Bhangra: Indian-West Indian fusion

Blending spicy South Asian melodies with the fiery kick of reggae, rap and hip-hop has allowed Bally Sagoo and Apache Indian to offer a whole new musical feast, says Farhan Haq of Inter Press Service.

WASHINGTON (IPS): The dance fusion between Indian and West Indian music known as bhangra has always walked the tightrope between hip western genres like dancehall and rap and traditional Indian balladry.

But now two leading stars of the style -- the London-based bhangra producer Bally Sagoo and dancehall rapper Apache Indian -- are adding more tradition to the mix, with fascinating re sults.

Bally Sagoo, one of the many Sikh pioneers of the bhangra sound, which combines old Punjabi melodies and modern reggae basslines and hip-hop beats, has tried his hand revamping several classic Indian movie tracks on his new album, 'Bollywood Flash back' (available on Sony records).

'Bollywood', the label earned by the home of India's thriving film industry in Bombay, has a tradition of garish musicals, tough action thrillers and mushy romances -- all together in any one movie.

Indian film music has itself always been a compendium of styles, from traditional ghazals (spiritual, romantic ballads) to Western-influenced show tunes and rock music.

Many of the bhangra musicians playing in London or the mixed- race communities in Birmingham (Apache Indian's home) in fact follow the Indian filmi geet (or movie music) producers' lead in assimilating all the sounds around them into their own musical heritage.

Sagoo repays the debt on 'Bollywood Flashback', which pays special tribute to master Indian songwriter R.D. Burman. Some of the loveliest film tunes of the past, from 'Dil Mehra' to 'Qurba ni Qurbani', are subtly modernized with soft keyboard punctua tions, loping reggae rhythms and occasional raps.

But what most surprising about 'Flashback' is its tradition alism. Unlike Sagoo's previous albums, which often drastically rework Punjabi sounds into the fast, hyped-up language of 'house' music, the film tunes are presented respectfully, with their lyrical grace and melodic softness intact.

Even the raps, performed by British dancehall performers like Cheshire Cat, stay tame, rarely venturing from the safe terrain of chanting, "L to the O to the V to the E, that's Love".

As a result, perhaps the least successful remake is that of the controversial song 'Choli ke Peeche', which was banned in parts of India in 1993 for its bawdy lyrics (which begin, "What's behind your blouse? What's underneath your dress?"). As it turns out, Sagoo can't make the beat-heavy, hip hop-influenced tune more up-to-date than the original.

Apache Indian (British Indian Steve Kapoor) has no problem sounding in sync with the present. The title tune of his new album, 'Make Way for the Indian' (available on Island Records) features tough New York 'gangster' rapper Tim Dog, whose most famous song so far remains his vulgar hit, 'F---Compton'.

Tim Dog's rugged rap style, which suggests as U.S. equivalent of Jamaican star Buju Banton, balances well with Apache's stylized version of dancehall rapping. But Apache's demands for respect shy away from the violent boasting of the gangster rap pers, and for most of the album, he chooses instead to honor his roots.

Apache's Punjabi rapping -- which made song like 'Chok There' (roughly, 'Stay Cool') hits in India -- is more pronounced on 'Make Way for the Indian', his third album. On songs like 'O Baba', he even approaches a sound that seems equal parts filmi singing and dancehall rapping.

But the best moments also include bows to Jamaica's musical tradition, which Kapoor picked up living among West Indians in Birmingham.

Apache echoes Bally Sagoo's tribute to his roots by offering a version of the classic reggae song 'Armagideon Time' (with its bleak lyric, "A lot of people won't get no supper tonight"), modified with his own sombre chants.

And to lighten up, Apache also includes his 1994 Indian hit, 'Boom Shak-a-lak', a goofy dance song that sounds like an update of an early 1960s dance craze. But, with his customary good humor and devotion to dancehall, Apache keeps the song current with his growls to "wind your body, wiggle your belly".

As a result -- in the battle between the old and the new, and between India and the West -- Apache Indian, like his London pal Bally Sagoo, finds his feet planted firmly in both camps.

-- IPS