Re: SHANTEL: Nova Sola

Ashwin Tumne (ashwin@visgen.com)
Thu, 28 Nov 96 13:04:08 -0500


> Modern bhangra, however, comes from the Indian quarters of
> British
cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Canada.
> It's mixed with
> either break- or techno beats, and could be quite funky. The
> improvisations are similar to that done in jazz. Lots of rapping
> and rhyming take place. Some artists, in this scene, are Jazzy B

Reggae has been one of the most notable influences on the modern
bhangra scene. Apache Indian is the most popular example but on a
local level, bhangra DJs in Toronto have always rocked the party
with a lot of dancehall cuts. I've been to a couple community events
where the kids started kicking microphone battles on the ragga tip
over bhangra music. My favourite though was a Punjabi wedding I
attended this summer - as the groom rode in on his horse, he was
accompanied by 5 dholak players (dholak is one of the main drum
instruments in traditional bhangra) and a local Scottish bagpipe
band - hype!

shanti,

ashwin

ashwin@visgen.com