Now, when I first heard the title DesiRock, prior to hearing any music, I was a touch sceptical as lets face it fusing two genre's of music so different isn't gonna be a piece of cake. It's going to be a risky strategy, which could go horrible wrong. DesiRock isn't just about DJ Swami it's about the new Swami crew, which includes Mc Sarpanch, S-Endz & Jagz (DSI). The album covers is one of the best from Envy yet who have come up with some real 'cack wack' covers in their time. It's clear to see that they have made an effort with the photo shoot and cover design on this one. DesiRock is written in a really funky text, which is representative of the title. Then you've got the Swami crew thugged up in a cool kinda way. Even DJ Swami's otherwise striking 'laal laal bhaal' have been majestically camouflaged within the red and yellow colour scheme. Hats off to Seb of studiomogul.co.uk for the artwork, its well worthy of a plug. Now lets get down to business and talk about the music!

The album kicks of with the title track, DesiRock. Why I first heard this I was like 'wow, what a mad tune.' The fantastically fused beats give it funk factor ten feel. From the sounds of things the didgeridoo, which has an Australian aboriginal history, even gets a workout on this one. After the exaggerated intro one of the vocal finds of the decade, Lembher Hussainpuri, treats us to some 'Balle Balle' desi style. It then switches to Mc Sarpanch who drops the lyrics 'o sh** it's all coming on top' which is quite amusing. It switches between Lembher and Sarpanch then two-thirds into the track when you least expect it there is a twist when it switches boliyan style and we are subsequently treated to some guest vocals courtesy of Taz (Stereo Nation). The all round production on this one by DJ Swami is out of this world. It will have you completely mesmerised but trust me this ain't no placebo; DesiRock is the real deal. In my view this tune has all the credentials to become a massive international hit.

Moving onto number 'doh' which goes by the name 'Move' which starts of with the typically exaggerated 'oohs' and aahs' from another top desi vocalist going by the name of Master Rakesh. It switches to the English vocals by Errol Read and back and forth between the pair. Then bang… S-Endz, the militant soldier, is introduced to spit some lingo. If you listen carefully the Asian vocalist, English vocalist and Mc are all talking about the same thing, which is a girl. This is rarely the case in desi tunes where the Mc is usually talking about something completely different so the whole concept is worthy of some credit. It's a difficult task to switch the tempo so often but it's been very well executed on this occasion. The final result is a nice elegant mix; I just want to know who is the girl the trio are fighting over?

The track 'Challa II' follows this, which is an attempt to re-create an old skool classic. Now not many vocalists have the ability to do this track justice but if anyone can then it has to be Mr Lembher Hussainpuri. The amazing power in his voice is enough to re-arrange the British Isles and you can probably hear the echo from his vocals on this one all the way in Punjab. Mc Sarpanch is on call to provide a story, which starts with his family arriving in the 60's followed by talk of Nick Griffin (leader of the BNP) then it ends when he hits em for six with his cricket bat. I have nothing but admiration for Mc Sarpanch for his strong lyrics on this one. The timing of the track is perfect with the BBC having recently highlighted what the BNP really represents. The music again is top drawer making this a badass tune.

The next track goes by the name 'Don't Hold Back.' Jagz of DSI on is hand to provide the vocals and this one kinda continues in the same vain as the last tune with a strong message 'Aasa piche nahi hatana' which I'll translate for non-desi's like Richard; it means 'We are not moving out of the way.' The new kid on da block S-Endz, who is the first cousin of DJ Swami, provides the Mc'ing on this one. At just 17 years old he is writing his own lyrics and dropping some sick flows. He even has the audacity to drop a big-time cuss by labelling the desi industry as a 'fake industry.' It's a good tune that has been created for the bad boy wannabees amongst us.

Track 5 is called 'Hooked and Addicted.' Jagz is back to provide the vocals on this one and I absolutely love his lyrics especially 'whisky mila ke soda.' S-Endz aided and abetted by his partner in crime Mc Sarpanch they work well in tandem to treat us to some quality Mc'ing. Mc Sarpanch smashed it on this one; I mean what the hell is masala-flavoured skunk? Wonder what that tastes like? What are the side effects? I suppose I'll leave that to your imagination. Lyrically again this tune has meaning as lets face it Asians are 'high' more often than most and that's a fact. Musically DJ Swami keeps the music to a minimum; letting his boys let loose on this one. Overall, it's another quality tune.

This is followed a song called 'Turn It Up.' Indian X is on hand to provide the desi vocals and he does an okay job. Mc Sarpanch features on this track as well. His Mc'ing can be likened to Liquorish as it would seem people either 'love' it or 'hate' it and there is blatantly no in between. I'm definitely a fan of his original hard-hitting lyrics and smooth rap style Mc'ing. Some people don't like him simple due to the swearing but his producer DJ Swami does not think it's good to restrict the creative flow of how a Mc may feel want to express themselves on a track and who can blame him. The sad reality is the truth hurts and we would rather pretend we are in 'cuckoo land' than face up to it. Gettin back to the mix itself, I'm not really 'feelin' this one as much as the rest but it's still above average.

Next up is the tune called 'Bust Da Mic' which features the deadly Mc Sarpanch. He goes all out on this one… with some load shouting in between the Mc'ing. He smashes it again with the lyrics 'chak dey phatey if ya looking good' which translated to 'lift up the floorboards if ya looking good.' Towards the end he says 'I won't be faithful but least I'm honest' which is well funny. He holds his own for the whole five and half minutes of the tune. Now how many Mc's have the ability to do that? This one is for all the UK G's! It's a wicked tune.

Indian X is back on the vocals for 'Hear Dis' but he's outdone by S-Endz who's mad Mc'ing steals the show by a country mile. The English lyrics that split up this track just give it an extra dimension and some simple but effective music courtesy of the ultimate fusion guru DJ Swami makes up this track. Some swearing is muted out of the track. It's not the first time it happens in this album hence why the CD Cover has a 'Parental Advisory for Explicit Content.' It's yet another good tune.

Moving onto the penultimate track which is 'Throw 'Em Up.' Jagz is back to give his desi vocals this time with the killa militant, S-Endz, cutting loose again. He's come up with fresh lyrics on all his tracks so if he can keep doing that he's got a massive future. The track is good and the Mc'ing heavily dominates it, as is the case in most of the album. Fans of this art will be feeling like they are in paradise. However for the anti Mc'ing brigade this album is definitely a big 'No No.' The excessive use to Mc'ing is the only criticism of this album but to counter this DJ Swami has never been one to follow the so-called rule book; with him it's more a case of expect the unexpected.

It ends with a Radio Edit of the title track, DesiRock. The only difference I can see from this version is it's been shorted from the original 6 minutes to a total of 4 minutes. As the title states this version is for radio airplay.

Now when I try to convince non-desi's to listen to desi tunes a common criticism I get from them is it sounds all to similar. Where as desi's can relate to the lyrics and use them to distinguish between two songs non-Asians rely on the beats. In the year 2004, I think it's fair to say that it's been the general consensus within the desi music industry that thus far no one has come with anything different and everyone has been trying to recreate what was successful in 2003 rather than bringing something new to the table and it's just been a case of same old sh**; different album. So when the industry was craving for something fresh, something unique and something new let's hail the Swami crew as the saviours! It's one thing 'moving with the times' ma man DJ Swami has always been a flight of stairs ahead of the game. It was a risky strategy as I mentioned in the 'intro' but maybe that's what the industry needs as it seems like all to many artists are happy to sit on the fence and use the same old formula which inevitable gives the same results. The music is somewhat different to the usual desi offering so it's not instantaneously recognisable to the human ear so you may not 'feel it' straight away but like all quality music it will grow on you the more you listen to it.

The entire album is 0% commercial just like every DJ Swami production since day one. You just gotta admire the guy for keepin' it real and only making music that he wants to make. He's one of few artists still in it for the 'love of the game' in this business poisoned by greed with illusions of wealth getting the better of most. Lyrically the album tries to tackle real issues, which just makes it so much better. Talking about tackling real issues I just want to big up Michael Moore for the movie Fahrenheit 9/11; miss it and miss out. DesiRock gets 9 out of 10 for a combination of originality, damn good production and at the same time having a real-ness about it. It's the album of the year thus far no doubt and a must to add to your CD collection! DesiRock won't just 'Rock You' it's will hit you like an earthquake which is very high on the Richter scale. It's set the standards for others to emulate… well try!