Badmarsh & Shri
When Outcaste released the Badmarsh and Shri remix of Ananda Shankar's "Dancing Drums" in the summer of 1997, it was a huge hit with dancefloor inhabitants everywhere. Shortly afterwards, their brilliant debut appeared, delivering a brooding, funky soundscape of drum + bass, hip-hop, Indian classical music and jazz. The Badmarsh / Shri connection came via Shabs, the head of Outcaste Records, who believed that their differing styles would complement each other to innovative effect, and he was right. Both talents were bubbling under - Shri due to his well-received debut 'Drum The Bass', and Badmarsh through his cross-cultural club excursions. "It was a challenge," says Shri, "We had a long road to travel before we could really begin to explore the possiblities."
For Shri the journey began with drums. From age two, the multi-instrumentalist and Bombay native sat behind the tablas practicin daily. After 14 years of dizzying beats, he entered a period of DIY music lessons, finally settling on the flute and bass as his two primary instruments. At the same time, he cut his teeth on bands like Black Sabbath, eventually playing in a few rock bands. He began to glimpse the possibilities of what he could do playing in a jazz-fusion band, finally finding his musical home in London in 1994. First stop for Shri was a five-year tenure with Nitin Sawhney, who eventually produced Shri's solo album 'Drum the Bass'. "It's not easy to come into a culture like London and immediately click - you need a guide, and Nitin guided me."
A first break for Badmarsh (meaning 'rascal' or 'black sheep' in Hindi) was working at reggae studio Easy Street, along side such luminaries as Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs. Easy Street hired out PA systems to local Hackney rave club Labyrinth, and after a visit to the notorious nightspot, Badmarsh was bitten by the DJ bug and immediately ran out to buy decks and records. Before long, he secured a residency at Labyrinth, which went on to last for 5 years. "Djing forced me to listen to records with a more critical ear," he says. "I'd think, this is good, but wouldn't it be better if the bass line were fatter or the break changed. After a while, I was itching to produce."
By drawing upon the exuberant, polyrhyhmic legacies of dancehall reggae, latin, funk, hip hop, and African rhythms, Badmarsh and Shri have created 13 tracks of emotional beauty and funky percussive action. 'Signs' is panoramic dance music, pure and simple. From the menacing buzz and relentless B-line of "Swarm," to the driving layers of percussion and sweeping synths of "Tribal," the album delivers aggressive beats in sophisticated style. But it's not all footsore beats; 'Signs' also has its chilled, sensuous side. The duo play to full, euphoric effect, blissed out on Bombay sunrise strings and flute-driven sultry soul on tracks like the sitar-swirled "Elektro" or the angelic vocal delivery of "Sajanaa." Badmarsh and Shri admit that each time they step into the studio they think on a symphonic scale. "There is a musical idea rather than theme for each track, but it's never rigid, there's always space for improvisation," says Shri. With guests like the Bombay String Orchestra and UK Apache (of "Original Nuttah" fame) on board, Badmarsh + Shri have crafted a deceptively relaxed, open and confident sound. Live, UK Apache has becomeintegral to the Badmarsh + Shri show, vocalizing the intensity of the rhythms with his rapid fire raggga-chat, but also able to sing in the sweetest croon on dancehall gem "Signs," a cover of an old Tenor Saw classic.
Coupled with UK Apache's rollercoaster vocals, Badmarsh and Shri's live experience is now like a wicked four way collision between Hackney-style breakbeats, Jamaican ragga, percussive funk, and classical Indian sounds twisted into something entirely new. The mechanism that keeps Badmarsh and Shri rolling is the respect they have for one another's cultural legacies. It's not Asian Underground, just quality dance music made by two innovative producers from different backgrounds. 'Signs' is an album with imagination, conviction and the courage to experiment, resulting in a collection that is electrified, and above all, musical.
Taken from the Outcaste Records web site
Album: Dancing Drums
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Released 1998 on Outcaste Records. My initial reaction to 'Dancing Drums' was its similarity in style to Talvin Singhs 'OK', where drum 'n' bass morphs into tabla 'n bass and the traditional sounds of India take a hold on Western danced music. Links to Nitin Sawhney are recognisable too - cue the sample spotters. But all this is good - the album is instantly warm and friendly - the tabla fuelled grooves infectious. Where most of this album is percussion fuelled and instrumental, 'The Air I Breathe' offers a welcome break midway through the album with soothing lyrics from Tina Grace. And then, of course, there's 'Mathar', an almost tongue-in-cheek moment on this album where Badmarsh and Shri take off Dave Pike Set's '60s sitar classic. The latter part of the album tails off somewhat, with the aptly titled 'Disturbed Synapses' spiralling into darkness, and 'Salsa Gharana' amounting to little more than a tabla solo. However, brushing that negative comment aside, this is a bold debut and an essential album. More please.
CD Single: Air I Breathe
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Released 1998 on Outcaste Records. Vocals by Tina Grace. Produced by Mohammed Akber Ali and Shrikanth Sriram. Taken from the album 'Dancing Drums'. The melancholic vocals of Tina Grace (who also sang on Nitin Sawhneys 'Letting Go') add to the tabla beat backdrop provided by Badmarsh and Shri. Both the Guy Sigsworth Remix and Nitin Sawhney Remix are short, not differing a great deal from each another, or the album version for that matter. But the best of the bunch is the longer
Niraj Chag Remix, adding an extra pinch of spice and flavour.
12": Swarm
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Released 4/01 on Outcaste Records. Written by Shrikanth Sriram, Badmarsh and JC 001. Produced by Badmarsh & Shri and Mike Spencer. This is the first vinyl to appear prior to the release of the album 'Signs'.
Album: Signs
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Released 05/01 on Outcaste Records. Signs is the second album from Badmarsh & Shri, following up on the '98 album Dancing Drums. Whilst deeper in places than its predecessor, Signs demonstrates how the duo have matured, especially with the use of vocals on their tracks. UK Apache (former Original Nuttah) adds to the title track (recently released as a single with a remix by Bonobo) and to 'Get Up', a drum and bass revamp of the James Brown classic; I challenge you to keep a straight face. On a more chilled note is the sublime 'Day by Day', the Flute based 'Soaring Beyond' and the heavenly 'Sajanna'. Signs also has its moody moments, as the dramatic 'Swarm' demonstrates with its throbbing, harsh B-line. Overall this is an excellent, varied album, with Badmarsh & Shri proving that there is more to the Asian Underground than tabla and swirling sitars.
CD Single: Signs feat. UK Apache
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Released 7/01 on Outcaste Records. Signs written by Clive Bright. Original version 'Lots of Sign' performed by Tenor Saw. This version produced by Badmarsh & Shri featuring UK Apache.
Other Info:
For further information on Badmarsh & Shri see their official web site or the Outcaste Records web site.
