A Saturday night in a west London club finds sounds, cultures, and beats being blended together by South Asian DJs competing against one another in a musical battle.
Over the music, a young man exclaims, “This isn’t just music, this is a celebration of my culture and identity.”
Dancers are enjoying remixes of popular songs from around the world, Bollywood hits, bhangra beats, and a variety of other sounds. DJ D-lish claims she is “pushing the edge of what
“music from South Asia signifies.”
Real name Alisha, the 25-year-old is just one of several South Asian musicians attempting to break through with their songs.
Asian musicians still struggle to make it onto the charts in spite of a cult-like underground music industry. This is true even though Asians make up about 10% of the British population.
Asian-influenced music appears to have lagged behind other musical subcultures that are experiencing their heyday, including Grime.
Mundian To Bach Ke, a bhangra song, was released by Panjabi MC in 2002. It is among the all-time best-selling singles, having sold 10 million copies worldwide.
