Lost a fellow drummer

Today I received news about the loss of a fellow drummer. Moribu - as he was fondly known - lost his battle to a terminal illness. I have some fond memories of playing the djembe alongside him, learning from him and teaching him. I hadn't seen him in 3 years but the news today made me very sad because I will always remember him smiling and carrying his colourful drum around.

I pay my respects to Moribu.

Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

I know this is an old song but it deserves a mention on this pad because I have been savouring the wonderful snippets of dialogue in between the lines. Almost easy to ignore if you fixate on the thumping chorus which is easiest to remember.

0:00 - O Welcome hai ji apna hi graage hai!

0:13 - Ohe! Oye truckaan waada geet hai jeee!

0:25 - Aa lo jee! Ho ja shuru

0:40 - Oye Kharcha control kar! Taxi vi lenna hai!

1:30 - Chetti Karr!

3:17 - Aaaaa Lucky Jeda hai apna ... munnda kenna da hai bai! single hai kee bachelor?

4:01 - Oh Le! Petrool te Pavaaya hi nai! Oye koi gall nahi... saaddi gaddi te goodwill naal challdi Hai!

The snippets add ovely flavours of a "thet" punjabi conversation outside a garage! Lends itself beautifully to the movie

Nitin Sawhney's London Undersound tour - 26th Feb 09 Shepherd's Bush Empire

 
 
 
 

Not excited about U2's new album

Unusual for me, and with a heavy heart I have to say that I am totally not excited about U2's "No Line on the Horizon".

Their first single, "get on your boots", which I briefly heard on some streaming site and then more closely heard at the Brit 09 awards, doesn't come close to their previous headline singles (Vertigo,Beautiful Day...). The song does sound somewhat like a mashup of Vertigo's guitars and We didn't start the fire's (Billy Joel) lyrics. Not impressed so far.

I also hear that the alum was leaked on some Pirate file sharing site for a brief period and those with a keen web eye downloaded the tracks. People report that the album on the whole isn't that great.

I might still buy the album and go see them live because they are an awesome act on stage but this lack of entusiasm, rcessionary times and expensive tickets mean that It is going to be a tough call overall.

I'm diggin Ges-E's Dil Se

Heard this track for the first time on Nerm's show on the BBC Asian Network as he counted down 2008's most important eastern drum and bass drops.

Ges E's Dil Se featuring Shandy came up and I am diggin this track right now on Ges-E's myspace page

It will be released on Nasha V3 in Feb 2009.

Can't wait for their next live outing

Osmani Soundz - unsung hero of Ethnic drum and bass

I have been a fan of Osmani soundz from the very time I heard about him on Adil Ray's BBC Asian Network show years ago. The track that I heard then is still one his most haunting creations called 'Lushmeena' from their album - Eastern Drum and Breaks.

The track puts together a Lata Mangeshkar sample (also featured on Yash Raj Films introductory melody) with some deep drum and bass. Though already a few years old, IMHO it is a classic that's going to remain current for many many years to come.

I also got to see OS spin live at the Jazz cafe after Nitin Sawheny's performance and it was amazing to see people go into a trance on the small dance floor.

www.myspace.com/osoundz

I found it ... again! Ida Corr vs Fedde Le Grand

Ok this is becoming a menace now.

I reported a while ago how it took me ages to figure out a track I had heard a couple of times at clubs. It turned out to be Switch's "a bit patchy"


After my graduation party at the cuckoo club (where I had the privilege of playing a track or two for the crowd myself), the DJ played a song sort of latish in the evening after I was a couple of Patron shots down. The only thing I took away with me was the main rhythm which ended with 3 short sharp sounds. I picked up no lyrics whatsoever.

With that in my head I went looking for 3 months with no reward.

Finally, last week I was humming the tune in my head and suddenly had a mash up of this track with Fedde Le Grand's "put your hands up for Detroit" which made me realise they were quite similar in their structure. I immediately looked up other tracks from the man and Voila, I hit gold with the first one I picked.

Ida Corr vs Fedde Le Grand - Let me think about it.

Britney Spears - Womaniser

Is it only me who thinks that Britney's Womaniser is a really crap track. No surprise here because many of her tracks are rubbish.

What bothers me more is that people are totally giving her credit for her comeback without paying any attention to her comeback music. Fine she's been through a lot so give her credit for coming out clean and sane. But that does not change the fact that Womaniser is just not up to par.

The lyricist must have written "Womaniser, womaniser, womaniser, womaniser (instruction: repeat as necessary)"

At least when Eminem did not have anything to say he admitted it in "Just lose it" by writing "Tubba tubba tubba tubba tubba tubba tubba, I don't have any lines to go right here so Tubba"

'Rock on - Socha hai' vs 'Indus Creed - Pretty Child'

I have been listening to Socha Hai from Rock on for a few weeks now but only today did I find the subtle similarities between this and Indus Creed's pretty child in the feel of the 2 songs (I ignore the similar-ish looks of Farhan Akhtar and Uday Benegal, the 2 lead vocalists because some might think I'm crazy).

The reason I found them similar is that while Pretty Child took Indian rock mainstream, Socha Hai clearly brings back the good old hard rock to India after a distinct hiatus. Thank you shankar Ehsaan Loy.

The big distinguisher is the heavy use of Tabla on Pretty Child and the tempo of the songs. However, the guitar riffs are almost cousins.

Now I'm not hinting at plagiarism but just appreciating the fact that finally good and simple rock is back in India!

Nitin Sawhney - London Undersound tour

Nitin Sawhney has finaly announced the dates for his London Undersound tour and your truly has already secured his tickets for the london show at the shepherd's bush empire on 26th Feb 2009.

This album has been a long time in the making and I hope it is every bit as good as its predecessors. It promises a good set of collaborations just like Philtre which gives the albums a pleasant departure from the usual asian electronica/jazz albums.

I wrote about my last NS concert experience here.

Bachna Ae Haseeno - music review

The music of Bachana Ae Haseeno just works. I watched the movie today and am even more impressed with the music and how it lends itself to pace of the film.

The title track, beautifully remastered and remixed by Vishaal Shekhar, is used as during the intro credits. It sets the pace, colour, and attitude of the film. The song and its choreography highlight Ranbir's hunk quotient superbly. I am still amazed by how well Kishore Da's voice works for young lads like Ranbir even today.

Khuda Jaane stands out for me among all the tracks from the album. It received special treatment from the composers and also received the lion's share of exotic locations in the video. Both Ranbir and Deepika look gorgeous in the song. Also KK and Shweta Rao treat the song very delicately giving Ranbir and Deepika wonderful voices that suit them well.

Finally, Lucky Boy is the third track I really liked on the album. Bipasha has absolutely scorched the video.

The other 4 tracks are just ok and wont be remembered for long imho. They were pleasant during the movie though.

Even the background score is heavily rock influenced given Vishal's pentagram background (assuming they did the b'g score as well). Ranbir gets massive entrances on screen thanks to the background score.

Vishal Shekhar have given claim that they are 100% anti plagiarism. Pritam had his undies washed in public with massive TV reports on his recent shameful lifts in Jab We Met and Race. I have respect for V and S given their last few compositions have been quite good. Hopefully they keep giving us more stuff like this.

DJ Antoine's 'This Time'

It's been a while since I heard any track that gave me the goose bumps. DJ Antoine's 'This Time (Klaas mix)' does exactly that.

At about 44' into the track, the DJ uses the effects to great use, drops all the Low frequencies and brings it to a peak. Then he drops it all and brings in heavy bass and a load of funky samples to make this a high point of the track. He repeats the same at about 2:45'.

The track can be found on the Summer House 2007 album.

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Download legally!

The different flavours of house

I have just discovered the wonderful world of house music. i am not completely in love with the genre yet but at least I know what type of house i am listening to when i walk into a cafe or a nice clothing store (they love house don't they).

I recently arrange for some music for an event (a small affair) and I was asked to get some good house music that will build a comfortable and casual atmospehere for the event. I eded up picking many artists from the ambient house, liquidfunk (more D&B than house) and acid house. All of these are more chillout type music that the the house you will hear in a club. Some of the artists i discovered are:

Plej (Evum,Blue, Lay of the land)
Kevin Yost (Free, Pendulum, Spanish Holiday)
Mylo (Otto's Journey, Zenophile)
Samim (Heater)
Jerk house connection (New York sytle)

Last.fm has been instrumental in my search because they help you find songs similar to others you already like and they have also used tagging very effectively to help you find new music in various genres.

If the music at hip bars and cafes attracts you then this is your genre. give some of these songs a try.

"what goes around.../...comes around"

I have liked this song since the time the samples were released back in 2006. but only recently have i started appreciating the intricacies of the song and its production. and this story has almost everything to do with how i feel about this song now.

New found respect for Timbaland the genius and the other people behind the scenes.

Me the DJ

I have had the privilege of being DJ at a couple of events at school this year and here's a picture from one of them. I am flanked by a world class DJ who studies at school with me. I've Learnt a lot from him and at minimum I can keep a party going for a few hours on simple equipment without panicking.

Whats on my ipod 27th Nov

Gosh it's been a while. I was busy looking for a job and now i'm back in action looking for new music. I have been all over the map lately with my choice of downloads but here's what's been playing the most into my ears

1) Fuzon - 'khamaj' - Track from a Pakistani pop rocker. This song has a great deal of classical influence with very hummable vocals and an awesome guitar piece.

2) Saburuko - 'I feel love' - This is something i got from the Drum n Bass Arena camp (www. breakbeat.co.uk) . Very soothing d&b and perfect for my taste. I would love to get more of the same from other artists. Unfortunately my trip to a D&B record shop in London's camden town was fruitless even though that is the most awesome record shop i have seen (small and dainty with a serious undergound feel).

3) Kanye West - Stronger - Now that's as good as mainstream HipHop gets. I love this song and am beggining to enjoy Kan's outputs more consistently

Hear these out if you get a chance

Whats on my ipod 31st July

Niraj chag - Khwaab - How did i bump into this. I think it was one of those itunes recommendations that popped up because of recent purchases in the genre (i believe it was nitin Sawhney). Ilike 'itunes recommendations'. Anyways Niraj has a style similar to Nitin's except it is more indian classical than jazzy. I like this song because of its smooth flows. I think it has some hard edges which would sound better if smoothed. But what do i know!

Nas - Made you Look. This is a song ive loved for a long time. Since i first heard it as a free stream on Media player, it stuck in my head and i consider Nas to be in the premium league of rappers. His rhymes are hard and in the same league as Eminem's but with a more serious tone.

New Radicals - You get what you give - Now i really dont know how i landed upon this one. I think it was some random surfing on itunes (yeah i really do surf on itunes). Great song and i think the leads vocals sound a lot like a young Mick Jagger's.

3 new songs on my ipod all from different genres. Thats what I love about buying one off mp3s from itunes because i can experiment with tunes on the cheap (ie without buying a £10 CD)

What on my ipod 14th July 2007

Heres what ive been listening to lately

Keane - Is it any wonder? - Uncanny resemblence to 'U2-even better than the real thing' but still good catchy rock.

Keane - Somewhere only we know - Picked it up on itunes after listening to it at a pub

Talvin Singh - Jaan - Classic Talvin singh - Picked it up on itunes after listening to samples at several places

Booty Luv - Shine (Moto Blanco Mix) - Classic electro house - picked it up after it was pumped into my brains at some Oxford street fashion store

Salif Keita - Sanni Kegniba - Quintessential SK with deep female vocals in chorus

Karsh Kale - Spirits in the Material World - this is a wonderfully remixed track by Karsh Kale which does not compromise the Sting original but still adds the classic KK tabla beat.

Thats it. more soon.

I found it!

Ever heard a song somewhere but didnt know what it was called? It happens to me too many times and I hate the nagging feeling i feel until I find out what the song is called and who the artist is. Now I heard this song at a very hep party thrown by a friend where the DJ was a top notch guy from a club in London. So I come back humming these 2 songs and decide to write to the DJ asking him what I had heard. Unfortunately my articulation of one of the two songs fails and I get only one name from him. The other one has to remain nothing more than a tune in my head.

The hunt begins: I hear the song again at another London club but im too drunk to talk to the DJ. I just go home and keep looking for this song on the web but no trace. Finally one afternoon im flipping throgh channels and some music channel on TV is talking about an on demand show. In the background I hear something that sounds a lot like the song i had in my head except it is with female vocals (what i heard had no vocals). All i get is one word - one word of the vocal - and the name of the vocalist. Now im armed with some more information and I hit google with the two tidbits I have. Voila! I find out that the song is called 'Yeah Yeah' and the artist is Bodirox featuring Luciana. What I had heard was an instrumental mix by D. Ramirez.

So here it is: 'Yeah Yeah' (D. Ramirez mix) by Bodirox feat Luciana

But it's not over. The second hunt had started months ago in San Francisco. I saw Soulsalaam at 1015 and went on to download a mix from his website www.soulsalaam.com
Now the mix has this groovy ass intro which just stuck in my head. I had no way of finding out what this thing was until Missy Elliott's 'We run this' comes out with a sample that is a toned down version of the tune im looking for. I google 'missy elliott we run this sample' and i reach 'Apache'. Of course itunes has like 2million versions of Apache but at least i now know what song i am looking for.

The same top notch DJ as above plays the exact mix from soulsalaam's track and i get the name of the mix from him as 'A little patchy' which is supposedly a bootleg. Only there was no such song anywhere (even on google!!!). After weeks of looking I find out that the song I was looking for was titled slightly differently - 'A bit patchy'

Finally after a long wait i found the two tunes that rang in my head in perpertuity. If you havent heard these hypnotic and addictive tunes go get them!

Nitin Sawhney at the Jazz Cafe

I had the absolute privilege of seeing Nitin Sawhney and his band live at the Jazz cafe in Camden town yesterday. For starters, the event was non-smoking by request from the artists. The subject of 'non-smoking' is taboo in the U.K. so this was a pleasant surprise and my respect for the artists went up marginally right there.

Although we had to wait for an hour and a half before the band came on stage. However the band got to work right away and as soon as the first note played, it was instant gratification. The band started the set with 'Sunset' with vocals by Sharon Duncan. Sharon's voice lended tremendously to the depth of this song and was a great start to the show. Nitin's playlist stayed on the contemporary jazz side for a bit but with the unmistakable Indian influence (specially with the tabla - played by Aref Durvesh). The show then went to the next level with Tina Grace. Tina was a picture of emotion and grace as she got lost on the songs she was singing. Natacha atlas was another forceful performer. Again it was the depth of her vocals and the passion on stage that blew my mind away. She was a pleasure to watch. Nitin's special guest for the night was Fink who played the guitar and performed one of his own songs. Some more songs that were on the set:

Homelands
Moonrise
Rainfall
Dead man
Prophesy
The immigrant
The conference
Nadia
Letting go

Sawhney's displayed his political influence when he introduced 'The immigrant'. He wanted to celebrate the diversity that made up the audience, the band, the city and the country.
The highlight of the evening though was the encore after which we heard what i had been waiting for all night - 'Nadia'. Reena Bhardwaj was absolutely stunning. This track has a hevay drum and bass component which was well substituted by drums, tabla and vocal percussion by Jason Singh. Very impressive.

I should also give props to Ashvin Srinivasan who was on the flute and lended vocals to many songs. The flute is a big part of Nitin's compositions and we got ample doses of the flute yesterday.

There was another highlight of the evening for me- Meeting Osmani soundz. They had been helping the band with some sound effects all evening but after the show they got on the decks and went into heavy eastern drum and bass. I learnt from the man himself that what we were hearing was unreleased material due out next year.

This is a must see show was anyone who is fond of Sawhney's music and fond of asian influenced music in general.