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Is Birmingham the Real Home of Bhangra?
December 11 2008 18:30 PST
'Bhangra would have died an economic death in the 70's had it not been for the UK Bhangra scene, thanks to Birmingham based promoters and bands the likes of Malkit Singh, Juggy D, Lehmber, Jazzy B, Sukshinder Shinda, Safri Boys and now new boy H-Dhami wearing the bling whilst they sing, Singh!' Get it? No? Read on...
That quote comes from our very own presenter and UK based producer Terry Mardi. Bhangra's traditional origins can be dated to as far back as 300 BC in Punjab, India and was used to celebrate the new harvest. Since then the face of Bhangra has changed immensely as many Punjabis began migrating to different parts of the world, most notably, Birmingham, England.
Many became factory workers in the industrial city, but never forgot their roots and longed for the folklore of their home. This is exactly why Mohammad Ayub began Oriental Star Agencies, the first Bhangra label in the UK and its first signing was the popular Bhujungy group. The group's popularity sparked a revolution with groups like Apna Sangeet, Alaap, DCS, and Heera all gaining popularity in the Desi communities of the UK and beyond. Who can forget hearing songs like 'Mar Chapada' and 'Apna Sangeet' at weddings and parties?
From the groups of the seventies and eighties Bhangra in the UK has grown to include artists like Malkit Singh, Panjabi By Nature, Panjabi MC, Juggy D, and more recently H-Dhami. The sound too has changed with the times, often times melding Hip Hop, RnB and Bollywood. It's quite apparent that the quote mentioned by Terry Mardi holds true, without the UK Bhangra scene who knows what the history of Bhangra music may have been like.
Comments (18)
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ohhh i get it now !! fanks to harbo!! i didnt know punjabi by nature was from birmingham im stoopid lol
Uk Bhangra is still predominantly focused in the West Midlands... Aman Hayer, PMC, Shinda, Panjabi By Nature, B21, Jassi Sidhu, Malkit, DCS.. the list is endless but London are showing signs of bhangra talent like back in the 80's and the time of Heera and Premi. H Dhami, Juggy D, Rishi, Vix etc all doing there thing. Aslong as the music retains the quality as it is by the above artists, UK will always be the home of bhangra forget seperating it between regions. lol
im confused i dont get it :? im FROM BIRMINGHAM whoooo jus fort ill announce it out of the randomz looolz
okay s-endz is here
Good article, but you missed some important people out. Brit Asian music would not be what it is today without Simon (Subs), Diamond (DJ Swami) and Apache Indian. Simon and Diamond produced and wrote that whole project and with Apache as the face, took the music to a new mainstream level....all the way from Birmingham, England. A few years later Simon and Diamond were also the first to blend Bhangra with Asian Underground when they started Swami, and coined the term "Desi Beats" for the music, with the first album "Desi Nu Skool Beats". That term wasn't around at that point. Diamond has been pushing the scene forward ever since, from DesiRock to Equalize and is the only producer to win the "Best Producer" award at the UK AMA's twice. Don't forget that Simon and Diamond also produced Shania Twain's album "Up" which sold over 20 million records....a figure that other Asian producers have yet to even get close to.
i cant miss any concert in UK...n u peopel talk abt H.dhami(who is this) a single bite of juggy???Just Think Abut SHINDHA n JUGGY................tHEN EVRY Body can say UK HOME OF BHANGRA....
i cant miss any concert in UK...n u peopel talk abt H.dhami(who is this) a single bite of juggy???Just Think Abut SHINDHA n JUGGY................tHEN EVRY Body can say UK HOME OF BHANGRA....
i cant miss any concert in UK...n u peopel talk abt H.dhami(who is this) a single bite of juggy???Just Think Abut SHINDHA n JUGGY................tHEN EVRY Body can say UK HOME OF BHANGRA....
i cant miss any concert in UK...n u peopel talk abt H.dhami(who is this) a single bite of juggy???Just Think Abut SHINDHA n JUGGY................tHEN EVRY Body can say UK HOME OF BHANGRA....
even though jazzy b is from Bc,he spends most of his time in uk. Yah and it is true that Uk has kept bhangra alive. I am live in nyc and I can recall gettin cds from uk before the whole dling thing. H dhami still has to prove himself, but as for juggy and the rest they have made history!
who cares
wow I had no idea how UK was such a huge part of the movement. Thats kinda cool
Jazzy b is from surrey, bc. hes even in the freaking fone book, and went to highschool here... so maybe SURREY is what kept bhangra alive? Waris is from richmond too.. KS makhan is a surrey jack too
wtf? desihits removes comments now? lol JazzyB is Canadiann don't front!
yeah thatz true, im a die hard h-dhami fan, but itz juggy who set precedent, he was like a breath of fresh air after a few years of one or two hits from random artists. PMC, Pbn, and malkit singh all kill, they've helped set the stardard as well, itz cool h-dhami was able to reach that bar tho! But in the end, i think juggy ushered in the new era, n set the standard for everybody today
lol this is a joke desihits mentions bhujangy and OSA when all their users are too busy behind h dhami and jay sean. Wah fix up
i agree with sweetdreamz..Juggy D has changed the game upside down..!
hdhami didn't do anything lol..Juggy D changeddd the gamee...