ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS

Interview - Mon 20 Oct 1997

Asian guitar acts have hitherto enjoyed a non-existent profile in the UK music scene - a situation which could be about to change with the release of Asian Dub Foundation's blistering first single for ffrr. Naxalite, out on October 27, is a raw, thunderous warrior charge of funk punk guitar, drum & bass momentum and busy rap. It sets a radical agenda for the band which forged its sound through community music workshops and anti-fascist action groups. Founded in 1995 through the Community Music project in London's Farringdon and nurtured via sound systems, Asian Dub Foundation is a means to an end for its members -19-year-old rapper Master D, guitarist Chandrasonic, bassist Dr Das, DJ Pandit G and techno head Sun J. Chandrasonic says, "Playing music hasn't taken over, it's a way of ccommunicating our ideas. We live in a culturally segregated country and part of what we're about is breaking these barriers down." As Naxalite proves, the five-piece mash up musical styles with frantic disregard for purist muso sensibilities. Dr Das, the older head in the band and organiser of the Community Music project, says, "We're not attempting to fuse different sounds. We're not musical tourists, our sound is a natural result of the different individuals who make it." ADF issued their first single through Nation Records in May 1995 and a split single, Free Satpal Ram,with Atari Teenage Riot on Damaged Goods. But, having built up a strong live following in France, a country with a more political youth culture, their first big release was the album Real Areas For Investigation which appeared through Virgin France last year.

This year momentum picked up with author Irvine Welsh and Primal Scream lauding the band. Bobby Gillespie described them as "the best new band I've heard" and offered ADF a support slot on their tour. Record labels began taking more notice but, while many prevaricated, Phil Howells, the A&R manager at ffrr, swooped and signed the band in June. "I saw them play in Lille to a crowd of 2,000 people. I'd have to be mad not to have signed them after that. I also think they're culturally important, they've got something extra on most bands," he says. That said, Howells has no plans to treat them any differently because of their cultural and political agenda. "They're just like any other band, so we'll be going through radio, clubs and gigs attempting to expand the fanbase."

Signing to a major doesn't represent any sort of compromise for the band either. Pandit G says, "We want to be heard by as many people as possible, that's why we signed to a major. Nation just didn't have the resources. People said they couldn't buy our records anywhere, there was no promotion." ADF play a short headline tour before going into the studio to overhaul Real Areas For Investigation for a UK release in early February (there will also be a single, Buzzin', out in January).

Originally recorded for £4,000 at Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound studio in Walthamstow, the plan is to add a few new tracks then re-record vocals, guitars and bass on the originals with some input from producers Brendan Lynch, Adrian Sherwood and Primal Scream's Andrew Innes. Pandit G is keen to point out that this isn't a case of the label smoothing the edges off their sound. "They can have a go if they think they're hard enough but the truth is that they like us as we are. We've proved we can sell records by the performance of the album in France so why change a winning formula?" It's a fair point but Asian Dub Foundation's sound is anything but formulaic.