Another clip from Prof Mohan Singh Mela 92.
So grab a peg, click on play and enjoy....
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Jazzy B - Rendo! Rendo!
Due to some personal matters, I haven't been able to post much, but I will continue to post regularly whenever I have time from now on.
Also, at the moment there hasn't been much to talk about, well except for Jazzy B's latest offering "Rambo".
I don't know why, there is not much excitement in the air about this release. Although it was highly anticipated, (3 years since Romeo was released), many fans appears to have been let down. It has been 3 years since Romeo, wow! 3 years! Soorma, Yaari still get massive play from me. For Rambo the reviews are mixed. I can't say that I hate the entire album, I just didn't like the title track "Rambo".
Sometimes I can't get the lyrics "Rambo Rambo" out of my head when I wake up to the time I go to sleep. I was not too impressed with the video either, PR (public relation, not planet record) stunt here was that, Rambo is the most expensive bhangra video ever made. Really? How does one know this? Has every artist disclosed their bills? The most expensive video pre-Rambo may have cost $10,000 but Rambo may have cost $10,000.50. So by defenition it could very well be the most expensive video ever made. Just my 2 paise though.
The actual song starts of great, I really like the sarangi on the hiphop loop, then it switches to desi/hiphop with Jazzy's verse. Then switches back and forth between Kanwar (desi rapper) and Jazzy. In my opinion Kanwar never really did add anything to the track, his voice, his persona did not do Jazzy justice. After looking at his face on the video, the hard lyrics Kanwar kicks do not sound believable. Jazzy needed someone like Bohemia, Kamla Panjabi or Deep on that track, perhaps a remix?
Kanwar's "Rendho Rendho" has become a running joke amongst many Panjabis here in Toronto. I can only imagine him performing live and some drunk dudes yelling "Rendho Rendho" before he even utters one word.
Jazzy is a great artist, however with this release I think he has taken a few steps back instead of elevating from the track Romeo. For instance, if he had released "Kaun Nachdi" with the "Streetology" remix now, it would have done wonders for this album. Streetology remix blends hiphop and desi very nicely and the video ain't bad either. However, the Rambo video has me rolling my eyes a lot at some scenes.
I still don't know why bhangra hasn't been able to fuse desi-hiphop properly and not make it sound awkward.
Overall, aside from this track, the album will grow on you. Some of the skits are hilarious, it shows Jazzy's humorous side and he pulls it off well. Jawani, Jatt are stellar tracks and his flow on Glassy, and especially 'I Love You' is ridiculous. Keep the CD in your car and trust me after a few trips you'll start repeating a few tracks.
Production is usual Shinda, nothing to write home about. The production sounds the same as it did on previous albums but it doesn't distract from Jazzy's vocals, it does the job. But I think its time Jazzy should let others produce for him. Its only makes for interesting music for the fans and he can afford to experiment unlike other artists.
In conclusion, releasing Rambo as the single was not a very good choice, but who knows in India it might do well, they should have stuck with more clubish/girl-friendly song like "I love you" or danceable like "Glassy".
Also, at the moment there hasn't been much to talk about, well except for Jazzy B's latest offering "Rambo".
I don't know why, there is not much excitement in the air about this release. Although it was highly anticipated, (3 years since Romeo was released), many fans appears to have been let down. It has been 3 years since Romeo, wow! 3 years! Soorma, Yaari still get massive play from me. For Rambo the reviews are mixed. I can't say that I hate the entire album, I just didn't like the title track "Rambo".
Sometimes I can't get the lyrics "Rambo Rambo" out of my head when I wake up to the time I go to sleep. I was not too impressed with the video either, PR (public relation, not planet record) stunt here was that, Rambo is the most expensive bhangra video ever made. Really? How does one know this? Has every artist disclosed their bills? The most expensive video pre-Rambo may have cost $10,000 but Rambo may have cost $10,000.50. So by defenition it could very well be the most expensive video ever made. Just my 2 paise though.
The actual song starts of great, I really like the sarangi on the hiphop loop, then it switches to desi/hiphop with Jazzy's verse. Then switches back and forth between Kanwar (desi rapper) and Jazzy. In my opinion Kanwar never really did add anything to the track, his voice, his persona did not do Jazzy justice. After looking at his face on the video, the hard lyrics Kanwar kicks do not sound believable. Jazzy needed someone like Bohemia, Kamla Panjabi or Deep on that track, perhaps a remix?
Kanwar's "Rendho Rendho" has become a running joke amongst many Panjabis here in Toronto. I can only imagine him performing live and some drunk dudes yelling "Rendho Rendho" before he even utters one word.
Jazzy is a great artist, however with this release I think he has taken a few steps back instead of elevating from the track Romeo. For instance, if he had released "Kaun Nachdi" with the "Streetology" remix now, it would have done wonders for this album. Streetology remix blends hiphop and desi very nicely and the video ain't bad either. However, the Rambo video has me rolling my eyes a lot at some scenes.
I still don't know why bhangra hasn't been able to fuse desi-hiphop properly and not make it sound awkward.
Overall, aside from this track, the album will grow on you. Some of the skits are hilarious, it shows Jazzy's humorous side and he pulls it off well. Jawani, Jatt are stellar tracks and his flow on Glassy, and especially 'I Love You' is ridiculous. Keep the CD in your car and trust me after a few trips you'll start repeating a few tracks.
Production is usual Shinda, nothing to write home about. The production sounds the same as it did on previous albums but it doesn't distract from Jazzy's vocals, it does the job. But I think its time Jazzy should let others produce for him. Its only makes for interesting music for the fans and he can afford to experiment unlike other artists.
In conclusion, releasing Rambo as the single was not a very good choice, but who knows in India it might do well, they should have stuck with more clubish/girl-friendly song like "I love you" or danceable like "Glassy".
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Drew Barrymore in a Bhangra Vid?
This 'model' in this video has an uncanny resemblance to Drew Barrymore, maybe it is her... *cue scary violins*
Nothing more to discuss on this video, just wanted to share my observations, perhaps some of you think the same as well.
Nothing more to discuss on this video, just wanted to share my observations, perhaps some of you think the same as well.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
KS Makhan
One of my favorite artists in Bhangra has been K.S. Makhan. I kind of miss how powerful his voice sounded pre-"First Play" production days. This does not mean I hate Aman Hayer, infact I love his work, but I just miss the 'old' KS Makhan voice. What I want to do is, first show you how his voice sounded when he first came into the industry, to what people are hearing now.
1. This first track, i'm about to share with you, was featured on a bhangra compilation released in the 90s, "Immortal Bhangra" I think. It is one of my favorite tracks from him, everything about this track is sick. Along with Makhan's voice, I also miss production like this :(
"Mundari Da Naag Sat Rang Da"
2. This second track is actually called Hoopeh (part 1) NOT 'Askhe'. Produced by Sukhshinder Shinda. It was featured on Shinda's album "Dhol Beat Dhol", which was released during the late 90s.
3. And listen to the Original "Mitran Di Motor Teh". For the longest time i thought this was sung by Surinder Shinda.
"Mitran Di Motor Te"
Ever since he hooked up with Aman Hayer, bhangra fans have noticed an 'auto-tuned' (t-painesque) effect on his voice. Which, I think takes a lot away from what Makhan has to offer as an artist, but it is a formula that has worked well for him in recent years. It has made him more popular and judging from his videos, profitable as well. And when you get teenage girls requesting your songs at parties you know you have made it.
Don't get me wrong, I do not hate KS Makhan, nor do I hate Aman Hayer, I think Aman is right up there with some of the best bhangra producers of today. And KS Makhan is a legend in the making. Aman has produced some of the biggest hits in Bhangra, such as, Mitran Di Chatrri, Tardhi Hildi, Dil Nai Lagda, etc....just to name a few.
But ever since Aman hooked up with Makhan to do his entire album, First Play, I do find that, Makhan's albums have had a similar feel to them. From lyrical flow, rythm pattern, and production there is not much difference from album to album. I cannot not tell you what Makhan track from which album. And every once in a while, when I ask my friends, "Have you heard the new makhan track?" They reply with something along these lines of "I've heard it before, it sounds something like [insert another Makhan track here]" or they simply snap their fingers trying to remember the song's name.
However, this does not take away from the fact, that he's had 1 or 2 tracks which have become dance-floor anthems with every release since First Play. Kachiyan Kandan, Hoopeh Part 2, Billo, Dildar are just some of these hits etc..
I'm not really hating on Hayer-Makhan team, they work well together like Jazzy and Shinda. My only concern is that his albums lack 'creativity' from album to album. Although, as I mentioned before, I do enjoy his songs immensely, but I do find the songs repeatative nature in every album, discourage me, as a consumer to 'invest' in this product. Its like they are not even trying, whereas Jazzy and Shinda always deliver something 'new' and fresh with each release.
Makhan and Aman are back again with their latest offering "Yaar Mastane". The 1st single from this album "Sir Kadhve" sounds really promising and the video is pretty good. You can start snapping your fingers, try to remember which track it sounds like once you hit play. But it doesn't take away from how bad-ass the song and the video is... enjoy...
1. This first track, i'm about to share with you, was featured on a bhangra compilation released in the 90s, "Immortal Bhangra" I think. It is one of my favorite tracks from him, everything about this track is sick. Along with Makhan's voice, I also miss production like this :(
"Mundari Da Naag Sat Rang Da"
2. This second track is actually called Hoopeh (part 1) NOT 'Askhe'. Produced by Sukhshinder Shinda. It was featured on Shinda's album "Dhol Beat Dhol", which was released during the late 90s.
3. And listen to the Original "Mitran Di Motor Teh". For the longest time i thought this was sung by Surinder Shinda.
"Mitran Di Motor Te"
Ever since he hooked up with Aman Hayer, bhangra fans have noticed an 'auto-tuned' (t-painesque) effect on his voice. Which, I think takes a lot away from what Makhan has to offer as an artist, but it is a formula that has worked well for him in recent years. It has made him more popular and judging from his videos, profitable as well. And when you get teenage girls requesting your songs at parties you know you have made it.
Don't get me wrong, I do not hate KS Makhan, nor do I hate Aman Hayer, I think Aman is right up there with some of the best bhangra producers of today. And KS Makhan is a legend in the making. Aman has produced some of the biggest hits in Bhangra, such as, Mitran Di Chatrri, Tardhi Hildi, Dil Nai Lagda, etc....just to name a few.
But ever since Aman hooked up with Makhan to do his entire album, First Play, I do find that, Makhan's albums have had a similar feel to them. From lyrical flow, rythm pattern, and production there is not much difference from album to album. I cannot not tell you what Makhan track from which album. And every once in a while, when I ask my friends, "Have you heard the new makhan track?" They reply with something along these lines of "I've heard it before, it sounds something like [insert another Makhan track here]" or they simply snap their fingers trying to remember the song's name.
However, this does not take away from the fact, that he's had 1 or 2 tracks which have become dance-floor anthems with every release since First Play. Kachiyan Kandan, Hoopeh Part 2, Billo, Dildar are just some of these hits etc..
I'm not really hating on Hayer-Makhan team, they work well together like Jazzy and Shinda. My only concern is that his albums lack 'creativity' from album to album. Although, as I mentioned before, I do enjoy his songs immensely, but I do find the songs repeatative nature in every album, discourage me, as a consumer to 'invest' in this product. Its like they are not even trying, whereas Jazzy and Shinda always deliver something 'new' and fresh with each release.
Makhan and Aman are back again with their latest offering "Yaar Mastane". The 1st single from this album "Sir Kadhve" sounds really promising and the video is pretty good. You can start snapping your fingers, try to remember which track it sounds like once you hit play. But it doesn't take away from how bad-ass the song and the video is... enjoy...
Monday, April 21, 2008
Bhangra Videos Suck! Yeah I said it....
Disclaimer: Before you read any further, you must note, that I am not taking shots at the actual singers or the songs they have sung. This entire entry is regarding bhangra videos, fotos, click click, zoom zoom pitcher, the horrendous plots, mimers, actors and dancers that Bhangra videos convey. Who's to blame for this garbage? the directors? the singers? I don't know but these are just my thoughts...
If there is a bhangra song that you absolutely love, and you want to keep enjoying it for years to come, I suggest that you stay away from its video. But if you want a good laugh, pick up a few Bhangra DVD compilations for your amusement. Unlike hiphop/reggae videos, bhangra videos appear to have a negative effect on its genre altogether. They in no way promote the genre of bhangra further, instead become a running joke within bhangra fans "did you see that gandh?" Why do they suck so much? If you've seen one bhangra video you have seen them all. They have become so redundent that you cannot tell one song apart from another. However, you can cateograzie these bhangra videos into 2 categories, 'Western Bhangra Vids' and 'Eastern Bhangra Vids'. The 'Western Bhangra Vids', as the name suggests are created in the western hemisphere (north america, UK) and the latter, represent videos from the motherland.
Bhangra has to be, one of the only genres of music where the bad videos out-number the good ones. You may say, "well thats a matter of personal opinion Samosa!", I would agree, if the majority of bhangra fans disagreed with my taste. However they don't and thus this blog entry.
So why do they suck so much?
Number 1, Lack of Creativity.
This lack of creativity appears to be inherent to our 'desi-culture' where most people just operate with the 'monkey see, monkey do' mentality.
"Hain? Tu apneh store vich DVD dey naal Meat bechda? meh vi vecha ga".
If you live around Toronto or the Vancouver area, you may have noticed the influx in 'desi-style' pizza shops. This desi-pizza business model proves my point perfectly. It takes the first person to do something different, and if it works for him/her, well then the next monkey says "it should work for me, kyo nahi?". This same model can be applied to Bhangra videos. In the Eastern bhangra videos, if you've seen one 'duet' bhangra video in front of a Chandigarh mall and some of the wackest back-up male dancers in questionable costumes from the disco-era, you've seen them all.
As for the West, you have lip-synced videos by some metrosexual dude miming some of the most hardcore panjabi lyrics, when off camera, he'll greet your mother by saying "Sas Si Kal".
These 'mimers' are usually best friends with the producer of the track or wannabe 5'4" models, whose egos have been inflated since aunty told their mother "your beta looks like Shah Rukh". This leads me to my next point why Bhangra videos suck so much.
Number 2, Mimers aka 'Lip-Sync-ers' aka 'Nah Bitch that ain't Angrez Ali'
I remember back when Dark n' Dangerous dropped, Shazia Manzoor had became the Miss Pooja of UK/North American bhangra scene. Dark n' Dangerous had made a huge impact in the Bhangra scene, rightly so, it is one of the best produced bhangra albums. So the after affects of this release included various fanpages of Shazia Manzoor, by her fans in the western hemisphere. Clearly, these fans had no idea what Shazia looked liked. So the hunt was on, most of her past efforts, prior to Dark n' Dangerous included a model on the cover. And this same model was used in her videos miming her songs. Here is one of 'her' album covers:
So clearly you can imagine the shock on the fans faces when they found out that their 'gori-gori soni soni Shazia' looked something like their favorite aunty: *Side Note, Bhangra album covers are a whole different topic, which i will tackle another day.
This mystery can now be applied to 'Sudesh Kumari', who has a brilliant voice, but has left her fans wondering which hotty is she really?
Is this her?
Or is this her?
Nope! But my friend, THIS IS HER at 0.33 sec mark (one of my favorite songs btw):
Mimers are rampant in the Western bhangra scene, but they have become like this ugly painting in your friend's house. It disgusted you at first sight, now you know where it is hangs, so the next time you arrive, you simply ignore it. And overall, the mimers in uk/north american videos do a terrible job, unlike their desi-counterparts, its very easy to spot the fakers. Not only are they bad mimers, they do these weird hand gestures that could misdirect airplane traffic at Heathrow. That 'hand-shit' works fine in hiphop videos but not in bhangra. In addition artists like Lehmber personally hates having mimers for his songs, he has mentioned this distaste in several interviews.
An excellent song, but dont agree with the video.
Number Tin, 'You ain't no Gangsta!'
Fine you wrote and recorded a song called "Donali Da Pyar", this does not mean, that you must act out every lyric in your song in some stereotypical gangster fashion. Leather jackets? Collars popped? Sunglasses? and the infamous "Blue Steel" look in all your camera angles? I mean as a director what have you beensmoking watching? Happy Days re-runs and James Dean movies? Someone needs to show these directors "Hood 2 Hood" DVDs. The director will dump his entire Happy Days Special Edition collection in the gutter and reevaluate the "gangsterrr" image he had in his mind.
Here are some "Gangsta" bhangra videos: Peep at 2:20 mark, Nikku blinks when he fires a shot.... wait a minute A GUN?...IN A CLUB? on a BMX?
Every cliche i have mentioned, is here in this Balkar Sidhu song, "Gabru" (wicked song, but bad video). James Dean + Fonz + Bullet motorcycles =
forced hand signals + motocycle gang + hiphop gear on 40 year olds = this disaster. I cringe everytime I see this. I can only imagine the reaction of a non-desi channel surfer, on a saturday morning.
I'm done for now.... I'll continue this.
If there is a bhangra song that you absolutely love, and you want to keep enjoying it for years to come, I suggest that you stay away from its video. But if you want a good laugh, pick up a few Bhangra DVD compilations for your amusement. Unlike hiphop/reggae videos, bhangra videos appear to have a negative effect on its genre altogether. They in no way promote the genre of bhangra further, instead become a running joke within bhangra fans "did you see that gandh?" Why do they suck so much? If you've seen one bhangra video you have seen them all. They have become so redundent that you cannot tell one song apart from another. However, you can cateograzie these bhangra videos into 2 categories, 'Western Bhangra Vids' and 'Eastern Bhangra Vids'. The 'Western Bhangra Vids', as the name suggests are created in the western hemisphere (north america, UK) and the latter, represent videos from the motherland.
Bhangra has to be, one of the only genres of music where the bad videos out-number the good ones. You may say, "well thats a matter of personal opinion Samosa!", I would agree, if the majority of bhangra fans disagreed with my taste. However they don't and thus this blog entry.
So why do they suck so much?
Number 1, Lack of Creativity.
This lack of creativity appears to be inherent to our 'desi-culture' where most people just operate with the 'monkey see, monkey do' mentality.
"Hain? Tu apneh store vich DVD dey naal Meat bechda? meh vi vecha ga".
If you live around Toronto or the Vancouver area, you may have noticed the influx in 'desi-style' pizza shops. This desi-pizza business model proves my point perfectly. It takes the first person to do something different, and if it works for him/her, well then the next monkey says "it should work for me, kyo nahi?". This same model can be applied to Bhangra videos. In the Eastern bhangra videos, if you've seen one 'duet' bhangra video in front of a Chandigarh mall and some of the wackest back-up male dancers in questionable costumes from the disco-era, you've seen them all.
As for the West, you have lip-synced videos by some metrosexual dude miming some of the most hardcore panjabi lyrics, when off camera, he'll greet your mother by saying "Sas Si Kal".
These 'mimers' are usually best friends with the producer of the track or wannabe 5'4" models, whose egos have been inflated since aunty told their mother "your beta looks like Shah Rukh". This leads me to my next point why Bhangra videos suck so much.
Number 2, Mimers aka 'Lip-Sync-ers' aka 'Nah Bitch that ain't Angrez Ali'
I remember back when Dark n' Dangerous dropped, Shazia Manzoor had became the Miss Pooja of UK/North American bhangra scene. Dark n' Dangerous had made a huge impact in the Bhangra scene, rightly so, it is one of the best produced bhangra albums. So the after affects of this release included various fanpages of Shazia Manzoor, by her fans in the western hemisphere. Clearly, these fans had no idea what Shazia looked liked. So the hunt was on, most of her past efforts, prior to Dark n' Dangerous included a model on the cover. And this same model was used in her videos miming her songs. Here is one of 'her' album covers:
So clearly you can imagine the shock on the fans faces when they found out that their 'gori-gori soni soni Shazia' looked something like their favorite aunty: *Side Note, Bhangra album covers are a whole different topic, which i will tackle another day.
This mystery can now be applied to 'Sudesh Kumari', who has a brilliant voice, but has left her fans wondering which hotty is she really?
Is this her?
Or is this her?
Nope! But my friend, THIS IS HER at 0.33 sec mark (one of my favorite songs btw):
Mimers are rampant in the Western bhangra scene, but they have become like this ugly painting in your friend's house. It disgusted you at first sight, now you know where it is hangs, so the next time you arrive, you simply ignore it. And overall, the mimers in uk/north american videos do a terrible job, unlike their desi-counterparts, its very easy to spot the fakers. Not only are they bad mimers, they do these weird hand gestures that could misdirect airplane traffic at Heathrow. That 'hand-shit' works fine in hiphop videos but not in bhangra. In addition artists like Lehmber personally hates having mimers for his songs, he has mentioned this distaste in several interviews.
Here are a few vids from the 'Vest':
Apart from the obvious mimer, these guys are chiling with 2 beers in a tent while there are mad girls outside. What part of the game is this?
An excellent song, but dont agree with the video.
Number Tin, 'You ain't no Gangsta!'
Fine you wrote and recorded a song called "Donali Da Pyar", this does not mean, that you must act out every lyric in your song in some stereotypical gangster fashion. Leather jackets? Collars popped? Sunglasses? and the infamous "Blue Steel" look in all your camera angles? I mean as a director what have you been
Here are some "Gangsta" bhangra videos: Peep at 2:20 mark, Nikku blinks when he fires a shot.... wait a minute A GUN?...IN A CLUB? on a BMX?
Every cliche i have mentioned, is here in this Balkar Sidhu song, "Gabru" (wicked song, but bad video). James Dean + Fonz + Bullet motorcycles =
forced hand signals + motocycle gang + hiphop gear on 40 year olds = this disaster. I cringe everytime I see this. I can only imagine the reaction of a non-desi channel surfer, on a saturday morning.
I'm done for now.... I'll continue this.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Call me The Panjabi Johnny Cash
Often i've been told I wear too much black. I never noticed this until people started pointing it out to me a few years ago. Recently, I revaluated my closet and sure enough, I have around 5 black sweaters, about 8 black shirts, many other shirts with a combination of black in them and plenty of black t-shirts. And what do I do to add color? White undershirts.
To sum it all up, I suck at using colors, another reason why the walls in my apartment remain "builder-white" and furniture, black. So, it is no surprise that I cannot pick a proper template for my bhangra-blog. I am trying all sorts of combinations/templates, so please be patient with me, as I try to master the art of color coordination that comes naturally to most females and Jazzy B. If it is really different from what you last visited, don't worry, you haven't stumbled onto a different site, it's just me clicking on different color swatches at my disposal. But so far, I think this green might work, who knows by the weekend... it might be something else. But let me know if you like this look and it will stay for a while.
Enough of this though, onto some bhangra....
Speaking of black and white, here are 3 white boys and 1 indian dude bustin' some moves and they sick with it..
To sum it all up, I suck at using colors, another reason why the walls in my apartment remain "builder-white" and furniture, black. So, it is no surprise that I cannot pick a proper template for my bhangra-blog. I am trying all sorts of combinations/templates, so please be patient with me, as I try to master the art of color coordination that comes naturally to most females and Jazzy B. If it is really different from what you last visited, don't worry, you haven't stumbled onto a different site, it's just me clicking on different color swatches at my disposal. But so far, I think this green might work, who knows by the weekend... it might be something else. But let me know if you like this look and it will stay for a while.
Enough of this though, onto some bhangra....
Speaking of black and white, here are 3 white boys and 1 indian dude bustin' some moves and they sick with it..
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunny Diamonds - High Commission Bhangra Edition Vol 2
Here is the second installment in the bhangra mixtape series, that Sunny Diamonds and I have been releasing every year or so. This particular mixtape was released in 2006 - i know, i know, a little late for this post right? But trust me this CD still bangs! This blog-post contains a preview of the first 15 tracks, just to let you know what the CD is all about. Its got a total of 63 tracks. A lot people dig this mixtape and rate it superior to any other bhangra mixtape they have ever heard. And I agree with them completely, not only because I'm featured on the CD, but just the fact, that the remixes and blends are simply mind-blowing. Not many mixtapes out there are like this. You can just pop this CD in when you are getting ready to go out or just in your car, without having to change CDs or tracks on your iPod. And all the remixes sound as if that is how the original tracks were produced, especially track 10, Sukhsinder Shinda's track "Balle". Click on "Part 2 of 2" in the youtube clips below to hear it, its the first track.
I will put the complete CD up for download here soon, my apologies, my DVD drive has been giving me some trouble lately. But check back soon.
Preview Part 1 of 2 (tracks 1 to 9)
Preview Part 2 of 2 (tracks 10 to 15)
Direct links if you want to rate it or comment on the mixes on Youtube
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/v/o9K5_nbw67E&hl=en
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/v/TF8bqu18VVk&hl=en
full album download coming soon. Check this space... :)
Tracklisting:
To Be Bindrakhia or Not to Be Bindrakhia...
While channel surfin' at my cousin's house today, i came across Alpha Etc Punjabi awards. What caught my attention, as soon as I switched to Alpha Etc channel was, this newcomer, Simranjit Simmi's voice. The 10 sec clip which they played for his nominated song had an uncanny resemblance to the late great Surjit Bindrakhia's vocals. So I quickly headed over to my favorite bhangra messageboard punjab2000.co.uk to create a post, and within few minutes I had a few responses, in which someone said Simranjit is not the only one who sounds like Bindrakhia, thereis another person, Sukhdev Bitta. This generated a curiosity in me and thus this blog entry. So, I will take this opportunity to create these comparisons and let you be the judge yourself.
For those of you unfamiliar with Bindrakhia... - I don't know what you are doing on my blog in the first place - Anyways, ...in the next 2 lines you will know who i am talking about... he is responsible for bhangra hits such as "Dupata Tera Sat Rang Da", 'ooooh' "Geetan Da Guldasta" 'aaaah' and the anthem "Tera Yaar Bolda" 'oooh yeaaaah! Now i remember!'. However, my personal favorite Bhindrakhia track has been "Rumaal" with the chorus line "Deeta challa vi leh gayi koh keh mera o rumaal sut gayi". Classic!!
He passed away in 2006 but he lives in the minds and hearts of Bhangra lovers of all ages. His voice was fresh and original in the mist of all Jazzy B and Kuldip Manak wannabes. He was respected by his peers and loved by his fans. And bhangra fans had truely lost a great voice and talent who had a lot more to offer. So before I introduce the comparisons I would like you to first recognize the legend's voice and then onto the guys who sound like him:
Surjit Bindrakhia - Tera Yaar Bolda
Now introducing contender number one, Simranjit Simmi. My good friends at punjab2000.co.uk dropped some knowledge on this guy, as I was unaware of him. He is the nephew of Surjit Bindrakhia and under whom he studied punjabi music. Wow, what better teacher can you ask for? And judging from his songs it appears he has the blessings of Shamsher Sandu, who was responsible for writing most, if not ALL of Bindrakhia's hits and Atul Sharma who was responsible for the production. The song for which Simranjit was nominated for, on Alpha ETC awards was "Puttar Panj Dariyawan De", in which he sounds exactly like Bindrakhia. In this particular song Simmi's voice sounds like early, younger Bindrakhia as he did on "Rumaal".
Simranjit Simmi - Dil Khon Di Schema
Now for contender number 2, again my boys at P2K came through and pointed me to Sukhdev Bitta, who looks like love child of Diljit and Inderjit Nikku lol (I kid, I keed), but yet sounds like Bindrakhia. However in this song, at some parts I thought he sounded like Sukhdev Darapuria, but I'll let you be the judge...
So I would like your opinion on this, do you think this is acceptable for bhangra? Would you accept these artists as they are, without having to compare them to Surjit at all times? In hiphop you had Gurrella Black who sounded excatly like Biggy but he was quickly 'hated on' by all fans, which in turn hurt his career. However this is Bhangra, where artists have great amount of respect for one another, regardless of what they may think behind closed doors. And if you ask Simranjit , I am pretty sure he will be flattered by the comparison. Infact you sort of expect him to sound like Bindrakhia because of his upbringing around Bindrakhia and having Shamsher Sandu and Atul Sharma producing his work. He is what Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. As for Sukhdev Bitta, I don't know much about him, but I can see that he loves to imitate from his looks, presentation in videos to his vocals.
For those of you unfamiliar with Bindrakhia... - I don't know what you are doing on my blog in the first place - Anyways, ...in the next 2 lines you will know who i am talking about... he is responsible for bhangra hits such as "Dupata Tera Sat Rang Da", 'ooooh' "Geetan Da Guldasta" 'aaaah' and the anthem "Tera Yaar Bolda" 'oooh yeaaaah! Now i remember!'. However, my personal favorite Bhindrakhia track has been "Rumaal" with the chorus line "Deeta challa vi leh gayi koh keh mera o rumaal sut gayi". Classic!!
He passed away in 2006 but he lives in the minds and hearts of Bhangra lovers of all ages. His voice was fresh and original in the mist of all Jazzy B and Kuldip Manak wannabes. He was respected by his peers and loved by his fans. And bhangra fans had truely lost a great voice and talent who had a lot more to offer. So before I introduce the comparisons I would like you to first recognize the legend's voice and then onto the guys who sound like him:
Surjit Bindrakhia - Tera Yaar Bolda
Now introducing contender number one, Simranjit Simmi. My good friends at punjab2000.co.uk dropped some knowledge on this guy, as I was unaware of him. He is the nephew of Surjit Bindrakhia and under whom he studied punjabi music. Wow, what better teacher can you ask for? And judging from his songs it appears he has the blessings of Shamsher Sandu, who was responsible for writing most, if not ALL of Bindrakhia's hits and Atul Sharma who was responsible for the production. The song for which Simranjit was nominated for, on Alpha ETC awards was "Puttar Panj Dariyawan De", in which he sounds exactly like Bindrakhia. In this particular song Simmi's voice sounds like early, younger Bindrakhia as he did on "Rumaal".
Simranjit Simmi - Dil Khon Di Schema
Now for contender number 2, again my boys at P2K came through and pointed me to Sukhdev Bitta, who looks like love child of Diljit and Inderjit Nikku lol (I kid, I keed), but yet sounds like Bindrakhia. However in this song, at some parts I thought he sounded like Sukhdev Darapuria, but I'll let you be the judge...
So I would like your opinion on this, do you think this is acceptable for bhangra? Would you accept these artists as they are, without having to compare them to Surjit at all times? In hiphop you had Gurrella Black who sounded excatly like Biggy but he was quickly 'hated on' by all fans, which in turn hurt his career. However this is Bhangra, where artists have great amount of respect for one another, regardless of what they may think behind closed doors. And if you ask Simranjit , I am pretty sure he will be flattered by the comparison. Infact you sort of expect him to sound like Bindrakhia because of his upbringing around Bindrakhia and having Shamsher Sandu and Atul Sharma producing his work. He is what Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. As for Sukhdev Bitta, I don't know much about him, but I can see that he loves to imitate from his looks, presentation in videos to his vocals.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Something about Bhangra Competitions
No matter how excited I get at a thought of attending a Bhangra Competition, more often than not, I leave the venue drunk, confused, with a migraine headache and feeling a bit ripped off. There are several reasons for this:
a) you drink before you arrive at the venue and you somehow find ways to drink while you are there, even if it is a 'dry event'.
b) the performances NEVER match the flier in your hand, thus leaving you confused. "Performances by so and so" but "performer so and so" had problems with their visa. I mean what the fuck?
c) you can only take the sound of the dhol so much. Especially when its played some amature who took 2 lessons at school of Dhol Foundation in the same rhythm patterns. No matter how much I love the sound of the dhol, trust me it CAN get irritating, after 2 hrs of non-stop playing with no creativity.
d) lack of originality and authenticity from performers, i.e. teams dancing to the same songs. And if they have their own singer, the same singer is utilized for the next bhangra team.
e) To summarize, if you seen 1 team perform, you seen them all.
Overall, I personally think it's a total waste of time and money attending these events. Thus my reason for leaving the venue piss-faced drunk - something's got to give. Paying a $40 cover to watch bunch of kids dancing to Dushmani and Putt Jattan De mix is not my idea of a 'Bhangra Competition'. This I could do at any wedding reception here in Toronto.
But I am NOT putting the entire blame on the performers either, to their credit, some of the coordination is amazing and they put their all in. But my problem lies with the repetitiveness of each performance, i.e. choice of songs, style, overpriced tickets and false advertisement of said performers. These blame goes to the organizers, this is because they are "picking" these teams/performers to perform and setting the price. So, during the rehearsal aren't they exposed to every performance? And hence they could make a decision to ask the performers to pick a different song and/or singers to add variety. But I think the performers only fill in a form and pay a registration fee and show up on the day of the performance.
For proper bhangra competitions I turn to Youtube for my fix. "But Samosa King, you are not supporting our culture"....well watching kids incoporate break-dance and 'stomp the yard' techniques into Bhangra is not really supporting our culture either...and I'm just tired of the overpriced tickets.
And to think the organizers have the audacity to advertise "$100 VIP Tickets", which will get you closer to the Bhangra Teams and avoid lineups. OMG!!! REalllY?!!! I can actually be even closer to these performances and have Da Dhol give me a bigger headache than from my $40 ticket price you pay at a bhangra competition to a $40 ticket at any mainstream show. Its a total ripoff.
Don't even get me started on the "dress code" to a bhangra competition. I'm paying the money, I have to dress up, to sit in a seat, in the dark without a drink in my hand? What.the.fuck? I want to be comfortable, this ain't no opera, its a overpriced talent-show.
a) you drink before you arrive at the venue and you somehow find ways to drink while you are there, even if it is a 'dry event'.
b) the performances NEVER match the flier in your hand, thus leaving you confused. "Performances by so and so" but "performer so and so" had problems with their visa. I mean what the fuck?
c) you can only take the sound of the dhol so much. Especially when its played some amature who took 2 lessons at school of Dhol Foundation in the same rhythm patterns. No matter how much I love the sound of the dhol, trust me it CAN get irritating, after 2 hrs of non-stop playing with no creativity.
d) lack of originality and authenticity from performers, i.e. teams dancing to the same songs. And if they have their own singer, the same singer is utilized for the next bhangra team.
e) To summarize, if you seen 1 team perform, you seen them all.
Overall, I personally think it's a total waste of time and money attending these events. Thus my reason for leaving the venue piss-faced drunk - something's got to give. Paying a $40 cover to watch bunch of kids dancing to Dushmani and Putt Jattan De mix is not my idea of a 'Bhangra Competition'. This I could do at any wedding reception here in Toronto.
But I am NOT putting the entire blame on the performers either, to their credit, some of the coordination is amazing and they put their all in. But my problem lies with the repetitiveness of each performance, i.e. choice of songs, style, overpriced tickets and false advertisement of said performers. These blame goes to the organizers, this is because they are "picking" these teams/performers to perform and setting the price. So, during the rehearsal aren't they exposed to every performance? And hence they could make a decision to ask the performers to pick a different song and/or singers to add variety. But I think the performers only fill in a form and pay a registration fee and show up on the day of the performance.
For proper bhangra competitions I turn to Youtube for my fix. "But Samosa King, you are not supporting our culture"....well watching kids incoporate break-dance and 'stomp the yard' techniques into Bhangra is not really supporting our culture either...and I'm just tired of the overpriced tickets.
And to think the organizers have the audacity to advertise "$100 VIP Tickets", which will get you closer to the Bhangra Teams and avoid lineups. OMG!!! REalllY?!!! I can actually be even closer to these performances and have Da Dhol give me a bigger headache than from my $40 ticket price you pay at a bhangra competition to a $40 ticket at any mainstream show. Its a total ripoff.
Don't even get me started on the "dress code" to a bhangra competition. I'm paying the money, I have to dress up, to sit in a seat, in the dark without a drink in my hand? What.the.fuck? I want to be comfortable, this ain't no opera, its a overpriced talent-show.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Mohammed Saddiq
One of my favorite Punjabi folk artist has been Mohammed Saddiq. Why? Well because of his versatility, his passion for music and the "dard" he puts in his sad songs. I've drank many a pegs while listening to him. And he's the only punjabi artist to have featured with Beenie Man and not even know it. LOL
I have uploaded 2 of his videos on my youtube account. One of them is a live performance from Professor Mohan Singh's Mela in 1992. The same mela where I posted the earlier video of the unknown singer performing Mirza.
Just watch this particular performance and be wowed. A lot of singers can learn from his stage presence, the song he is singing is a sad song, but his delivery ignites the audience. With little help from musicians his voice carries this entire performance. Just goes to show you, you don't need "Da Dhol" at every punjabi performance....
So, pour a peg of whiskey and drown in your sorrows with Mr. Saddiq..
Classic "Naiyo Bhulna Vichora"
I have uploaded 2 of his videos on my youtube account. One of them is a live performance from Professor Mohan Singh's Mela in 1992. The same mela where I posted the earlier video of the unknown singer performing Mirza.
Just watch this particular performance and be wowed. A lot of singers can learn from his stage presence, the song he is singing is a sad song, but his delivery ignites the audience. With little help from musicians his voice carries this entire performance. Just goes to show you, you don't need "Da Dhol" at every punjabi performance....
So, pour a peg of whiskey and drown in your sorrows with Mr. Saddiq..
Classic "Naiyo Bhulna Vichora"
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Ravanhatta Artist from Prof. Mohan Singh's Mela
Man what can I say, this vid that i'm about to share with you will probably blow you away. I have no idea who the singer is, if anyone knows please drop it in the comments section here. The vid comes from the infamous Mohan Singh Mela which is held in Punjab to showcase punjabi talent. It was the breeding ground for a lot of today's well known artists.
Many have performed here, Kuldip Manak, Mohammed Saddiq, Manmohan Waris, just to name a few. I think any punjabi artist who took his art seriously HAD to peform here. Its like bhangra version of Reggae-Sting.
Well a very good friend of mine has tons of these tapes from this Mela, dating back to early 90s like this one. They were passed onto him by his very bhangra-loving father. Whom after seeing his collection, I'm not ashamed to call "Dad" either. He's got a lot of gems in his basement, which with his permission I shall unveil for you in due time or whenever time permits.
So in the meantime just to wet your appetite enjoy this piece. Take a good listen to his Ravanhatta, his nails, and most importantly his voice, which is just mind-blowing. Notice how far he steps away from the mic but is still audible. No dhol accompaniment, no fancy dancers, no backup vocalists, just pure rawness. Its really for those who love punjabi-folk in its rawest form. I know if Tru Skool and Specialist were to stumble onto my blog, they'd appreciate it.. Anyways too much chit chatter... watch this man rip chittars apart!!
Also a cookie for whoever can tell me who the fellow in the orange kurta is- the one who drops a few rupees in the singer's pocket. hint - he is a host of a local punjabi tv show in Toronto.
Many have performed here, Kuldip Manak, Mohammed Saddiq, Manmohan Waris, just to name a few. I think any punjabi artist who took his art seriously HAD to peform here. Its like bhangra version of Reggae-Sting.
Well a very good friend of mine has tons of these tapes from this Mela, dating back to early 90s like this one. They were passed onto him by his very bhangra-loving father. Whom after seeing his collection, I'm not ashamed to call "Dad" either. He's got a lot of gems in his basement, which with his permission I shall unveil for you in due time or whenever time permits.
So in the meantime just to wet your appetite enjoy this piece. Take a good listen to his Ravanhatta, his nails, and most importantly his voice, which is just mind-blowing. Notice how far he steps away from the mic but is still audible. No dhol accompaniment, no fancy dancers, no backup vocalists, just pure rawness. Its really for those who love punjabi-folk in its rawest form. I know if Tru Skool and Specialist were to stumble onto my blog, they'd appreciate it.. Anyways too much chit chatter... watch this man rip chittars apart!!
Also a cookie for whoever can tell me who the fellow in the orange kurta is- the one who drops a few rupees in the singer's pocket. hint - he is a host of a local punjabi tv show in Toronto.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Classic Vids
Here are some classic vids I had uploaded to my Youtube account. 1st one is Gurdas Mann's boliyan which were recorded here in a local Toronto T.V. station. And the second one is a rare Jazzy B vid which is rarely discussed, "Do Jugtan". "Do Jugtan" shows early signs of Jazzy pushing envelopes of his own creativity and branching out and trying out something new. Earl Ferns produced it and it features 6-Pack, whom I know personally. Enjoy....
Gurdas Mann Boliyan.
Jazzy B. Do Jugtan
Gurdas Mann Boliyan.
Jazzy B. Do Jugtan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
