DJ trio gets Mumbai spinning

They are chilling out to  bhangra beats, with a few whispered remarks that let off riotous laughter. You can’t help but think of the Asian underground movement and the Brit-Asian music that has caught on in India like never before. “Music is politics; you can’t avoid it in the UK. The whole underground scene was shaped up by politics,” says DJ Bobby Friction. “It was a crazy show with me and Nihal going berserk with the music we played,” he laughs.

Bobby pioneered the club Kizmat in UK and also DJed at the prestigious Blue Note and Shaanti. Bobby’s album ‘Friction’ topped the music charts.

Along with MC Hard Kaur, Bobby was in town to perform as a part of the Smirnoff experience. Rapper Hard Kaur left India during the ‘84 Sikh riots in which her father was killed. “I didn’t know how to speak English when we shifted base to UK. I could dance like the blacks who would also rap. I hung around with them and soon got into the groove,” she explains.

Quiz them about their names and Bobby says, “Friction has nothing to do with sex! (Laughs) I used to have arguments in college about various issues and hence friction.”
Do they think the whole Brit-Asian sound is a passing trend? “Music changes. Reggaeton is catching up. In the future it could be a fusion of Japanese reggae, bhangra and Bollywood music,” laughs Bobby.

Hard Kaur despises the ‘bling bling culture’. “It’s all about chains and women. Most of the hip-hop artists have not even held a gun. Snoop Dogg is the ugliest but he has money,” she explains.

Falling in the same camp is Shiva Sound System, another hip Asian act with DJ Nerm playing hawkish electronica licks. “I started playing at a mandir for garbha. I was the dhol player and then I discovered electronica and knew I could still make beautiful ladies dance to it,” says DJ Nerm, laughing.

k_shridevi@dnaindia.net