Bhangra

The Sound

• Focused on drum beats
• Lively rhythms
• Folk music fusion often with hop-hop
• Usually played at Punjabi weddings
• Folk music fusion often with hop-hop
• Repetitive, hypnotizing rhythms and strings
• Vocals often inspired by Muslim incantations and calls to prayer
• Usually played at Punjabi weddings

Geography of Bhangra

• The Punjab region of the northern Indian subcontinent
• Follows the Punjab diaspora

Untitled Slide

Instrumentation

• Dhol
• Bahi
• Tumbi
• Sorangi
• Sitar
• Other Western instruments like: zither, mandolin, harmonium, synthesizer, drum set

Dhol

Bahi flute

Tumbi

sarangi

Cultural history

• Roots date back to the mid 20th century in the Punjab region
• Rose in Britain in the 1970s with Punjabi immigrants
• Combined native folk music with experimental instruments of the host country
• Influenced by British rock music

Cultural history Cont'd

• Indicated a new self-conscious and identity for rebellious British Asian youth culture
• Tensions with British culture and racist elements resulted in alienation
• Produced a need to affirm positive identity and culture
• 1980s & 1990s popularized Bhangra music and did away with folk sounds

Important Bhangra Musicians

• Alaap - first superstar band formed in the U.K.
• Malkit Singh - has been awarded the MBE by Queen Elizabeth
• Heera - one of the most popular bands of the 1980s
• Punjabi folk remixed with hip-hop (folkhop) has been sampled by Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, and Selena Gomez