One World - Shaanti at the Que Club Show broadcast on 2nd November 2001
Part 1 of One World from One Live In Birmingham came from Asian underground night Shaanti, which held a special night at the Que Club for Radio 1. Appearing on the night were local band Charged, DJ Badmarsh and UK Apache, DJ Suki from Asian Dub Foundation and...
Sonia and Rita from London
We love Shaanti. It's a different kind of night, and because we heard it was a big one, we just had to come down. This is probably the biggest one they've had, and it's absolutely brilliant. We study in Birmingham, and London hasn't got anything to offer like this. They'd smash it if they went nationwide. It's really good. Birmingham's definitely got a good Asian scene. We're quite diverse and up for anything. We go to student nights, Bhangra nights, 70s nights - we love it!
Purdi, Davi, Mani and Natasha - from Birmingham and Walsall
We go to the regular Shaanti nights. It's a change from the norm. About ten years ago, there used to be an active Asian music scene here, but due to trouble, a lot of things were banned in certain venues, but it's picking up again now.
Bobby Friction
I was the first resident, and I'm still resident. I've been playing here for three and a half years. When a lot of the so-called Asian underground nights were going on in London, at the Blue Note and at Mass, we realised that this sound had to transport to Birmingham, so the guy I live with, Manga, the promoter of tonight, decided to take it on. At the first gig, there were ten of us, and at the last gig we did, there were 1000. The whole idea of Shaanti is to have that Asian underground, drum & bass and all kinds of mad music, beautiful 21st century music vibe, but then to somehow take that old traditional Asian vibe, take the old Middle Eastern vibe, and put it into the beat.
When we started, it was almost a copy of London's Asian underground - very drum & bass, very Asian, very Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney. Because it's Birmingham, over the years, they've brought in that traditional Bhangra vibe, they've brought in a lot of r&b and hip hop and mixed it in. Over the years, that's what's changed, and the crowd itself has changed from very trendy Birmingham people down to the mass of Birmingham's Asian population, the mass of Birmingham's black and white population having a beautiful time, but still chilling out. It's rather like Missy Elliott's 'Get Ur Freak On' moved into a whole musical movement over three years.
We usually do the night at The Medicine Bar. When we first started off, we did it at a club that held 100 people. The Medicine Bar at the moment holds 900. For the last 8 months, it's been packed since 10pm. There's been a bit of a change a) because of Radio 1, b) because we needed to move it to a bigger venue, and c) it's very underground, it's very dirty. This is like playing in the Royal Albert Hall of Birmingham, but at the same time, I see it as a bit of a cultural and artistic attack on everything that's gone before, but not in a bad way, just a new way. New music is moving the musical family, which is everyone in the world, forward.
I made my name in London at Swaraj at the Blue Note and at Mass. Because it's such a unique sound here, to move it to London, or Newcastle, or Manchester or Liverpool or Bradford or wherever would be great, because it's different, because there's a willing audience of music lovers out there, and you get people like these MCs, dancers, drum and bass heads who are really enthusiastic. These are just the punters, so you can imagine what the DJs are like.
In London, the Asian music scene is racing forward like technology. In Birmingham, it's racing forward, but there's always that harking back towards the past, not because it's old, but because it's our roots. You mix that together. It's not about newness, it's about Planet Earth - the past, the present, the future, that's why it's different.
Chack Beans from Birmingham.
I come every time to Shaanti, it's a great night, good music, it's kicking.
In Birmingham, I go all round Broad Street, to all the clubs, bars, wherever it's happening. I'm into a whole range of music - Indian music, reggae, r&b. There are no reggae clubs in Birmingham, so I think we should have a good reggae club on Broad Street.
Gurj and Stuart from Birmingham.
The Asian music scene in Birmingham used to be underground, and these days, it's just totally commercial. We'd like to see so many people open up their minds to this music. Everyone tries to be completely underground, but that doesn't work any more. Even ADF - they've got a cause, they want Satpal Ram to be free. Birmingham has got one good Asian underground night, and this is it.
Sonia and Rita from London
Purdi, Davi, Mani and Natasha - from Birmingham and Walsall
When we started, it was almost a copy of London's Asian underground - very drum & bass, very Asian, very Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney. Because it's Birmingham, over the years, they've brought in that traditional Bhangra vibe, they've brought in a lot of r&b and hip hop and mixed it in. Over the years, that's what's changed, and the crowd itself has changed from very trendy Birmingham people down to the mass of Birmingham's Asian population, the mass of Birmingham's black and white population having a beautiful time, but still chilling out. It's rather like Missy Elliott's 'Get Ur Freak On' moved into a whole musical movement over three years.
I made my name in London at Swaraj at the Blue Note and at Mass. Because it's such a unique sound here, to move it to London, or Newcastle, or Manchester or Liverpool or Bradford or wherever would be great, because it's different, because there's a willing audience of music lovers out there, and you get people like these MCs, dancers, drum and bass heads who are really enthusiastic. These are just the punters, so you can imagine what the DJs are like.
Gurj and Stuart from Birmingham.