S-Endz - Do U Wanna Come?

S-Endz, vegan member of the band Swami, has released the second single from his EP Chapter 0 : REINKARNAL. Do U Wanna Come? is described by S-Endz as "an uptempo neofunk dancefloor jam, ... a homage to classic 70's funk likes james brown and the ohio players, but with a contemporary twist."

There are similarities to his last track Alone from the same EP. It was originally written in May 2008, Simon "Subs" Duggal had a hand in recording and producing it and the track received a make over before being released. Like Alone it is also available for free download but S-Endz says if you can afford to pay something for it, please do - you can pay however much or little you want.

The story of how Do U Wanna Come? came to life may be similar to Alone, but that is where the similarity ends. Do U Wanna Come?  is a full on and frantic compared to Alone's summery mellow feel. This is a track made for the dance floor and is much faster than Alone. It's nice to hear S-Endz sing solo and the production is crisp.

The next track from Chapter 0 : REINKARNAL will be released in a fortnight's time. Check back here for the Sari-Clad Speakers review.   



You can download S-Endz's new track here. 

Sharaab - Asura

In today’s world full of recession and financial crisis, few are able to make their passion a full time job. However, Atlanta based Sharaab is lucky enough to work with music in his day job as a recording and mix engineer. He works with the likes of Karsh Kale and the Midival Punditz on their music before clocking off to work on his own.

Asura is Sharaab’s latest release. It is a credit to Sharaab that his music appears very simple and almost minimalist on the first listen. However as I listened to the tracks more and more I appreciated just how complicated each track is. This is partly thanks to excellent production, which Sharaab is proficient in due to his day job. Sharaab cites the Asian Underground movement as a major influence on his work, and this comes through in Asura.

This album is as much about the musicality as the production. Sharaab knows exactly when to add a beat, what vocal will work where and when to use Indian instruments. Sharaab was influenced by his mother, who was trained in Indian vocals and sitar and as a boy he played many different instruments himself. He was particularly drawn to percussion and studied tabla when he went on trips to India. This extensive knowledge of music gives Asura a rich diverse sound which is unique.

Bikram Singh - Kinna Sohna Munda Sunil Sehgal Remix

Fans of Bikram Singh should have noticed the video for Nachegi by now. Taken from his album Bik.I.Am, the song was released as a single last week. What fans may not have noticed are the remixes of Beyonce and Kinna Sohna Munda that were on the Nachegi single release.

As I wrote in my album review, Nachegi is a solid bhangra track and the video has been well received. But it is the Sunil Sehgal remix of Kinna Sohna Munda that is worth legally downloading. As soon as I heard the preview on itunes I liked this remix and could barely wait until I got the green light to blog about it. The original version of KSM is a brilliant tune and I actually prefer it to Nachegi as I think it has more attack. The Sunil Sehgal remix of KSM builds on this attack and transforms it into a club ready dance track. The bass is increased and there are a few well timed sound effects to listen out for.

There is also the One Stop remix of Beyonce on the Nachegi single. I did not like this as much as the original Beyonce, as I thought it completely sidelined Bikram's vocals. However if you like remixes there are two excellent versions of Electro Love Boliyan that are worth listening to.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the Streets of Calcutta

Adverts for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel are showing on British television. Famous names including Judi Dench, Dev Patel and Maggie Smith star in the film, which is directed by Oscar-winning John Madden. That funky sitar track playing in the trailer is called Streets of Calcutta. It is by Ananda Shankar, who is the newphew of Ravi Shankar and worked with Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s. 

Thomas Newman has composed the soundtrack for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He has made many iconic soundtracks including American Beauty, Shawshank Redemption and Finding Nemo. So I'm surprised Ananda Shankar's track has been used to promote the film. Why the promoters needed to use such an iconic track when the film's own soundtrack has been composed by Thomas Newman is beyond me. Perhaps his score did not sound Indian enough or exotic enough to use?

The film soundtrack releases on the 27th of February and there are no preview clips online to listen to. Streets of Calcutta is not included in the tracklisting and it's sad that Ananda Shankar is not credited. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel releases on the 24th of February, so we have to wait and see if Streets of Calcutta is used in the film.

When Bollywood borrows tracks from the western world, a huge fuss is usually made and people complain that the Indian film industry lacks originality. I don't think we should make a huge fuss when western film makers borrow from India, but they should at least be given due credit for their work. Especially in this case, where a song is being used to sell a film.

Take Five: Westerners in Bollywood

The film Ekk Deewana Tha released last weekend. It stars Prateik Babbar, who was also in Dhobi Ghat, and Amy Jackson, a British beauty contest winner who is now the face of Armani India. She is not the first westerner to star in a Bollywood flick. Today's Take Five is all about westerners who have spent some time in Mumbai.

 Emma Bunton

Emma Bunton, also known as Baby Spice, makes a cameo appearance in a song from Pyaar Mein Twist. Around the time of filming there was a documentary showing how she got on in Bollywood. I watched the documentary and all I can remember is how she wiped off half the make up before shooting started and complained about the lack of schedual. I don't think she has been back to bollywood since.