Visionary Underground are a technology driven, audio-visual collective from London. Their music is characterized by a mix of UK hip hop, ragga, soul, dub, and Asian genres.
History
In the spirit of Visionary Underground's founding nature, the label VU Recordings was created by the group to overcome a lack of opportunity for the group in the music industry.
--''Visionary Underground''
Prior to the release of "Keep The Grime On", VU Recordings released four 12" vinyl singles and one CD/vinyl single.
''Militant 24-7'' was chosen as the TV title music for BBC 2s Asian arts and culture programme: Desi DNA, whilst a selection of VU tracks have also seen their way onto a variety of compilation albums including FabricLive15 and Peace Not War Vol II.
Nov 2006 saw the release of Dr Das's solo debut album "Emergency Basslines"
In an interview for SOAS Radio in 2017, Coco Das stated that nowadays they prefer to describe themselves as audio-visual collective and instead a drum ’n’ bass/breakbeat band. In the same interview, Coco Das discuss a lot about their history and track production notes.
[COCO DAS (VISIONARY UNDERGROUND) - Pioneers of British Asian Music 5 - SOASradio on MixCloud]
Lineup
Founders
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FeelFree (DJ/Producer)
*Coco (VJ/Visual Artist)
*
Damion Mulrain (Vocalist/Lyricist)
*
Duane Flames (Rap/Lyricist)
Featured Artists
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Dr Das (founder member and formerly of
Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bass and gui ...
) (live bass)
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bobby "sox" demers (live jungle/breakbeat drummer)
*
Yap
Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micro ...
(Pink Punk)
*
Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bass and gui ...
ft
Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...
*
Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney , D.Mus (; born 1964) is a British musician, producer and composer. A recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, among multiple international awards throughout his career. Sawhney's work combines Asian ...
*
Aref Durvesh (tabla maestro)
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Chandru (bollywoodstrings.com)
*
Pandit Dinesh
Pandit Dinesh (born 29 May 1955) is a music composer and percussionist specializing in Indian rhythms. He uses the tabla, conga drums, and more. Dinesh is known for his collaborations with West India Company, Dizrhythmia, The Pax Trio, and Blanc ...
(tabla and percussion guru
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MC Navigator (of Freestylers fame
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Sonia Mehta (Indian vocalist).
Discography
References
External links
Visionary Underground official siteVisionary Underground's MyspaceTo hear all 11 tracks from FIRED UPJurg's ADF discography and related news
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English electronic music groups
Musical groups from London