Not sure if this thread is still running but I noticed there’s a couple references to an original version of Patel Rap. I used to have the tape too and it was a top, top song! A few years ago I thought I’d be clever and use my new hi-fi’s tape deck [along with MMJB] to copy it over to my PC so I had a permanent ‘digital’ copy.. Unfortunately the tape got caught in the deck, and ruined both the tape and the hi-fi in the process! Long story short, you wouldn’t happen to have (or know where I can buy / download) a copy?

Cheers,

Kev

I once compiled a big list on this site at the request of a commenter named Gal Sun, of really good songs of just the past few years…can’t find the list now…it’s really hard to distill a huge amount of music stretching almost 20 years into a few favorite tracks, but off the top of my head, some songs I’ve loved (as a fan and also critically) would include (in no particular order, but with an emphasis on older stuff):

Londonon Patola (Jazzy B) Dhol Mere Yaar Da (Apna Sangeet) Dhola Ve Dhola (Satrang) Darshan (B21) Jugni (Malkit Singh) Mere Yaar Ne (XLNC) Dupatta Tera Satrang Da (Surjit Bindrakhia…not strictly UK bhangra) Mera Yaar Vajaave Dhol (Apna Sangeet) Kala Kala Munda (Surinder Rattan) All the Mirza tracks by Punjabi MC The entire album ‘Unda Da Influence’ by Dr. Zeus The entire album ‘Word Is Born’ by Specialist and Tru-Skool G.T.Road

Love this song (the video isn’t great, the song is great).

Another great one.

Thought this song was awesome.

I’ll stop now…that’s just a sample…I know I’m overlooking a lot of great songs.

I had to look up the definition for that!

Here’s a couple I thought of off the top of my head. My relationship with these tracks seem to be that of contradiction: though I normally would react to the following themes with apathy or distaste, some intangible haecceity, maybe the driving dhol beat or the gruff, impassioned boliyan in each song, just make me unable to resist.

Tigerstyle Feat. Bikram Singh – Taakre (This track reinvents the polemic. I had goosebumps the first time I heard it. By end of the first chorus, this lifelong pacifist was ready to raise up a glassy and bandook and kick some kundi.)

Karan MC – Apna Punjab (A patriotic banger that can bring pangs of emotion to the most hardened and deracinated anti-nationalist.)

Lehmber – Disco Warrior (This track is just f*cking killer. Funk-rock collides with the desh. My favorite bhangra track ever.)

Send me that email and I’ll hook it up, gangsta style.

Can anyone suggest a bhangra primer for the uninitiated? Maybe a list of must have albums/artists to get a newbie started?

I used to have that too….there’s an excellent drinking song on that tape, I can’t remember exactly how it goes…

You know what cassette I found recently buried under tons of other stuff? DHOLBLASTERS. Damn that shit was dope. There’s a Safri song ‘Mele Mittran De’ which rocks, and also ‘Lus Lus Karde Ang’…I love it. Plus a couple of great boliyan. Whatever happened to Narinder Winnie, the big fat dholi??