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.

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