Nachural Records is a British bhangra record label based in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It was formed in 1991 by Ninder Johal, tabla-player for the group Achanak. [1]
Throughout the 1990s, Nachural became a leading label for contemporary UK-based bhangra, releasing music from Anakhi, Johnny Zee, TSB Golden Star, and Johal's Achanak.
In 2003, Nachural scored their biggest hit as the Panjabi MC remix of "Mundian To Bach Ke", a bhangra song performed by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua, broke into the UK singles chart at number 5. [2]
Other keys acts on the label included Sahara, Sona Family, and Tigerstyle.
Bhangra is a type of non-traditional music of Punjab originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It is a type of upbeat popular music associated with the Punjabi diaspora. The style has its origins in the folk music of Punjab as well as western pop music of the 1970s and 1980s. Over the years, Bhangra has evolved and gained popularity not only in South Asia but also around the world. It has become a significant part of the cultural identity of the Punjabi diaspora in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Prior to this musical fusion, Bhangra existed only as a dance form in the native Punjab. This Punjabi music was unique in that it was not traditional nor did it seek any authenticity. While the traditional folk music of Punjab has a set of melodies that are used by various singers, Bhangra was a form of strict "band culture" in that new melodies were composed for each song. Therefore, the musicians were as important as the singers. Some New Punjabi Singer's are Raka, Vadda Grewal, Prince Poddar, Jass Manak, Karan Randhawa, Guru Randhawa, Diljit Dosanjh
Rajinder Singh Rai, better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British-Indian recording artist, rapper, producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwide 2002 Bhangra hit "Mundian To Bach Ke", which sold 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Among other songs, he gained acclaim with the 2003 release "Jogi". AllMusic has called him "one of the most prominent names in bhangra".
Music of Punjab reflects the traditions of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, associated with Punjabi language. Punjab is currently divided into two parts: East Punjab, in India, and West Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan. The Punjab has diverse styles of music, ranging from folk and Sufi to classical, notably the Patiala gharana. Contemporary Punjabi music has tended to include more modern hip-hop and R&B sounds. While this style of music is obviously most popular in Punjab, it has seen popularity across the subcontinent and areas with large Punjabi diaspora populations, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Asian underground is a term associated with various British Asian, South Asian Canadian, and South Asian American musicians who blend elements of Western underground dance music and the traditional Asian music of their home countries in South Asia. The sound has roots in the South Asian Diaspora, and many notable musicians within the genre are immigrants or children of immigrants. The first well-known mention was the compilation album Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground released in 1997 and masterminded by Talvin Singh and Sweety Kapoor. It is not a strict musical genre per se, since the specific sounds can vary wildly.
Savita Vaid, better known by her stage name Ms Scandalous, is an English bhangra/rap artist.
"Mundian To Bach Ke" (IPA:[mʊɳɖɪãːtõːbətːʃkeː]), also titled "Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)" or "Beware", is a bhangra music song produced by British musician Panjabi MC, with vocals and lyrics by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua. The song was produced by Panjabi MC in Birmingham, England, for his 1998 album Legalised.
The BBC Asian Network, a BBC National Radio station has a number of specifically music programmes in various styles of music aimed at the British South Asian Community in the UK.
Bikram Singh is an American bhangra music artist. A graduate of Touro Law School, he also works as an attorney in New York City.
DJ Rekha is a London-born musician, DJ, producer, curator, activist. They have been credited with pioneering Bhangra music in North America. Their first album, DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra, released in October 2007 on Koch Records, fuses the Indian genre of bhangra music with international hip-hop and drum beats.
Tigerstyle is a Scottish folkhop group from Glasgow with a British Punjabi background.
Achanak is a bhangra group signed to the label Nachural Records. The band has six members headed by lead singer, Vijay Bhatti and are based in the English Midlands.
"Jodi – Big Day Party" is a single by UK bhangra artist Panjabi MC and the first to be taken from his album The Raj. It was released in the UK and worldwide on 1 November 2010.
"Snake Charmer" is a song by UK bhangra artist Panjabi MC and the first track to be lifted from his 2008 album Indian Timing. It was released as a single in the UK in May 2009.
Offlicence are an international hip hop, bhangra and R&B group from the West Midlands, UK. The group members consists of Punjabi vocalist Sunny J of South Asian descent, alongside rappers Lexeye and Projay, both of Caribbean descent.
Multitone Records, originally Savera Investments, was a British record label founded by Pran Gohil in 1978. Pran was formerly Regional Head of Polygram, Asia Pacific based in the Netherlands and also Executive Chairman of Spartan Records, London. Multitone Records specialized in bhangra style music. The style itself was commercialized by Multitone Records, which is considered to be the pioneer of British Bhangra and the label grew to become the "largest Asian record label in the world" during its lifetime under Managing Director Jitesh Gohil. In 1992, the company entered into a joint venture with BMG in order to spread its label throughout Europe and internationally. Multitone's artists formed the "who's who" of the British bhangra scene including The Safri Boyz, DCS, XLNC, Sasha, Amar, Apna Sangeet, Alaap, Chirag Pehchan and many more. A number of Multitone's records entered the UK and International charts including "People of the world" by Sasha, "Take me higher" by Bindushri and "Tu hai mera sanam" by Amar. Multitone's music also entered the market on the Indian subcontinent with hits like "Patel rap" by Bali, and hits of Abba in Hindi by Salma and Sabina Agha.The company began distribution in the United States on 27 June 1994 through M.S. Distributing Co. Paul Bernard was appointed as the US representative of the company. The US debut featured albums by Pammi and XLNC
The Rough Guide to Bhangra is a world music compilation album originally released in 2010. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release features bhangra, a form of Punjabi music. Disc One highlights artists from the 1980s to 2000s, and Disc Two features the British band Achanak. The album was compiled by DJ Ritu, a British-born musician, BBC Radio 3 host, and co-founder of Outcaste Records. Brad Haynes coordinated the project, Laurence Cedar mastered the work, and Phil Stanton was the producer. The release was preceded by a first edition a decade earlier.
"Jogi" is a song remixed by British bhangra artist and DJ Panjabi MC. Some remix versions also credit Beenie Man. The original vocals were by Muhammad Sadiq and Ranjit Kaur in the release "Na Dil De Pardesi Nu".
PBN or Punjabi By Nature is a UK-based Indian music producer, singer and songwriter, specialising in bhangra and Asian fusion productions, working with a great number of Desi music artists mainly based in the UK, beginning with the early 2000s. He is signed to Limitless Records and Playback Records. He has also formed TeamPBN as a collaborative project with Bambi, Raj Bains and Serena. Throughout his career, he has become well-known not only in his native UK, but in India, Europe, the Middle East, United States and Canada, Australia and, in general, the Asian music market. His productions are used extensively in night venues, DJ events and on BBC Asian Network and its weekly chart.