Historically, Asian music has always remained in the back room. Some mainstream artists have nodded in its direction (George Harrison for example) but its only within the last 10 years that the industry has started to take notice and a generation of young British Asians have celebrated their culture so vibrantly and eclectically. Recent years have seen hits for Panjabi MC and Raghav, the politically tinged one finger in your face stylings of Asian Dub Foundation, Mercury Music awards for Talvin Singh and a healthy bubbling underground dance scene.
At the forefront of this explosion, since 1995, has been the Outcaste label and with this compilation we are presented with a little recap.
The familiar sounds of Panjabi MC’s ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’, kicks off this comp, demonstrating how US Hip Hop’s has eased its way into the Genre by using the same Busta Rhymes Knightrider break, then adding its own Asian sty lings to the mix.
The highly inventive use of drum and Bass within the genre is catered for by Badmarsh and Shri, here with ‘Dancing Drums’ and the more broken beat fuzzy electro of ‘Signs’.
The Dave Pikes Sets ‘Mathar’ is one of those tunes you’ve heard a million times before bust just kept forgetting to ask what it is, the Bollywood Breaks Orchestra’s ‘Cosmic Flute’ sounds like it was created in the same studio and at the same time as the earlier mentioned ‘Mathar’ and Sultra Sonic’s ‘Sutra’s B-Boy Experiment’ is great knockabout old school break beat.
Add to this Nitin Sawhney, Rishi Rich Project and Pressure Drop and we have a wide-ranging compilation which presents a before, present and future portrayal of Asian music. Generally, there are some great tunes on here from Physcadelia to Hip Hop to R&B to beyond (check out Oi VaVoi’s ‘Ladino Song’) taking genres from all over and reconstituting them into something fresh and special. If you want to get your teeth into the genre, this well thought out compilation is a recommended starting point.
Rating: 4/5
Words By: Remy FV
The Very Best is out now on Outcaste
