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WOMADELAIDE 2001
program highlights
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DJ AKAASH |
Fijian-born
Australian Indian, DJ AKAASH has been DJ-ing and promoting South Asian
fusion music in Sydney since 1990. In that time he has also moved into
music production, releasing a succession of mix-tapes and later CDs which
updated Sydney's ears to the freshest South Asian fusion music coming from
all points of the globe. DJ AKAASH tapped into the phenomenon known as
Bhangra music (which originates from Punjab -North India) by releasing
the
CD compilation "Bhangra
Explosion " on BMG in 1994. "Bhangra Explosion"
introduced Australian
listeners to the music that virtually kicked off the global beat fusion
scene, predating today's stars like Talvin Singh and Nithin Sawhney with
the early sample-based, dhol-drum driven dance music that came to be known
as 'Bhangramuffin'. Throughout this period DJ AKAASH
was experimenting and
learning from the music he was hearing from the Bhangra hotspots in England,
USA, Canada and India, and spent time
travelling and meeting
artists and producers, to further hone his experimentation in Indian sounds.
This experimentation included adding
breakbeats, sampling,
scratching and other turntable and studio techniques,
fusing it with a huge
variety of musical styles, including Reggae, Hip Hop,
Hi-NRG, Techno, Drum
'n Bass, Indian Soca (Chutney) and Middle Eastern
tunes. At the August
95/96 Movie Bhangra Awards in the UK, DJ AKAASH -
considered the ambassador
for Bhangra /Indian music Downunder - was awarded accolades for his contribution
to the Bhangra/Indian scene in Australia. DJ AKAASH'S skills on the
decks have in turn taken him all over Australia, Fiji, India and New Zealand
to entertain the South Asian circuit. Not only playing Bhangra but
also expanding to Global breakbeats from India, Africa, South America,
Middle East and more. His latest international appearance was at
The Hemispheres - an international party filled with a cosmopolitan spirit.
Organised by The Olympic Arts Festival and Triple J to celebrate the Sydney
2000 Olympic Games which featured both Australian and international acts
over two days at the Centennial Park. DJ AKAASH is also
one of the co-founders
and hosts of the Masala Mix, a unique radio show
broadcast on community
radio 2SER-FM in Sydney. Each week the Masala Mix broadcasts a cross-pollinated
sound which brings together Hindi film music,
Bhangra, desi beats and
the latest in experimental Asian underground music.
The Masala Mix is a rich,
sexy and infectiously groovy show, where nothing
is unexpected and everything
appreciated. The Masala Mix has been
responsible for turning
audiences on to every example of Indian fusion for
more than six years,
and is still going strong. |
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