Discogs
Artist Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Asian Dub Foundation
formed in 1993 as an outgrowth of the documentary Identical Beat, a
film shot at London's Farringdon Community Music House, the site of a
series of summer workshops designed to teach Asian children the
essentials of music technology. In charge of the workshops were tutor
Aniruddha Das and youth worker
John Pandit, also a noted DJ; with one of their students, a 15-year-old Bengali rapper named
Deedar Zaman,
they soon formed a sound system that they called the Asian Dub
Foundation. After each adopted an alias -- bassist/tabla player
Das became
Dr. Das,
Pandit became
Pandit G, and
Zaman became
Master D -- they gradually evolved into a working band with the 1994 addition of former
Higher Intelligence Agency guitarist
Steve Chandra Savale,
an innovative performer known for tuning his strings to one note like a
sitar, turning up the distortion unit, and playing his instrument with a
knife, earning him the nickname "Chandrasonic." Emerging in the midst
of considerable anti-Asian violence throughout Britain,
the Foundation's early demos landed them a contract with Nation Records, and they recorded their debut EP, Conscious, in 1994.
Channeling influences ranging from punk to ambient music to Bengali folk songs,
Asian Dub Foundation
quickly gained a strong fan base not only among clubgoers but also
among the anti-fascist movement, who applauded the group's vocal stand
against racism. After earning a reputation as standout live performers,
the Foundation -- who now included dancer
Bubble-E and second DJ
Sun-J -- won widespread acclaim for the 1995 single "Rebel Warrior." Their first full-length effort,
Facts and Fictions, followed later that same year, and in 1998
Asian Dub Foundation returned with
Rafi's Revenge.
Community Music appeared in mid-2000, followed later that year by another full-length,
R.A.F.I. Subsequent
Asian Dub Foundation albums have included
Enemy of the Enemy (2003) and
Tank (2005).
Tracklist
| 1 |
Naxalite |
4:41
|
| 2 |
Buzzin |
4:27
|
| 3 |
Black White |
3:32
|
| 4 |
Assassin |
4:00
|
| 5 |
Hypocrite |
3:58
|
| 6 |
Charge |
3:35
|
| 7 |
Free Satpal Ram |
3:42
|
| 8 |
Dub Mentality |
4:27
|
| 9 |
Culture Move |
4:28
|
| 10 |
Operation Eagle Lie |
3:19
|
| 11 |
Change |
3:06
|
| 12 |
Tribute To John Stevens |
5:12
|
|
Bonus Tracks
|
| 13 |
RAF1 |
3:27
|
| 14 |
Digital Underclass |
4:51 |