Hyphen magazine - Asian American arts, culture, and politics

  Photos courtesy of Odell Hussey.

Bhangra, a 500+ year old folk form of music and dance of the Punjab region in India, has been dominating dancefloors from New York City to San Francisco with its infectious syncopated rhythms and moves for the past two decades. On the west coast, San Francisco’s Non Stop Bhangra (NSB) has grown as the popularity of the musical/dance style rises to a fever pitch. Mr. Hyphen 2006 Robin Sukhadia caught up with NSB co-founders Vicki Virk and DJ Jimmy Love as they prepare for this week’s massive relaunch of Non Stop Bhangra at Public Works in San Francisco. Legendary DJ Rekha of Basement Bhangra joins them on stage.

How has the bhangra scene in NYC influenced and inspired NSB on the west coast?

VV: NYC is the gateway from the UK bhangra scene, and in extension the corridor for music from India into the US as well. DJ Rekha and Basement Bhangra has been at the heart of this, being the longest running bhangra monthly party in the US and the unofficial ambassador of Punjabi music in the USA. New York is a hot bed for music, and integration of musical styles like hip hop and reggae into bhangra were able to take what the UK was already pushing in the 90's and translate that consistently to the US dance floor. More importantly, Basement Bhangra shared the music from the Punjabi community with a diverse audience.

Why is bhangra relevent now? How is it being shaped by dubstep and other influences?

VV: Though it is an older folk music, bhangra has become more and more relevant due to the rise of club nights across America. Punjabi music has been sampled for decades, however the rise of bhangra based parties in different cities has allowed a more western audience to actually absorb the sound and understand it. As the parties in the states have developed, so has the level of the young producers and performers, and with it a growing new take on what works for more eclectic audiences. There is a growing number of producers with Punjabi background bringing the music into the under ground culture in the states like Sub Swara, David Starfire and Kush Arora. These producers understand the core of Indian music and are able to properly experiment and break new ground.

Where do you see NSB going over the next 5 years?

VV: Our goal is to continue doing our monthly Non Stop Bhangra event, and hopefully grow out the experience to a point where it becomes one of the largest world music events here in SF. Our goal is to collaborate more with headlining artists from USA, UK, and India. We want to be able to take NSB to other cities in the US and beyond to share the night and experience. We would also like to work on producing original music and eventually putting out an album to reflect our take on the sound.

Why has bhangra been so successful at reaching non-Asian American audiences?

VV: The biggest reason might be that its rhythm and beats are contagious. Regardless of the fact that people may not understand the lyrics, they can still resonate with the beat which can move even the most dedicated of wallflowers onto the floor.  Bhangra is a dance form and music that echoes celebration, so its easy to relate to for most people.

Jimmy, what was that first experience like listening to bhangra? When/how did it happen?

JL: Before moving to the Bay almost 15 years ago I flew to San Francisco to find a DJ to book for a rave I was throwing in Arizona at the time. I scoured Haight Street picking up DJ mixes and I came across one by a guy named DJ Radley. Back then, trance was at a high point in the desert of Arizona, but for some reason the mix on repeat for me was his mix of Asian underground and bhangra which I had never heard put together like this. The mid to late 90s had built an amazing underground South Asian scene, and my mind was blown opened by Talvin Singh and Bally Sagoo. Bally had found the perfect line between dub and bhangra and from there I went down the rabbit hole.

DJ Jimmy Love.

As a producer working on new Bhangra tracks, what are you listening to now? Who is your inspiration?

JL:  I am personally a big fan of Tigerstyle and think, as far as production level, they are out in front of everyone. I have watched their production skills grow by the album and I appreciate how they reach out to other musical communities like dancehall and electronic artists choosing quality people to work with. I love all kinds of music, so my inspiration comes from everywhere. The more I develop as a producer, I know feel I am able to learn more about music with every song that I hear.  I love a good traditional song, but I am also fascinated with bringing different cultures together so I also love acts like Delhi 2 Dublin or Sub Swara who are real trailblazers.

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Check out Non Stop Bhangra this Saturday, February 11 in San Francisco at Public Works,  9:00 pm to 3:00 am. NSB was founded in 2004 by Vicki Virk, Suman Raj, and DJ Jimmy Love. More info on Non Stop Bhangra at www.nonstopbhangra.com.

A Master in Fine Arts graduate from the World Music program at the California Institute of the Arts, Robin Sukhadia has been studying tabla (classical north Indian drums) under Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the California Institute of the Arts and the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA for the past nine years. For the past seven years, Robin has traveled internationally on behalf of Project Ahimsa, an organization committed to empowering impoverished youth through music education.  In 2010, Robin was awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Award to expand his work with music education in India.