Following on from their acclaimed album ‘Hanging Around’, music band Trickbaby are releasing their follow-up album ‘Chor Bazaar’ on Chachaman Records.

From the album comes the first single Nine Parts next month, inspired by a west end shopping trip when lead singer Saira Hussain became fascinated by the rolex watches and gold jewellery peering out from the Muslim ladies’ Yashmaks.

It stars Bollywood superstar Abhishek Bachchan as Saira’s love interest and Priyanka Chopra as her love rival. See the music video:
Continue reading…

by Nisha Sahdev
Freelance PR and journalist

Born in London and raised in the West Midlands Punam Verma began her career as a travel presenter for Trafficlink 6 years ago and then went on to becoming a Journalist with BBC WM. She also presented the radio show ‘Midlands Masala’ occasionally.

Today – Punam Verma is the first British Asian Presenter for Dubai One TV. She writes and presents her own entertainment show called ‘Out & About’, which is broadcast all over the Middle East.

How did you get a job in television?

After working as a radio presenter for many years I was looking to expand my skills. By complete fluke I received a junk email. I was about to delete it, but I decided to open it. At the bottom of the mail was an advert saying ‘Dubai TV looking for new Presenters’. The job wasn’t even advertised in the UK.

Anyway – I sent them a 2 minute showreel I had put together, via email. In the meantime they were casting 40 people in Dubai. About 5 days letter I received an email saying that I had been offered my own TV show. They hadn’t met me and I hadn’t met them. We both had to take a leap of faith.

2 weeks later I quit my job at the BBC and was on a plane to Dubai!
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The Juice are a London based Rock band who continually play at gigs across the country.

Featured last year in an episode of the BBC Asian arts programme Desi DNA, where they played as backup instrumentalists for the pop singer Deeyah, the band say they have done over a hundred gigs just in the capital city. (Video below)
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The multi-million pound East London arts and events venue, Rich Mix, will officially launch on 9th October with a party featuring singer Jazzie B OBE.

The 62,000 sq ft venue was quietly launched in Spring 2006 and has hosted a series of events, shows and debates since. It was conceived as part of an attempt to rejuvenate the east of London and offer the area a major arts and media venue.
Continue reading…

Scottish music producers Tigerstyle are releasing the first single from their forthcoming album – Mystics, Martyrs & Maharajas next month.

Balle! Shava!, the new single, features Jamaican dancehall artists Vybz Kartel, X-Factor contestant Nikitta and Punjabi singer Mangi Mahal. The duo say their aim was to fuse the traditional bhangra beats with contemporary dancehall. A video is forthcoming.

The single is being released by Nachural Records on 3rd September.

Pop singer Jay Sean will be headlining BBC Asian Network’s show at the annual East Londons event Under The Stars, organised by Newham Council on Saturday 30th August.

Presenters Adil Ray and Noreen will be accompanied by DJ Kayper, with performances from H-Dhami, Alyssia, Reenie, Metz&Trixm Bee2 featuring Nitasha, and more.

Asian Network, Head of Music, Mark Strippel said, “BBC Asian Network is proud to be involved again with this important cultural event. Under the Stars offers a great opportunity to spotlight some of the best contemporary Asian music around and positioning new talents such as Zeekay and 3Mix alongside artists like Jay Sean is a really important part of this event.”

The concert starts at 6.45pm and ends at 10.30pm at Central Park, East Ham in East London.

British bhangra producers RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) pictured here with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and American rapper Snoop Dogg.

They were brought together for the music video to a track produced by RDB for the Bollywood film Singh is Kinng. The film, which releases next week, stars Kumar as the lead, with Snoop Dogg making a cameo appearance.

The London based musician and performer Nikesh Shukla releases his debut album today, after spending a year in Kenya creating an eclectic array of sounds that he calls a “stripped-down acoustic anti-folk series of short stories set against a background of acoustic guitar and poetical raps”.

Formerly part of the duo, the D’Archetypes, and earlier referred to as Yam Boy, Shukla says the album amalgamated his three main influences: Public Enemy, Jeffrey Lewis and Asha Bhosle, but “without a bhangra tune in sight.”

The 30 year old poet has also had his writing featured on BBC2, Radio 1 and 4, Resonance fm, Tell Tales and Transmission Magazine. As part of D’Archetypes, he has previously performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Soho Theatre, The Big Chill, Rise Festival, London Mela and Glastonbury.

On the subject of his new album, he says: “There’s a wide variety of themes here, from the loss of my culture to rap to the possibility of monkeys overruling the earth.”

Kidologies and Amazing Fantasies is out today through Friendly Neighbourhood Records on CD and MP3.
- www.myspace.com/nikeshshukla

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant to an ambitious project that seeks to research, film and archive the history of India’s Manipuri and Tagore dance forms in the UK. It will be run by London based organisation The Rhythm.

“Besides researching and recording the oral history of these two dance forms in the UK, we are keen to disseminate the knowledge that we endeavour to gather during the project period by organising talent hunts, workshops and dance recitals at various venues,” said Mrs Raha who herself has specialised in Manipuri dance form. Lord Dholakia, deputy leader of the Libdems, is a patron of the company.

Manipuri dance is one of the oldest classical dances of India. The first Asian Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, became an ardent admirer of the Manipuri dance in the early 19th century.

Music producer Kuljit Bhamra is trying to pioneer a new genre of music – Bhangra Latina, by combining elements of the desi beat with Latin music.

A project, featuring a band led by Mr Bhamra and Latin pianist Alex Wilson, in collaboration with emerging British composers and multi-award winning singer Sangeeta, has explored how composers and musicians from different traditions can work together to create new music from these two musical forms.

A CD release is planned for September and the music will be showcased initially at the Henley Festival (11 July) and later at the Southbank Centre, London (21st Sept).

This year’s London Mela will be held on 10th August at west London’s Gunnersbury Park as with previous years.

BBC Asian Network announced this week it had signed up to be the event’s principal media partner for the third year running.

There were some fears among Asian artists that the new London Mayor Boris Johnson was planning to axe funding for the London Mela.
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Bollywood dance coach Honey Kalaria’s annual Bollywood Dance Championships will be held this year at the Hackney Empire in London on 8th July.

Event organisers say it is the UK’s biggest Bollywood dance competition and entrants from all over the country will be performing at the event, which is being covered by Club Asia Radio.

The winner will be flown to India and be awarded a modelling contract. They will also receive extensive training Honey’s Dance Academy to become a professional dancer.

The Indian music company Saregama is launching a music CD and series of tours around Britain to commemorate the Indian singer Mohammad Rafi.

At an event at the Nehru Centre in London on Tuesday 17th June, a CD album titled ‘Rafi Resurrected’ will be unveiled by the late Mohd Rafi’s eldest grandson Rizvan Rafi.

A national tour with Indian singer Sonu Nigam will follow in July: at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham(15th July); Manchester’s Apollo Theatre (17th July) and the London Coliseum (20th July). Sony Entertainment Television Asia will broadcast all concerts.

London School of Economics PHD student Helen Kim sent this:

I’m looking for people, men and women, between the ages of 18-35 who listen to Asian music (bhangra, bollywood, desi beats, desi hip hop) AND go out to Asian nights in London, who would be willing to talk about their club-going and music choices, as well as how their music tastes reflect their identity.
I am open to all forms of interviews, such as face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews and over email.

If interested, contact: h.kim2@lse.ac.uk

Ever wondered what it must feel like to have started the Asian underground revolution? To have made 15 Bhangra albums, received gold discs and had your name in the Guinness book of records? Continue reading…

Singer Jay Sean releases his new album, My Own Way, from today. The album is available from most music retailers.

Theatre company Rifco Arts are holding open auditions to find new singing talent. After the success of previous touring shows such as: There’s Something about Simmy, Meri Christmas and The Deranged Marriage, they are embarking on new projects and keen to find an older generation of talent.
Continue reading…

The West Midlands saw a new digital radio station launch this week aimed at the region’s British Asian market. AsianFx, sister-station to the popular London based Panjab Radio, will compete directly with BBC Asian Network for an audience.

The station was officially launched last week and will feature former Club Asian presenter Veena V on breakfast. Managing director Surjit Singh Ghuman said: “Most radio stations are language or music specific, the needs of British born Asians seemed to be ignored, so creating a platform for these cultures to unite seemed the right thing to do.”

AsianFx will broadcast on DAB Digital Radio and online www.asianfx.co.uk
Contact: info@asianfx.co.uk / 020 8848 8877
(pictured: Breakfast and Drivetime presenters at launch event)

A Sussex based composer and an Indian singer have come together to create a vibrant music album with a mixture of sounds from all over the world.

James Asher, an original artist and producer of worldbeat music with a back-catalogue of 20 commercial releases, teamed up with Indian virtuoso singer Mahesh Vinayakram to make Bravado Masala, an album that released on iTunes last month and in India (through Times Music) this week.

They say the album ranges in moods from “rhythmic and danceable to thoughtful, nostalgic and contemplative”. They add: “Mahesh’s musicality and exuberant enthusiasm finds an unusual and satisfying pairing with James’s strongly atmospheric grooves.”

James Asher is also a keyboard-player, drummer and composer. Mahesh Vinayakram comes from a famous Indian musical family. His father Vikku Vinayakram heads a family of master drummers and percussionists. Vikkhu himself is a worldclass percussion maestro, specialising in ghatam, who has played John McLaughlin’s Shakti, and received several grammy nominations.
Contact: starfield@btopenworld.com // Label: Starfield
Music samples and more info on james-asher.co.uk.

London based Asian pop band Trickbaby is releasing its next single, Fighter, on 28th April. Their second album, Chor Bazaar, releases on 12th May through Wrasse Records, part of Universal.

Based around the song-writing partnership of Saira Hussain and Steve Ager, the band came to prominence a few years ago with their debut album Hanging Around.

They have made two videos to coincide with the release. Fighter is made in the form of an animated video, while Nine Parts Of Desire is produced by Ramesh Sippy (director of the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay), directed by his son, Rohan, and stars Abishek Bachchan as Saira’s love interest with Priyanka Chopra as her love rival.

The band recently performed live at the UK Asian Music Awards. at the Royal Festival Hall in London and they will opening for Rachid Taha and friends (a mini Africa Express) at London’s Jazz cafe on April 14th and 15th.
www.trickbabymusic.co.uk / www.youtube.com/trickbabymusic

Singer Karen David will be appearing alongside Sir David Jason, Sean Astin and Tim Curry in The Colour of Magic, a film adapted from the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name.

The red carpet premiere was held last week March 3rd. The film will air on Sky 1 (UK) on Easter weekend, March 23rd and 24th. Karen David plays Liessa Dragonlady.

Her EP, The Live Sessions, will be released on April 14th on all digital download websites and limited editions at selected music stores.
www.karendavid.com

The review is coming soon! Click on each thumbnail for the full image.

The UK Asian Music Awards takes place later this week at the Royal Festival Hall on 6th March. The event will be hosted by actress Preeya Kalidas and Mumbai based B4U presenter ‘VJ Sahil’.

Awards will be given on the night for: Best Album, Best Act, Best Female Act, Best Underground Act, Best Video, Best International Act, Best Newcomer, Best Producer, Best Club DJ, Best Urban Act, Best Radio Show and Best Website. Special awards on the night include Commitment to the Scene and Outstanding Achievement.

Organisers say the winners will be determined by public voting that took place through their website. Continue reading…

Freelance journalist Rahul Verma has a four page feature on acid house and the rise of dance music in India, in the March issue of Mixmag the UK’s longest running dance music magazine. More of Rahul’s ramblings on music, the arts and culture can be found at rebel without a pause.

London based DJ and multi-instrumentalist Bisha could soon be rocking your world, musically. The musician, born to Bengali parents and recently turned 24, has just released her debut album: Nights at the Circus.

There is much undergound hype surrounding this young lady, much of it unsurprising given her debut single: Never Seen Your Face, is brilliant. See the video below. Though, we prefer the bass-laden live performance viewable here. Another good performance of the same track is here.

According to the biography on her website, she was born in Earls Court to a musical family; her mother is still an EMI signed artist. She has studied Sitar at The Ravi Shankar School for Music and has a passion for English & East European folk, progressive pop & electronica. Her inspirations: Ananda Shankar, Wendy Carlos, Vashti Bunyan and Bjork.

She will also feature on Desi DNA tonight on BBC2 at 11:20pm.
[Hat tip: the New York based gossip site Daily Cherez]

Check out:
Her website / Her myspace page