In the second part of her new talent series, Asha Mehta dons her A&R hat and unveils the pick of the unsigned music crop.

From jangly guitar balladeers to sugary pop sirens, these up-and coming musicians are refreshingly eclectic but share just one tangible link: they all happen to be British Asian.


SUNIT AND RAXSTAR
Who's who: Sunit Panchal - hip-hop producer and remix whiz; Raxstar - MC/rapper (pictured on the right).
Signature sound: Outrageously slinky desi beats, mingled with biting lyrical flows on a social commentary tip
Crib: Luton

"Most MC's were rapping about fast cars and bling, but I was after a more lyrically-grounded rapper," says Sunit, a Timbaland fan, explaining how the link up with partner in crime Raxstar came about.

Although Sunit is not averse to throwing Asian beats into the mix, his musical alchemy comprises a diverse plethora of sounds. "I'm experimenting with a lot of live, orchestral sounds and am even sampling Japanese instruments," he reveals. "Musically, the album will be a mixture of world influences, all done in an urban style."

To get his name out there, Sunit cannily blitzed the Asian media with his tracks, generating a media scrum across the board: stretching from MTV to Bollywood.

"Once we've completed our EP, we'll be sending it to record labels as the main objective is to get signed so we can concentrate on the music," he says, outlining their next move. Taking self-promotion to new heights, Sunit adds with a wink: "I've thought about running naked though London with my website address on my back, but it might not be a good idea."

Sunit believes his British Asian background is a major inspiration, but he is adamant that his music transcends cultural boundaries. "I grew up on a cocktail of music; my mum and gran were always playing traditional folk music or watching Bollywood movies," he recalls. "This instilled Indian melodies into my rhythm. However, I want to go beyond these influences and create new sounds; to make music that all ages, races and tastes can relate to."

We say: The duo's blistering debut track 'Keep it Undercover', which is to undergo a desi-style makeover and may feature in a Bollywood movie, topped Bobby and Nihal's chart for a month and clinched the tune of the week accolade on Adil Ray's show, which led to a rabble-rousing live session. The pair - who hooked up at a Bombay Bronx bash in Notting Hill - are set to storm the City Showcase in September, a glittering industry shindig held each year at the Borderline, which has helped launch the likes of Lady Sovereign, Razorlight and Swami.

The guys are beavering away on an EP and album, and are in talks with record companies. If they can steer away from the guns 'n' gangstas clichés and make savvy collaboration choices, the young upstarts may well have Rishi Rich quaking in his Reebok Classics.

Vital stats: www.sunit.biz and www.raxstar.com


RADHIKA
Who's who: Radhika - singer/songwriter
Signature sound: Smoky, soul-infused vocals set to a mellow rock-nu-jazz heartbeat
Crib: London

Radhika says: "I'd say my music is classic, crafted and personal, with an emphasis on lyrics, and I'd describe it as 'rock soul' infused with ambience, electronics and at times, a little of my culture," she reflects, summing up her genre-defying sound.

"My highlights so far have included working with Andy Wright, who has produced artists like Natalie Imbruglia, and Cameron McVey from Massive Attack," recalls Radhika, who started playing the piano at the age of six and whose earliest musical memory involves tagging along with her father to classical Indian recitals.

"At the moment, I'm just focusing on writing songs and working with as many songwriters and producers as possible."

"I've written about 40 songs and plan to continue until there's a collection that sits together as an album."

We say: The jet-setting chanteuse was named Most Outstanding Artist at the Urban Voice Contest in 2002. After graduating in Economics, a life-changing backpacking trek around South America inspired her to ditch statistics for songwriting. She provided backing vocals for R&B smoothie Craig David and has already notched up collaboration credits with super-cool production hotshots The Architects.

Radhika has steadily built up a loyal internet fanbase, which recently demonstrated its devotion by downloading her song, 'It's Cold Out Here' a whopping 10,000 times. While the Norah comparisons are inevitable (heck, she even looks like her) the breathy, torch-song lilt to Radhika's voice should lift her above the nu-jazz also-rans. Catch her setting the London circuit alight at regular haunts Kabaret and Jewel.

Vital stats: www.caymanmusic.com/radhika/

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Part one was published here.