Last Played: September

A selection of the tracks that have been playing at Sari-Clad Speakers HQ this month.

Delhi 2 Dublin - The Answer



Delhi 2 Dublin were the best live act I saw this summer. They were so good, I saw them twice on their tour of the UK last month. From the album Planet Electric, The Answer is one of my favourite songs by the band and I was pleased to see it in their live set.

Tigerstyle - Zulfaan De Naag

Tigerstyle have released the fifth single from their award nominated album Digi-Bhang. Zulfaan De Naag features the vocals of Kaur B and has four official remixes.

This song was one of my favourite tracks from the album. Zulfaan De Naag is commercial, catchy and girly. Kaur B's vocals are brilliant and there is a good amount of bass.

Four producers have remixed the song each bringing their own style to Zulfaan De Naag. There is a dark and slightly sinister element in Talal Qureshi's mix that is effective. The Monstaboy remix is glamorous and is well suited to the dance floor. G-ta's remix is full of glittery bass which keeps the girly theme despite the heavy dubstep. The Wobble Maharajas remix has a nicely contrasting middle section. The remixes of each Digi-Bhang single have been something extra to look forward to and this is my favourite set of remixes.

Hunterz Ishers & Vee - Girlfried

Hunterz, who once made a track with reggae band UB40, has released a track in collaboration with his brothers Ishers and Vee. Girlfriend is the first song taken from Ishers's first album.

The song is laid back and catchy. I like it when a track has lyrics that are easy to sing along to and remember. But it seems like the guys ran out of ideas when writing lyrics for Girlfriend. The phrase "you can be my girlfriend" is sung or said a total of 28 times. For a song that is barely three and a half minutes long that is far too many time to repeat the same phrase over and over again.

The video is simple. It's set in a dark empty warehouse with lots of dancers. There is a nice end shot of the three brothers, who look very alike, standing in the same pose wearing matching sunglasses.

Jassi Sidhu Shakes Hips with Superwoman

Jassi Sidhu, the former lead singer of B21 who wants to retire in 2016, has released a new single called Hipshaker. It features youtube star Superwoman.

The song is commercial with a party vibe. It is different to what Jassi usually produces and is not the style I would associate with him, but it works. Hipshaker is repetitive, catchy and I look forward to hearing it during what remains of wedding season.

While I like the song, I'm not sure of Superwoman's much hyped debut, as it slows down the momentum of the energetic track. Superwoman's solo verse in the song reminded me of Bollywood tunes which are good but have a section of bad misplaced English rap. Hipshaker is short, just three and a half minutes, far too short for vocals from a guest artist.

Like many other bhangra videos, Hipshaker is set at a party in a club. However, unlike other bhangra videos, this club is classy and the dancers have some serious moves. I particularly liked the colourful padded cell that Jassi shares with one dancer. 

Interview with Delhi 2 Dublin in Bristol

 
Delhi 2 Dublin are a band from Vancouver Canada who mix Celtic music with the sounds of India. They are known for getting everyone dancing during their live shows and even they crowd surfed at a gig in a canoe! I caught up with them when they played at the Trinity Arts Centre in Bristol.   

Why Delhi 2 Dublin, Why not Cork 2 Calcutta or Limerick to Lucknow?
Tarun: It started off as Bombay to Belfast. But we looked at the poster with the presenter of the show and the organiser who was funding the first Delhi 2 Dublin show and saw “Bomb” and “Belfast” put together in big writing. We decided that it was probably a bad idea as at the time the situation was a bit sensitive.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Sanjay: Indian Irish electronic reggae dub music… It's all rock and roll!

Your music doesn’t fit neatly into one genre. What are the advantages of being genreless?
S: You are able to do a lot more without anyone questioning it so we play folk festivals, electronic festivals, Indian melas and corporate events.
T: Kids’ birthday parties! That would be fun!
S: It’s so wide, you can't do that with every single band. We can represent cultural events like Canada day. We did Canada day when William and Kate were there. We get to do that stuff whereas certain bands don’t fit that or certain electronic bands don’t get that opportunity, so that's the best part.
Ravi: We met Will and Kate!
T:Will was totally into it! He was like, what’s up homies!
S: We called him Bill.
T: Billy Dawg!