Asian underground is a term associated with various

British Asian British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British citizens of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 6.9% of the population identifying as Asian/Asian Bri ...

and South Asian Canadian musicians (mostly

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

i and Sri Lankan) who blend elements of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

underground

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

and the traditional

Asian music Asian music encompasses numerous musical styles originating in many Asian countries. Musical traditions in Asia * Music of Central Asia ** Music of Afghanistan (when included in the definition of Central Asia) ** Music of Kazakhstan ** Music ...

of their home countries in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

. The sound has roots in the

South Asian Diaspora DESI may refer to * Desorption electrospray ionization * Drug Efficacy Study Implementation * Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is a scientific research instrument for conducting spectrographic a ...

, and many notable musicians within the genre are immigrants or children of immigrants. The first well-known mention was the compilation album '' Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground'' released in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

and masterminded by

Talvin Singh Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is an English musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica s ...

and Sweety Kapoor. It is not a strict musical genre ''per se'', since the specific sounds can vary wildly (from

Cornershop Cornershop are a British indie rock band best known for their single "Brimful of Asha", originally released in 1997 and, in a remixed version, topping the UK chart in 1998. The band was formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh (singe ...

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

-influenced

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

Panjabi MC Rajinder Singh Rai (Punjabi: ਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ), better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British-Indian recording artist, rapper, producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwide 2002 bhangra hit "Mundian To Bach Ke", ...

s' bhangra-influenced

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

History

In the 1980s, performances of folk music evolved into the bhangra music genre, which would later become more mainstream in the 1990s and 2000s. In the

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

s, Asian underground was considered hip and broke through to the mainstream, with artists such as

Apache Indian Steven Kapur (born 11 May 1967), known by the stage name Apache Indian, is a British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ. He had a series of hits during the 1990s. He is best known in the UK for the song " Boom Shack-A-Lak", which reached the top ...

and

frequently 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 "Brimful of Asha" is a song by British alternative rock band Cornershop from their third album, ''When I Was Born for the 7th Time'' (1997). The recording originally reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997. After a remixed version by N ...

" in 1998. The genre and other forms of South Asian music began to influence Europe's pop mainstream as acts like Björk,

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

, and Siouxsie and the Banshees all released singles or remixes featuring South Asian instrumentation.

, known for his innovative fusion of Indian classical music with drum and bass, subsequently won a

Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

for his album '' OK'' in 1999. Asian underground music initially had only little influence on popular Indian music on the sub-continent, where it was usually branded under world music. While several Asian underground artists such as

, Trickbaby and Bally Sagoo gained fame in India, it was only after

's international hit " Mundian To Bach Ke" that British-Asian underground music could compete with domestic Indian artists like

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tam ...

and

Remo Fernandes Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes (born 8 May 1953) is a singer and musician from India with naturalized Portuguese citizenship. Known as a pioneer of Indian pop music, he performs pop/ rock/Indian fusion and is also a film playback singe ...

, in addition to attracting worldwide audiences. It was followed by the globally successful

Rishi Rich Project Rishpal Singh Rekhi (Punjabi: ਰਿਸ਼ਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਰੈਖੀ, born 30 June 1976 in Croydon), better known by his stage name Rishi Rich, is a British-Indian music producer based in London. He began his career in the Asian Undergr ...

, consisting of producer

Rishi Rich Rishpal Singh Rekhi (Punjabi: ਰਿਸ਼ਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਰੈਖੀ, born 30 June 1976 in Croydon), better known by his stage name Rishi Rich, is a British-Indian music producer based in London. He began his career in the Asian Undergr ...

and artists

Jay Sean Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born 26 March 1981), better known by the stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with " Dance with You", which reache ...

Mumzy Stranger Muhammad Mumith Ahmed ( bn, মুহাম্মদ মুমিথ আহমেদ; born 18 January 1984), known professionally as Mumzy Stranger or his producing name SP (an abbreviation of Stranger Productions), is a British rapper, singer, ...

Juggy D Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal (Punjabi: ਜਗਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਧਾਲੀਵਾਲ, born 19 November 1977), is an Indian English singer from Southall, London of Indian Punjabi Sikh descent. Music Juggy D has been performing since the ...

and

Veronica Mehta Veronica Mehta or simply Veronica is a singer and songwriter based in London, UK. She sings in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Career Aged 16, Veronica successfully auditioned for the part of female vocalist for the 2Kool album '' 2Kool Flavor''. Sh ...

. They were one of the first groups to fuse Bhangra music with

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhy ...

and found tremendous success in India after their songs were featured in mainstream

soundtracks such as '' Boom, Kya Kool Hai Hum'' and '' Hum Tum''. Since then, Asian underground music has exerted some influence on mainstream

Indian pop Indian pop music, also known as Indi-pop, refers to pop music produced in India that is independent from filmi soundtracks for Indian cinema, such as the music of Bollywood, which tends to be more popular. Indian pop is closely linked to Bolly ...

music. Asian underground music has also influenced mainstream American hip hop, R&B and

urban music Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, Hip hop music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music ...

in the 2000s, including artists such as

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

, Truth Hurts, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott and Britney Spears. According to

DJ Green Lantern James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for S ...

, "Indian beats have now become a fixture on the R&B scene". Music produced by the

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 guit ...

has also been featured on the soundtracks for popular

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s such as '' Need For Speed Underground''. Several former Asian underground artists such as M.I.A. and

have gone on to achieve mainstream success in the North American music industry, where they produced mainstream songs such as " Paper Planes" and " Down" that have charted highly on (and in the latter case, topped) the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Primary instruments

Asian underground uses many traditional and relatively new instruments. Its primary ones are

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

and

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

, and almost all artists use an electronic or acoustic

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

and/or synthesizer. Some groups like Tabla Beat Science use an

electric bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

. Various other instruments, including the

dholak The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The instrument is about 45 cm in length and 27 cm in breadth and is widely used in '' qawwali'', '' kirtan'', ''lavani'' and '' bhangra''. The drum has two differ ...

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, and Boro folk music (there known as the ''serja'') – in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It is ...

, and bansuri are also sometimes used. Vocals can be found as an instrument of emotional expression on many Asian underground recordings.

Notable artists

* Kelli Ali *

Anik Khan Anik Khan is a Bangladeshi-American hip hop artist. Early life Khan was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and raised in Astoria, Queens, New York. His father was involved in politics and fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 1993, when Khan w ...

Suzana Ansar Suzana Ansar ( bn, সুজানা আনসার; born 14 February ) is an English singer, actress and television presenter of Bangladeshi descent. Early life Ansar was born London, England to Bangladeshi expatriate parents. Her mother, (J ...

* Badmarsh & Shri * Bandish Projekt *

Bat for Lashes Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released five studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Hau ...

Biddu Biddu Appaiah (born 8 February 1944) is a British-Indian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer who composed and produced many worldwide hit records during a career spanning five decades. Considered one of the pioneers of disco, Euro d ...

Black Star Liner Black Star Liner were formed in Leeds in 1994, by Choque Hosein, Tom Salmon, and Chris Harrop. Their music consisted of a mix of Asian music (sitar and tabla), dance music and dub. History They formed Soundclash Records to release their initia ...

Niraj Chag Niraj Chag is a London-based musical artist and composer. His musical style mixes Indian classical influences with contemporary stylings and layered, complex beats. Niraj's tracks were initially released on the Outcaste record label and later on ...

* Dhol Foundation * Bobby Friction *

Fun-Da-Mental Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop– ethno-techno– world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for i ...

Heems Himanshu Kumar Suri (born July 6, 1985), better known by his stage name Heems, is an American rapper from Queens in New York City. Best known for being part of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, Suri is also the founder of Greedhead Musi ...

* Joi *

Karsh Kale Karsh Kale (pronounced ''Kursh Kah-lay'', ''कर्ष काळे'' in Marathi; born 1 November 1974) is an Indian-American musician born in England. Known primarily for his experimental tabla playing within electronic music contexts, Kale ...

Loop Guru Loop Guru is a worldbeat group consisting of bassist/guitarist Salman Gita (born Sam Dodson) and programmer Jamuud (born David Muddyman). They first met around 1980 and initially played together in The Transmitters and released their debut sin ...

* M.I.A. * MIDIval Punditz *

Anuj Rastogi Anuj Rastogi (born 1978), is a Toronto, Ontario, Canada based film composer, producer, musician, spoken-word artist, writer and live event producer. He is an active collaborator, and founder of independent music label Omnesia Records. Biography ...

* Cheb i Sabbah *

Gurdeep Samra Gurdeep Samra (born 5 May 1983) (also known as G Samra) is a British Asian bhangra music producer and DJ from Bicester, England. Gurdeep was born in Oxford and is of Jatt descent. In 2002, Gurdeep released a collaboration with Panjabi folk m ...

Iraj Weeraratne Iraj Weeraratne (born 21 February 1981) is a Sinhalese R&B and hip hop artist and music producer. Weeraratne had a television show on Derana TV called "Iraj Show". He is known as a prominent hip-hop and RnB artist in Sri Lanka. He was the firs ...

* Pragathi Guruprasad *

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 a ...

State of Bengal Saifullah "Sam" Zaman (17 April 1965 – 19 May 2015), known by the stage name State of Bengal, was a British DJ and music producer of Bangladeshi descent associated with the UK and Asian Underground movement. Early life Zaman was born on 1 ...

* Suphala * Tabla Beat Science *

Transglobal Underground Transglobal Underground (sometimes written as Trans-Global Underground) is an English electro-world music group, specializing in a fusion of western, Asian and African music styles (sometimes labelled world fusion and ethno techno). Their f ...

Trilok Gurtu Trilok Gurtu (born 30 October 1951) is an Indian percussionist and composer whose work has blended the music of India with jazz fusion and world music. He has worked with Terje Rypdal, Gary Moore, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, ...

jai uttal Jai Uttal (born June 12, 1951) is an American musician. He is a Grammy-nominated singer and “a pioneer in the world music community with his eclectic East-meets-West sound.” Biography Uttal grew up in New York City and lived in a home filled ...

* Vraja * Daniel Masson * Amar (singer) *

Aki Nawaz Aki Nawaz (born Haq Nawaz Qureshi) is an English singer, rapper and musician and part of the band Fun-Da-Mental. He is best known for his controversial lyrics. Profile In the 1980s, using his proper name Haq Qureshi, he played drums with the ...

* DCS

Notable labels

Axiom Records Axiom was a record label founded by musician Bill Laswell in 1990 with the support of Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. History In 1989, Chris Blackwell sold Island to PolyGram, which in 2000 became a subsidiary of Universal Music Grou ...

* Nation Records * Shiva Soundsystem *

Six Degrees Records Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists. History In 1996, former Windham Hill employees Pat Berry and Bob Duskis founded Six Degrees Records with the in ...

Notable compilations

* '' 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

References

{{reflist

External links

Guide to Asian Underground

Documentary film about Asian Underground and Bhangra
20th-century music genres Electronic dance music genres British Pakistani history South Asian music Asian Underground