Multikultura Festival: ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION (GB)
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Third consecutive concert within this year’s rich and exceptionally high-quality Multiculture program, was held on August 2nd, 2003 in MONVI Amusement Center.
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Third consecutive concert within this year’s rich and exceptionally high-quality Multiculture program, was held on August 2nd, 2003 in MONVI Amusement Center. A British band by the name of Asian Dub Foundation performed, with Bass Culture Sound System from Vodnjan as the opening act. A large number of fans and people who came out of curiosity enjoyed hopping and dancing to powerful music, rich with rhythm and pumped with energy, a music that is a successful cross between punk, underground, rap and traditional Asian melodies. Apart from a truly excellent music performance, ADF are distinctive for their anti-war, anti-discrimination and anti-American lyrics and messages that found full support among the mostly young audience.
Asian Dub Foundation are one of the biggest British concert attractions. They were founded in London in 1993, as a part of an organization called “Community Music” where a bass player by the name of Dr. Das (Aniruddha Das) taught music technology. The organization served as a music laboratory for all of the more or less known musicians inclined to experiment. He soon teamed up with one of his students, a rapper named Deeder Zaman and a 15-year old rapper DJ Pandit G (John Ashok Pandit) in order to try to create a sound image that they would use to promote anti-racist ideas. The following year, they were joined by a guitar player called Chandrasonic (Steve Chandra Savale), born in Birmingham, which was a a big step toward forming a serious band. The crew was complete in 1995, when they were joined by Sun-J (Sanjay Gulabhai Tailor), the keyboard player.
They have a variety of music influences, Chandrasonic has listened to his father playing sitar for years and then switched over to punk, Dr. Das listened to Bengali folk songs sung to him by his uncle, while DJ Pandit G initially listened to The Fall band.
The timing for their foundation was ideal, because at that time the right-wing British National Party took a close victory at the elections in East London, and violence upon Asians was on the increase in the whole of Great Britain.
Their first album “Facts and Fictions” was released in 1995 and it did not draw a lot of attention in England where everybody was obsessed with retro guitar sound at that time. On the other hand, the band was given a lot of chances to prove their performing capacities on tours in the rest of Europe.
They had the most positive response in France, so it is no wonder their second album “R.A.F.I.” from 1997 was released by the French chapter of Virgin. They released “Rafi's Revenge” album the following year, which was actually the re-recorded "R.A.F.I." album, this time enriched with even more powerful music effects.
The Primal Scream band was responsible for British media’s final acceptance of the Asian Dub Foundation band. As it happens, ADF played on a British tour together with Primal Scream in the summer of 1997. Primal Scream were also featured on ADF’s song “Free Satpal Ram” which was written in order to draw attention to a case involving the arrest of an Asian in England who was convicted for murder, although it was self-defense and he was beaten to a pulp by six white men in the process.
In 1998, Asian Dub Foundation have played at concerts for the most part, thus trying to attract a culturally diverse audience. At the same time, Primal Scream’s pushing for ADF in England was justified at last. The journalists found themselves under the impact of their musical energy, but at first they were inadequately compared with renowned punk bands. However, the “Rafi's Revenge” album won a Mercury award, one of the most esteemed awards in Graet Britain.
Apart form playing in France, where the local audience adores them, ADF played at all the importnat festivals in England and the rest of Europe that year, even in Japan. In the autumn of 1998 they played as the opening act for Beastie Boys on their American tour where the response to them was so good, it surprised them as well. Their powerful live act helps them in what they desired, namely to tear down the many stereotypes about Asian musicians and Asian people.
Asian Dub Foundation completed their first, low-profile American tour in the autumn of 1999, receiving excellent reactions, which is why most of the concerts were completely sold out.
Their third album “Community Music” was released in March of 2000, and the title of the album itself represents a demostration of respect for the organization of their origin, but also a demonstratin of respect for some of the fans that come from a world that is ethnically and culturally different. Although the album was expected to feature an even more powerful jungle punk sound, ADF surprised everybody by expanding their sound, which was achieved, among other things, by using trumpet and string instruments. New Musical Express, the most respected British music weekly, gave it a straight ten, despite the fact that NME has not rated any album released in Graet Britain so highly for seven years prior to that.
The concert performances continue; apart from the European tour, ADF travel to New Zealand, Australia and Japan, presenting new band members at the same time. They were joined by Rocky Singh, the drummer, MC's Aktarvata & Spex, and Pritpal Rajput who plays an instrument called dhol.
Asian Dub Foundation released a new album called «Enemy of the Enemy» this year. The album features Sinead O'Connor and Ed O'Brien of Radiohead. They are coming to Rovinj within a big tour and they will perform at the biggest festival in this region the next day, the Sziget Pepsi Festival in Budapest.
Bass Culture Sound System
Bass Culture Sound System links the tradition of Jamaican reggae sound systems from the 1970s and new European dub production, occasionally throwing in various ethno elements. They have been active for several years, presenting ethno music and bands at club evenings in Zagreb, and the crew consists of DJ Ilko, DJ Gjuro, Teo & Nino.
