Right forget the cricket! Even the Pakistan supporters out there, cause Rakesh and Irfan got some big hitting news to smash you out the ground.
Over the last two years, multi award-winning Nitin Sawhney has gigged extensively with his live band, DJ'ed for some of the hottest club nights on the planet, scored numerous films across Europe, Asia and America, and written/performed for internationally acclaimed orchestras. Ultimately Sawhney comes back to his first love - to present the workings of his deepest thoughts and feelings in the context of his most exciting album to date, Philtre. The album is a radical departure and movement on from his previous work. This is a journey that builds in pace and tempo, progressively revealing some of the most awe-inspiring vocal performances and instrumentation imaginable. From the dark, moody, and evocative opening tracks 'Everything' and 'Spark', through the rich vocal textures of 'Mausam' and 'Journey', to the rhythmic and emotionally charged sounds of Ojos de Brujo and R&B vocalist Taio, Sawhney expertly navigates the most volatile musical territories to create an unprecedented mixture of sonic brilliance. Inspired by the energy that comes from countless nights of performing in front of vast and varied crowds around the world, 'Philtre' reaches deep into the soul - to challenge, inspire, and provoke. The album features Reena Bhardwaj, Jacob Golden, Tina Grace, Fink, Sharon Duncan, Saroj Sawhney, Vikter Duplaix, Taio, Ojos de Brujo, and Jayanta Bose, Search and Deploy. It is due for release in the UK on the 2nd of May. You can check out his official site at www.nitinsawhney.com for tours dates and a whole lot more.
| Fresh for 2005, home-grown R&B singer Veronica returns with her forthcoming album 'Theen' (Hindi for 'three'). After a successful 2004 - appearing on the soundtrack smash 'Hum Tum' (which sold over 5 million units worldwide) and the Rishi Rich Project street anthem 'Aj Kal' as well as co-writing the Jay Sean Top 5 hit "Stolen - Veronica is back with this first taste from her brand new solo project. 'Theen showcases Veronica's trademark Desi-R&B style - mixing up lyrics in three languages (English, Punjabi & Hindi) over an infectious Rishi Rich beat, alongside guest vocalist Juggy D. Just back from India, where she filmed her first role in a Bollywood movie (the forthcoming "Kya Kool Hai Hum" which also stars Rishi Rich, Juggy D and R&B star Jay Sean), Veronica is now gearing up to |
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| make her mark as the UK's First Lady of Asian Soul. Featuring three tracks, 'Hey Ya/Sajana/Dil Lageya' - the promo for 'Theen'- is already on MTV Base, Channel U and many more. 'Theen' - the new album from Veronica - is out in May 2005. Veronica recently caught up with Masaeb; click here to view interview. |
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After the explosive interview with Irfan early last year; click here to view, which was followed by the mother of all anti climaxes it is finally time to announce the long awaited album from the Manchester MC duo Metz and Trix. Get Ready Get Set is the groundbreaking new album from the award winning MC's. It combined the vocal talents of world-class artists such as Gurdas Maan, Abrar Ul Haq as well as Bollywood supremo Sukwinder Singh along with one of the hottest vocalists around at the moment Lembher Hussainpuri. The album includes 10 brand new tracks, which take you on a musical journey of desi, hip-hop, RnB, bhangra, house, garage, 2-step and |
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dance all mixed with the unique style of Metz and Trix. The current video that was filmed in Manchester features 2 tracks from the album. It starts of with 'Bilingual', which is a hip-hop track that contains Punjabi, and Urdu rhyming which then switches to the taster track 'Quads' which is on an up-tempo 4X4 beat. Eagerly anticipated the album is set to be a huge success worldwide and is now due for release in the month of May. There are hundreds of MC's but there is only one Metz and Trix. For all the latest on the dynamic duo check out the brand new website at www.metzntrix.co.uk which is coming soon. |
New Release! This May BollyHood Records, out of New York City, will be releasing the first compilation out of the U.S, full of Indian and Urban artists collaborating together. All original music and exclusive new remixes the CD, titled 'Ashlene presents BHOOD The Album Vol.1', includes South Asian artists such as Sumeet, Thara, and Bikram Singh alongside rappers such as Yukmouth and R&B soul sensations Christion as well as Jade Foxx, G Samra, Shahin Badar, 4-Ize (DTP), Punchline, DJ A.P.S and Shakti. The first single is "Ishq Naag (Love Bites)" by RDB featuring Elephant Man (Yes it's original!). The track will be on vinyl through AV8 and is the lead single for the album. Although they haven't gotten distribution yet (so you can't buy it in stores just yet!) you will be able to cop it at www.bollyhoodrecords.com for cheap by the end of May.
| Ashlene says it will be the album to put South Asian music back on the map. "It incorporates real music- BollyHood music, Desi music, whatever you want to call it. Every track is a banger - it's crazy! I think there's a lot of crap music out there (both Indian and Urban) so we put only the best. I really wanted to showcase talent from North America. From New York to New Delhi, I want people to appreciate the goodness of original, heart thumping music!! Panjabi MC crossed over in the States but nothing followed…until now." Ashlene is an Urban music and South Asian entrepreneur, who co-created the first South Asian website in Australia www.hotashes.com.au. Since then she has gone onto interview the best in hip-hop |
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| Ja Rule, Ludacris and Lil Jon. www.ashleneonline.com Look out for BHOOD VOl.1 online May / June. For more (including vinyl enquiries) email info@bollyhoodrecords.com. |
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Widely tipped to be the next crossover artists for the mainstream, Nachural are proud to announce the signing of Tigerstyle. Hitherto, Tigerstyle have built a huge fan base in the Asian Youth market with all of their albums to date generating huge sales.
Their fan base extends from the shores of the UK as far as the US and Australia where recent tours have them marked for certain success this year. With tracks already recorded, record companies from the US and Europe are already showing considerable interest in Tigerstyle. Tigerstyle are now working on their debut mainstream single having already worked on Raghav's "Angel Eyes" & "No I" singles contributing B-side remix versions. 'Having had enormous success with Panjabi MC, |
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Tigerstyle with Ninder Johal |
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we are thrilled to now have the calibre of Tigerstyle in our camp. I am pretty certain that Tigerstyle have the necessary ingredients of hunger, passion and talent to excel in the mainstream. Tigerstyle are currently working on their first single and we are looking for an autumn release. A recent tie up by Nachural with EMI/Virgin for the Indian territory will prove to be a good hunting ground for Tigerstyle. A truly momentous day for Nachural' - Ninder Johal (MD). 'We feel that Nachural have the experience and worldwide structure in place to potentially take our music and culture to a wider audience. We look forward to the release of our debut single' - Pops (Tigerstyle). |
On the 22nd April, cinemas across the country got their first taste the new British made film comedy from Seven Spice Productions. Nominated for a British Independent Film Award, and currently being shown at film festivals throughout the world, Chicken Tikka Masala features music by the Preston based music producers Illegal Demo and singer Jasmine Eden. "When Illegal Demo was first approached by Seven Spice Ltd, we felt that this was an appropriate moment to show our potential for producing music on the 'world stage'," said Ambrish Limbachia of Illegal Demo. "The group has already established itself within the British Asian Market but it is looking at the prospect of working in the mainstream market. Producing music for Chicken Tikka Masala was extremely challenging and stimulating, and the group is now currently working on its album, which is to be released shortly. The lads are grateful to Seven Spice Productions for this opening and for their support." Illegal Demo caught with Irfan in Preston earlier in the year; click here to view interview. Chicken Tikka Masala stars Chris Bisson (East is East; Shameless), Peter Ash (Footballers' Wives), Saeed Jaffrey OBE (Gandhi) and many more. More information can be found on the film's website at www.ctm-feature.com.
| Sukshinder Shinda, Gurdas Maan and Abrar Ul Haq have been working on a duet that will be produced by the music man 'Sukshinder Shinda' himself. This CD will also feature collaboration with Jazzy B and Sukshinder Shinda, which was such a deadly combination on Romeo. It also features a brand new Club Anthem with Sukshinder Shinda feat Kalikwest Management's Takeover Ent as well as many more top artists in the game. It will be released shortly, so check the brand new site www.kalikwest.com for updates! Sticking with the same vibe Jazzy B's "Romeo" is one of the hottest albums in recent times (click here to view album review). And after many successful music videos for the album one was missing and that was the one for the title track 'Romeo" feat Kalikwest Management's Takeover Ent. The music video that was produced by Virk Films and Directed by Jazz Virk was shot on |
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| location in Toronto and is complete stay tuned to www.jazzyb.com for more info. Click on the image (right) to view some exclusive shots from the new 'Romeo' video. |
Set to blow-up the mainstream music scene is the all-Asian group 3Mix, comprising of Myan, Uz and Karim. This three-piece vocal unit is a collaboration of smooth R'n'B vibes mixed with a fresh Indian fusion. The essence of these three souls comes together beautifully, contributing to a unity that speaks volumes. 3Mix's ability to sing in five different languages means that not only are they marketable in the UK, but also the US, Middle East and Asia. Since forming in early 2004, 3Mix have made a huge impact and have aroused interest from several international record labels. They have strong potential to become a globally renowned group. 3Mix performed at the opening ceremony for Miss Commonwealth 2004, which is a clear indication of their ability. Their stage presence is flawless, which indicates that 3Mix are set to explode in the industry. Watch out for 3Mix performing at more events across the UK and their debut album set to drop in the summer.
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No messing about this month, here goes some more exclusive news of SK1's brand new single called 'No Body Else.' The tracks theme is urban; so start tweaking your 15" subs rude boys, as this track is set to be explosive. Out next month, the track is on a hip-hop vibe and a mix mash of Hindi, Punjabi and English, and features SK1 along side a female vocalist and is helped out with singer/rapper team double exposure. There are samples on or cuts on this one so check it out, as it's a summer banger! Check out www.sk1online.co.uk for all the latest on them including information on tour |
| dates including forthcoming performances at Dubai, Holland and of course the UK melas. |
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Getting back to the new talent and its time for the ladies to represent in the form of Tina Sugandh, the latest female Asian pop singer to hit the industry. Tina's specialty is fusing pop, rock, and a little bit of Bollywood to produce her style of music. Her debut album represents many emotions of life, with that wafer of Asian beats over her sweet vocals. Tina grew up in New Jersey, but was born in India and came to the US at very young age where her love of music was natured by her family as performers themselves. She started singing at five where she found the stage to be her true |
| calling, and soon The Sugandh Family were performing all over the US and Caribbean. At 15 she was discovered by screenwriter Sean Harris who eventually became a mentor to Tina, in-between Tina's family performances and biology degree at University. However it soon became clear that music was the path for this girl, and she started work on a demo tape. After months of sending out tapes she was spotted by Sean Sullivan, whose pervious projects include Maxwell and Jessica Simpson. It wasn't long before Tina put pen to paper and signed to his management company Rebellion Entertainment, and lead to a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell music, a talent agency deal at |
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CAA, and a record deal at Hollywood Records. Working with producers Lester Mendez (Shakira, Enrique Iglesias and Jewel), Track and Field (Nelly Furtado), Ming & FS, Dr. Luke and Danny P, Tina wrote or co-wrote all twelve tracks on her debut. Listen out
for Tina's track 'There Is No Alternative' that is on the soundtrack for the new Hollywood film 'Ice Princess', so keep an eye out for this big future talent. Make sure you check out her site www.tinasugandh.com for all the latest on 'The Tabla Girl.' |
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Some more fresh talent, this time coming out of Vancouver, Canada! Harj Uppal is ready to make her debut appearance on the international music scene with her debut album entitled 'Look Inside' in the 1st week of May. Harj has been intrigued by the sound and synthesis of music since the early years of childhood. As a youngster, she |
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dream, and now after years of training with both western and eastern musicians, she is ready to live her dream of becoming North America's first female Punjabi pop artist. The upcoming album is a testament to Harj's hard work, commitment and artistic talent. A gifted singer and lyricist, Harj has co-written tracks on her new album. She has collaborated with writers such as Jujar Binning, Jasbir Gunichoria, and Gurbachan Singh to create songs that mesh traditional Punjabi lyrics with soulful western style vocals. All of Harj's artistic elements along with the amazing music production of Nick Chowlia (producer of the Sumeet's 'Hot Curry' Agony remix) are what make this a unique album in a category of its own. With the production expertise and guidance of Aura Records, Harj Uppal's debut album will reveal to the world her own brand of Punjabi music with a Canadian twist. |
The Mixtape has been a trend for a while now in the desi scene, with Mixtapes from Tigerstyle's and more recently the Mentor Kolektiv and The Sona Family. It's time to talk about another Mixtape this time coming straight outta North America and it's solely a 22k/Hustlebeats production. Some name crunching with this one, it has features from various artists from Canada including Persia, Six Shoota, Blitzkrieg, illy the Kidd, Avalanche, Lyrical Vision, Kendo, Bucky4rukus, The Mezziah, Yello feat Ivory, Divo, Nizam aka LiL Nizzy, 2win Warrea, KDB, Full Effect and D.O. Then from stateside you've got LiL Weavah, Continuous Ent, Eva Trill, Willo Tha Wiz, The Usual Suspects, Minus P, Beez, Brooklyn Hooks, Kamui and T Quest. If that wasn't enough you've got Prima, Maze, Zolerous, Tino Attila and Cherry reppin the UK. The mixtape is called 'Borderline Mix CD Volume 3.' You can listen back to some exclusives tracks, as well as an interview of Da-coz, from the album on Desi Live, which usually broadcasts every Monday from 8-9pm on CHRY 105.5 in North America, at the BBC Sound Crew website at www.bbcsoundcrew.com/desilive.html.
| It's time to introduce to you the immensely talented Karma - An Asian rapper that's lyrically 10 steps ahead of any other we have heard before. Having just permanently moved from Australia with a 2-Disc 10-track demo, Karma is already creating a stir in the industry. Three weeks after his arrival, Karma has got himself management from Unusual Suspects Ltd, who manage Zena and formerly, RnB group Mis-teeq. After making Tune of the Week on the Adil Ray show with his demo track 'Yours Will Be Done,' Adil labelled Karma as the most gifted lyricist ever on his show. Now working with the producers behind Blak Twang, Taz and Dizee Rascaal, Karma is certainly one to watch for. Keep it locked to desitunes4u for all the latest on him. |
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AP Productions present their latest release entitled The Final Cut. New artist JKD aka Jawaad Hyder delivers a cracking debut album showcasing his excellent vocal talents as well as collaborations with other artists. The lead track on the album is the high energy "Khand Mishri " the silky smooth "I just wanna " with the amazing vocals of Dr. Dyce and the funky "Lagdi." With many other artist collaborations it truly serves up the raw talents of JKD. The Final Cut is available to buy now.
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Yet more new talent to introduce to ya'll. DJ Asif better known as Fusing Naked Beats, an up and coming DJ and producer from London. The 24 year old is set to release his album on the 20th of May entitled Digital Asia though Just Play records. A mix and fusion of break beat house hip-hop with a blend of Asian beats throw in for good measure. Asif is versatile producers whose arsenal of beats ranges from Arabic chill to |
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Asian break beat and garage. DJ Asif has already had a very successful underground album Stolen Generation, which was released last year, received rave reviews here and across the Atlantic in the US. With his production unit, Fusing Naked Beats he recently completed a year long worldwide tour with many featured artist from his up coming album, and is now currently a resident DJ at the world famous Shaanti every month in Birmingham and a resident DJ in Amsterdam and Germany. For now you can catch his skills on Bobby Friction and Nihal's show on BBC Radio 1, where he's getting a lot of airplay. The album will be available via this website; click here to get your copy! |
We'll finish off with some news in brief. Immortal Productions alongside Tigerstyle and XS-Bass proudly present their latest addition to the revolutionary Shaheedi series: Defenders Of The Faith. It will be available across the nation at Vaisakhi celebrations on or after 24th April 2005 and it can also be purchased from the Immortal Productions website at www.shaheedi.com. XLNC hugely anticipated album 'Urban Groove Culture' is due for release sometime in May on there own label. Ms Scandalous album will now be release on the 2nd of May in selected HMV outlets as well as Asian independent music stores. The video to 'Aaja Soniya/Spread Love' can now be viewed on on her website at www.ms-scandalous.com so make sure you check it out.
That's all were giving you this month, so watch this space for the latest…Rakesh |
