PLANET SOUND INTERVIEW WITH PANDIT G

By Colin Irwin

DUB BE GOOD TO ME

This is a brand new interview from UK teletext; Planet sound [October 1999] that I got from Saurav; Big Thanks to you, Saurav!:)

Yer man Bobbie Gillespie called them "the best live band in Britain" and if we’ve learnt one thing about rockdom, it’s Bobby Gillespie is never wrong!

It’s true, see Asian Dub foundation and if you’re not pogo-ing like a dervish and screaming "Free Satpal Ram" at the top of your voice by the end of the night, then you’re clinically dead. Alternatively, the fastest way to a severe dose of bleeding ears is to grab a chat with ADF DJ John Pandit.

They’ve no interest in the charts, hold their own workshops in East London to help young musicians and are more interested in causes than fame. Asian Dub Foundation, who climax a UK tour at Uxbridge Brunel Uni (Tonight) and London Kentish Town Forum (Thurs) are like no other band in Britain. "The charts are nothing to do with us, we’re not part of the establishment and that is how we like it" says ADF DJ John "hind legs, donkey, me?" Pandit.

Asian Dub Foundation were formed in ’93 as a London community music project and were staggered to find themselves fronting the rise of Asian music. Not that they are limited by category. "We’ve played in clubs, world music festivals and rock gigs, and we kick it in all of them" says John Pandit. "We have a different attitude to most bands because we’re influenced by many bands because we’re influenced by many kind of music both Asian and English traditions," he explains.

Last year Asian Dub Foundation’s Rafi’s Revenge was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize Award, and this year Talvin Singh’s OK won it. A significant victory for the new Asian cool, or does it just mean that Asian rock is the latest passing flavour of the month? "It’s great that Talvin won" says John Pandit. "There’s such a wealth of material-we’re just part of it. Next year, it’s Nitin Sawney’s turn!"

You can’t talk to ADF long without discussing their campaign to free Satpal Ram, whio’s served 13 years for the murder of a racist attacker. "We did the song but the campaign’s been going on for a long time. Labour were full of promises and Claire Short is his MP. But as soon as they’re in government, they didn’t want to know." "But Satpal’s got amazing spirit and he phones us whenever he can. He’s up for parole on Dec 1st, so we’re hopeful .."

Don’t talk to ADF about Ibiza club hits. Uh oh.. ..too late! "IT’s Dross!! Like that awful house mix of Bob Marley’s Sun is Shining, I wish people would get back to making music for the love of making music." "There’s so much amazing music around- I wish people would open their ears when they go to Europe. There’s some great stuff from second and third generation Algerians. We’re trying to kick a few doors in...."