Asian Dub Foundation

Profile

ADF didn't come through the usual conventional routes but through workshops, designed to encourage Asian youth to get into music technology and production. Chandrasonic and Dr. Das are music technology tutors at Community Music House where the band first came into being. Rapper Master D is currently on a course at the same venue. They don't seem music as an exclusive talent, and through their education work seek to encourage everyone to take the controls of sound production. They see the music industry treadmill as only one part of what they do. Without their education roots the band would not exist.

ADF describe their culture as "Indo-jungle-punk" or even "Bollywood Jungle Pop collision". They are the only band incorporating a drum'n'bass approach into a live format. You'll hear everything that they have ever heard within their music; dub, rap, techno, punk, Indian folk even P-funk. They don't think about it because it's natural.

Racism is something that ADF don't deal with out of choice but it confronts them everyday. Politics to them is a practical activity to improve the situation they are forced to live with on a local level. The threat of violence is very real to them, their solution is an agenda of information and education. They are not interested in 'token-friendly' slogans as their music can do more than that ADF use anything that sounds good - from a pair of spoons to digital editing. Recently they were termed as 'the new wave of the new wave'. A punk band of the 90s ? Punk is their spirit! They use 'dub' as a framework and foundation - hence Asian Dub Foundation.

Dr Das: Is a pioneer of the live techno movement, performing with acts such as Orbital and Pentatonic, and as early as 1991 with Headspace Sound System, Critical of the mindless hedonism, he felt a need to develop a more conscious musical agenda whilst remaining innovative and experimental, he hooked up with Community Music in '91 and started running his radical music ideas into education, believing that lyrics reflect all of this.

Chandrasonic: Runs an Asian Action group. He has an habit of turning all of the strings of his guitar to one note, like the sympathetic strings on a sitar, turning up his distortion and playing it with a knife. The resulting noise caused Dr Das to christen him 'Chandrasonic' and an original member of Headspace - he answered an ad. for a dub/noise project in 1990. Back in the Midlands he co-founded the 'Higher Intelligence Agency' and co-wrote much of their first LP. After leaving H.I.A. Chandrasonic joined the guitar like a sampler or synthesiser and doing a lot of the group's programming.

Master D: A 17 year old drum'n'bass nut - nothing stops him! The foremost teenage Bengali rapper in Britain. Chats like fire, with a rapid machine-gun delivery. No false Americanisms, Master D is a true East Londoner with Bengali roots. A kind of Johnny Liddon meets Stevie Hyper D (Jungle MC) who turns into a Bengali tiger cub with a unique voice. Only possible in London '95.

Pandit G: An archivist and civil rights worker with a massive record collection, is the DJ and provides much source material for ADF sound - including dub, jungle, Asian music of all kinds, mixed up with sound effects. He is an in-demand DJ and a pioneer of the 'armchair-junglist' movement ( as head on Cool FM ). A hardened anti-fascist and anti-racist campaigner. He is ADF's bridge to everyday campaigns in the community - dealing with racial violence casework.

Sun-J: A veteran of the underground dance movement having been involved in a 'Free Party Movement' and the 'Elephant' sound-system. Fed up with DJ consumption mentality, he joined ADF as a programmer and performer extraordinaire. His TV appearances have established him as the Oscar Wilde of Indian Techno. The Future Sound of Harlesden ......even DJ'ing on a restricted local services license station - Freedom Radio.

Bubble-E: The dancer has radically contagious movements and is probably the most popular Bengali dancer in Belgium. Only 19 years old she vibes up the crowd with her inimitable funky Ninja style and is beginning to play synthesiser as well. The future????

With the current album 'Facts & Fictions' they are setting the agenda for further investigation - saying things that they need to and using any available method: 'Witness' is about living in a constant state of potential explosion reflecting the peaks and troughs of righteous anger; 'PKNB' sets the record straight; 'Jericho', a simple statement of intent; 'Rebel Warrior' was inspired by a poem "Bidrohi" written in India in the 1920's by the revolutionary Kazi Nazrul, imprisoned for British Sedition; 'Journey' has lyrics spanning 3 generations - their mother's and father's journey to Britain, ending with Deedar's arrival, confident in the struggle for survival; 'Strong Culture' is about the Asian youth propelled by a violin groove; 'Tu Meri' is a love song; 'TH9' was triggered by the events around the time of the election of Britain's first fascist councillor; 'Debris begins to uncover the real history; 'Box' is the band's first experience of the music industry treadmill.

So far ADF have released "Conscious EP" in August '94 and "Rebel Warrior" in April '95 to wide acclaim.

There is a lot of anger, but they are still conscious party people on stage. Even without any lyrics that is evident. Their politics is in the sound as much as the lyrics - a hardcore jungle breakbeat alongside tablas or Ashe Bhosle next to a distorted guitar says just as much.

Asian Dub Foundation are massive not passive!

Review

The venue was packed by 8pm. A queue wound it's way out of the door and into the car park beyond. I was tired and I certainly wasn't in the mood for jostling crowds and garishly loud music, all I wanted was to go home to bed but by the time I left my ears were ringing and my heart pulsating like an African drum, and no longer was I ready to lay my head down to rest!

The evening took of with Asian Dub Foundation's interesting sounds and I'm sure it won't be long before their name is hovering on everybody's lips.
Five Asian guys with a serious attitude playing a mixture of hip hop, bhangra and techno, whilst trying to communicate a very strong message of anti-racism and cultural equality. I am not sure whether they took this point too far and started to bore the crowd with their factual innuendos, but if they did, their music definitely won over in the end.

"in your face" is probably the best way to describe their music, with rapper Master D's hard hitting lyrics, machine gun rhythm and almost punk style of performing. His breathless rapping brought the crowd to continuous crescendos and held everyone in a trance.
As this music grows in popularity, Asian Dub Foundation will no doubt be swept along by the fast flow of the tides of fame. This may sound like a hard act to follow but Trans Global Underground took it in their stride. They started with the hauntingly beautiful voice of Natacha Atlas singing 'Ana', capturing the audience and taking them back to the Arabic landscapes of the Turkish Delight adverts. They had an interesting line up of sets for the evening which included the famous 'Dustbowl' and my personal favourite 'Lookee Here'.
Neil Sparkes brought the place alive with his Tom-toms and his lively vibe. The members of the band cross a spectrum of races and created a lovely fusion which was both unusual and interesting to watch. The music has a style of its own that no other band even comes close to. It is a mixture of exciting dance beats and hypnotic Arabic vocals that drag you into a whirlwind of tumultuous sound only to throw you back out feeling vibrant and alive.

ends.....