes,in addition to attracting worldwide audiences.[7]It was followed by the globally successfulRishi Rich Project,consisting of producerRishi Richand artistsJay Sean,Mumzy Stranger,Juggy DandVeronica Mehta.They were one of the first groups to fuseBhangramusic withcontemporary R&Band found tremendous success in India after their songs were featured in mainstreamBollywoodsoundtracks such asBoom,Kya Kool Hai HumandHum Tum.Since then, Asian underground music has exerted some influence on mainstreamIndian popmusic.[8]
Asian underground music has also influenced mainstream Americanhip hop,R&B andurban musicin the 2000s, including artists such asTimbaland,Truth Hurts,Jay-Z,Snoop Dogg,Missy ElliottandBritney Spears.According toDJ Green Lantern,"Indian beats have now become a fixture on the R&B scene".[9]Music produced by theAsian Dub Foundationhas also been featured on the soundtracks for popularvideo gamessuch asNeed For Speed Underground.[10]Several former Asian underground artists such asM.I.A.andJay Seanhave gone on to achieve mainstream success in the North Americanmusic industry,where they produced mainstream songs such as "Paper Planes"and"Down"that have charted highly on (and in the latter case, topped) theBillboardHot 100.[11]
Primary instruments
[edit]Asian underground uses many traditional and relatively new instruments. Its primary ones aresitarandtabla,and almost all artists use an electronic or acousticdrum kitand/orsynthesizer.Some groups likeTabla Beat Scienceuse anelectric bass.Various other instruments, including thedholak,sarangi,andbansuriare also sometimes used. Vocals can be found as an instrument of emotional expression on many Asian underground recordings.[12]
Notable labels
[edit]Notable compilations
[edit]- Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground
- Eastern Uprising - Music from the Asian Underground,compiled by Earthtribe, released on Sony/Higherground
- Indian Electronica volume 001,compiled by Qasim Virjee a.k.a. Abdul Smooth
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"The birth of Asian underground: 'This music was for us and by us, and that was very powerful'".TheGuardian.11 January 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-10-28.Retrieved2020-09-29.
- ^Patil, Adwait (6 April 2017)."A Look Back as the Asian Underground Turns 20".NPR.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-09-30.Retrieved2020-09-29.
- ^Bakrania, Falu (2013).Bhangra and Asian undergroundSouth Asian Music and the Politics of Belonging in Britain(1st ed.).Archivedfrom the original on 2020-09-25.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^"A Look Back as the Asian Underground Turns 20".Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-27.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^"Mercury prize for Talvin Singh".Independent.co.uk.7 September 1999.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-10-12.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^Huq, Rupa (2003)."From the margins to mainstream?".Young.11:29–48.doi:10.1177/1103308803011001074.S2CID145697948.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-10-04.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^"Bollywood samples – 10 of the best".TheGuardian.2 December 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-12-22.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^Wulandari, Andi Tenriwali."Ethnicity and Belief".
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^"Jay-Z thrilled by the Indian response to his song".Zee News.December 16, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2015.Retrieved2009-12-16.
- ^"Need for Speed: Underground (Video Game 2003)".IMDb.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-11-30.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^"M.I.A. | Billboard".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-15.Retrieved2020-09-30.
- ^https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/5163/14.%20AESTHETIC%20FUSIONS%20Chapter%204.doc%3F.pdf?sequence=14&isAllowed=y.Retrieved2020-09-30.
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