Future World Funk Presents Desi Nation CD - Import

There was a move to push bhangra outside Britain a few years ago, but it was ahead of its time, before the Asian Underground had made people aware of the power and possibilities of Asian music. And since then, bhangra -- whose roots are in the Indian folk tradition, transmuted into something for a young generation -- has undergone its own revolution, taking on more of the street, and learning from the success of the Asian Underground. This compilation (put together by the same DJs responsible for Indestructible Asian Beats 2) takes a straight road through bhangra, with old-timers like Achanak, all the way to the modern sounds of Panjabi Hit Squad and Major Merhan. It's got all the deep bass of hip-hop, with greater rhythmic complexity. The shame is that the track by Panjabi MC -- bhangra's great breakout and crossover artists -- is an old one. But "Kuriyeh," from the remarkably talented Panjabi Hit Squad, makes up for it, catching on a powerful hip-hop angle that's as strong as anything from the U.S., then offering the smoother "Hasdi Hasddi." And DJ Stin takes electronica to a new area with his vintage, squelchy 303 basslines and rough, treated samples, making for an irresistible fabric. It's apparent from this that bhangra has come of age. The deep sound of the dhol drum that's always defined the genre is still there, but surrounded these days by ideas and accoutrements that have transformed it into some of the hippest music around. It's conquered the U.K., taking over again from the Asian Underground as the epicenter of hip teen culture, and it might just do the same in the U.S. ~ Chris Nickson