David Starfire - Transformation

David Starfire, whose grandfather was a famous horn player in New Orleans, has released a new EP. Transformation was inspired by transformational events in David's life.

There are four tracks on the EP featuring 15 exotic instruments including the zurna, koto, sarangi and daburka. The theme is psychelic world music meets hip hop with a lot of bass. There is an exploratory vibe to Transformation. The first track on the EP, Darshana, is particularly interesting due to the structure and changed is pace. 

Transformation has been released on David's own label Amrita Recordings and is available to download free for three weeks here.

Circle of Sound Release Anti Hero

Circle of Sound, made up of sarod player Soumik Datta and drummer Bernhard Schimpelsberger, have released their second album. Anti Hero features special guests Nitin Sawhney and Anoushka Shankar.

The release is five tracks long. It's a mix of Indian music melded with contemporary vocals and electronics. In an interview with the Independent Soumik said "I don't think there's been another album out there like it. This is not chilled-out lounge music. It is an anti-chill-out album with edge."

Included with the tracks are lyrics and some impressive artwork done by Soumik himself. According to the Circle of Sound Facebook page "The artwork carries the idea of the album. It shows the anti hero in his world, in free fall. A world with nothing to hold onto. We wanted to move away from the conventional approach of doing artwork with instruments but to offer the listener a visual gate into our music."

Download Anti Hero from www.cosmusic.tv. It is free to download, but you will need to share on Facebook or Twitter.

Talal Qureshi - Tough Love

Talal Qureshi, whose music was called the sound of the future by Bobby Friction, has unveiled the first track from his upcoming EP. Tough Love is from Sound Booth Time Machine and is up on Sound Cloud as a free download.

Tough Love is a funky track with broken vocals. It's groovy, catchy and doesn't try too hard. There's a laid back, retro feel to Tough Love but it still has a modern edge.

Talal says: "Download this, share the love, put it everywhere and if you're an artist or a rapper, feel free to use it on any non profit projects. Just remember to give me credit hope you enjoy it!"

Asifa Lahore Covers Tum Hi Ho

Asifa Lahore, a DJ and British Asian drag artist, has released her LGBT cover version of Tum Hi Ho. It is her response to those who asked her to do a serious topic, and focuses on the visibility of ethnic minorities in the LGBT community.

Tum Hi Ho is suited to the subject and is sensitively covered. The video tells the story in a simple way that is easy to follow. The project was crowdfunded and some of the people starring in the video had never acted before. Subtitles translating the song make sure the point really gets across.

This cover version of Tum Hi Ho is up on Asifa's SoundCloud page as a free download.

Valentine's Day Downloads

Like many other industries, the Desi music scene has learnt the power of a special Valentine's day tie in. Here's a round up of some of the songs released to celebrate the patron saint of bee keepers.

Parichay - Tu Hi Zindagi   

 
Parichay has been dropping hints about a Valentine's day surprise and this one doesn't disappoint. An acoustic version of Tu Hi Zindagi, which appeared on All New Everything, this song is slushy and romantic. Parichay can produce powerful gorgeous vocals and acoustic tracks like this really show them off. The original version was one of my favourites from All New Everything, but I think I like this one better. Download here.

Sharaab Releases His Back Catalogue

Sharaab, a recording and mix engineer who has worked with Karsh Kale and the Midival Punditz, has put some of his back catalogue up on bandcamp as a "name your price" download. It's to celebrate the release of his EP Deva on the 10th February.

Up for download are Sharaab's first solo albums Infusion and Evolution along with two albums made with The Fabric. It's a great opportunity to get your hands on this talented producer's music. I guarantee it is unlike anything you have ever heard before. Poison, Nosering and Indian Rain are my favourites on Evolution. On Infusion, Bidrohi and Earth and Sky are worth a listen.


You can download the four albums here.  Check back for Sari-Clad Speakers review of the Deva EP soon.


 

Krissy & Lady Kash - This Is Love (Desi Remix)

Krissy and Lady Kash, a singer songwriter and a rapper from Singapore, have made a cover version of Will.i.am's This Is Love.

The duo's Desi remix incorporates Tamil lyrics. Thanks to the language change and the lack of male vocalists the track has a different feel to the original. It's more relaxed and romantic. There is a simple video accompanying the song with shots on a beach and a night scene featuring sparklers. 

If you like this interpretation of This Is Love, you can download it from Lady Kash's website.

Superjones Remixes Saajna

Superjones, a producer who has worked with DCS and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's vocals, has remixed Saajna  from the film I Me Aur Main.

Instead of making a dubstep remix Superjones has tuned Saajna into a drum and bass track. It's refreshing as most Bollywood remixes these days are dubstep or bad house tracks. It sounds different from the original, especially the middle part of the track, but the song is enhanced and lengthened by Superjones' additions. Falak Shabir's vocals are kept intact and this keeps the atmosphere of the original.  

If you like Superjones' version of Saajna you can download it from his SoundCloud page. 
 

Swarathma Celebrate Life After 55

Swarathma, an Indian folk rock band, have released a new single and a video to go with it. Rang Zinda is about 'Bachpan after Pachpan' or childhood after 55 and was a collaboration with students form the National Institute of Design in India.

The video shows a group of elderly people going about their daily activities and having fun. One woman is an elegant dancer and there is one man who has the coolest beard you will ever see. The band also make an appearance towards the end of the video.

The older generation are all too often left out of today's music world. There is the stereotype that all they listen to are old Bolllywood hits and religious songs. But Swarathma have cleverly reminded us that people don't need to be a certain age to appreciate good music.

If you liked the song, it is available as a free download on Swarathma's SoundCloud page.

Jai-Parthiv feat. Priti Menon - Soniye Hiriye

Jai-Parthiv at Studio Unplugged have released a track featuring Priti Menon. Soniye Hiriye is a reworking of Kangna by Dr Zeus and Soniye Hiriye by Shael blended together in one track.

The song is cleverly put together and sounds different from the original versions. Even though lyrics are taken from two songs it works well and does not sound like two separate songs thanks to the unchanging accompaniment. Priti's vocals are brilliant and I like it when a woman sings the grammatical lyrics of a man. 

If you like Soniye Hiriye, you can download it from the Studio Unplugged SoundCloud page.

Rimshox - Alter Ego

Rimshox has released a new track on his SoundCloud page. Alter Ego is an engaging electronic track with some happy club vibes. It's a mix of styles, a hint of vocals and instruments that work well together. Alter Ego has a sunny feel to to it and it's peppy without being too heavy on the bass. I did think it was a bit short as it ended just as I was properly getting into it, so make sure to use the repeat button!

If you like Alter Ego as much as I do you can download it from Rimshox's SoundCloud page.

Superjones - Straight Ruffneck

Thinkin of robbin a bank, holdin up an ol woman, or drivin around lyk u run shit?Well do it whilst listenin to this:soundcloud.com/superjonesmusi…
— Superjones(@SuperjonesMusic) June 4, 2013

Superjones, a producer who has worked with DCS and remixed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's vocals, has released a new track. Straight Ruffneck features the vocals of drum and bass duo the Ragga Twins. 

The single is taken from Superjones' upcoming EP Kill The Shadow. Straight Ruffneck is a hard hitting dubstep track with a dark grimy atmosphere. There are some nice contrasts between the vocals and the introduction. According to Superjones a ‘Straight Ruffneck’ "is someone who is not afraid to go against
the norm, be different or challenge authority."

An American born Afgan artist Aman Mojadidi made the artwork for the single. It is part of a project called A Day in the Life of a Jihadi Gangster. I'm surprised it has not yet been featured on one of the many turban based style websites! 

G-ta - MNK

G-ta, a Dubai based producer who remixed Tigerstyle's Kudi, has released a new track. MNK is a dubstep track with plenty of heavy bass. It has a lovely sitar opening that does not even hint at the drop a few bars later. There are hints of Manak's vocals, the title of the song is Manak's name with the letter A removed, and the track has a wonderfully dark atmosphere.

If you like MNK, you can download from g-ta's SoundCloud page here.

Shweta Subram - Saadi Galli Aaja (Breezer Mix)

 

Shweta Subram, a singer who was born in Dubai and grew up in Canada, has released a cover version of Saadi Galli Aaja from the film Nautanki Saala. The song is a collaboration between Shweta and Jai-Parthiv at Studio Unplugged in Mumbai. 

 

Along with Shweta's wonderful vocals, this Breezer Mix has Sandeep Thakur on violin and Premil Parikh on guitar.The added instruments give the track a soulful kick and complement Shweta's voice. It's not easy to cover a song successfully, especially one that has had so much airplay, but this version works brilliantly. The track takes enough inspiration from the original, but has it's own elements to make it unique and special.

Saadi Galli Aaja (Breezer Mix) can be downloaded from the Studio Unplugged SoundCloud page. 

Nindy Kaur Is Doin' It Big With RDB

Nindy Kaur, who used to save up her lunch money to buy bhangra records, has released a version of RDB's We Doin' It Big featuring her vocals. The release is a Vaisakhi present to her fans and the original video has also been edited to include her.

Nindy's vocals are a nice addition to We Doin' It Big and bring a female touch to what was a very male dominated track. The shots of Nindy in the video are recycled from past performances and music videos but I would have liked to see some new footage.

 

Why didn't Nindy feature in the original release of We Doin' It Big? Earlier this year in an interview for Sari-Clad Speakers, Surj said that We Doin' It Big had been composed and recorded with Nindy's vocals. However, she was not available for the video shoot so it was decided to leave Nindy's vocals out of the original track. 

We Doin' It Big feat. Nindy Kaur is available to download for free from the Three Records SoundCloud page.

Superjones - Girls Clap

Superjones, a producer who has worked with DCS and remixed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's vocals, has released a new track on Sound Cloud. Girls Clap is a mix of dubstep and traditional Punjabi vocals. 

It's a good track with some dark moments, which sounds very different to the teaser. The contrast between the electronic bass and the timeless giddha boliyan is huge but Superjones has made it work. I would have liked an extra verse in the track for some variation. The dubstep in Girls Clap is extreme. Despite the celebratory lyrics, this is not a track to play at a family wedding, unless you want to raise Aunty's blood pressure with all the bass!

Girls Clap is available to download on Superjones' SoundCloud page.  

Naiem Reza - Dancing Petals

Naiem Reza, who also goes by the name Sleepy Z, has released a track featuring three vocalists and a pianist. Dancing Petals features Abhay Jodhpurkar, Raxstar, Shweta Subram all sing a verse each. Raashi Kulkarni finishes off the song with a piano solo. 

The concept of three vocalists on the same track is an interesting concept, especially as their vocals are so different. The idea works well and Dancing Petals has a haunting dream like quality to it. It's a nice debut single and I'd like to hear more from Naiem.

If you like Dancing Petals, it's available for free download on Naiem's SoundCloud page.

Parichay - Kasam Se Acoustic Version

Parichay, the singer who featured alongside RDB and Nindy Kaur on the soundtrack of Chaar Din Ke Chandni, has remade one of his old songs. Kasam Se has been transformed into a live acoustic version. 

It's nice to hear an acoustic song from Parichay. The lack of accompaniment shows off his vocals and there is an orchestral feel to it. It's very different from the original version and the mood of the track has changed completely. I would like to hear more simple acoustic songs like this from Parichay.

If you like this version of Kasam Se, it's available as a free download on Parichay's SoundCloud page.

Dub Kirtan All Stars - Subsonic Devotion

Dub Kirtan All Stars, a fusion music collective formed by David Starfire and FreQ Nasty, have released an EP. Subsonic Devotion mixes ancient Indian music traditions with the cutting edge musical technology of today. 

There are just three songs on the EP, but all of them make an impact. Subsonic Devotion  is funky, fresh and has some great bass. Brilliant vocals are provided by Arjun Baba and Chaytanya, who sings on two of the three tracks, complimenting the atmospheric beats.

You can download Subsonic Devotion for free from DKAS' bandcamp page.

David Starfire - House of Bhangra.

David Starfire, whose grandfather was a famous horn player in New Orleans, has released a new track on his SoundCloud page. House of Bhangra features Afrika Bambaataa, Desert Dwellers and iCatching. It's an funky blend of bhangra, tumbi and dubstep. Plenty of bass pulls all the different styles together.

House of Bhangra appears is from the album Ascend out on the 19th of February. If you can't wait until then, you can download the track from David's SoundCloud page.