The music at Masala Beat Club invokes not only the vindaloos and vibrant colors of Indian, but also hints at the lapping waves of the tropical Caribbean and dark nights in South London clubs.  The beats born on the subcontinent evolved as Indians emigrated over centuries and seas.  The irresistible bhangra music that has been a part of Punjabi harvest celebrations for centuries gained an edge as it was mixed with Western hip-hop.  Many artists mix beloved Indian bollywood beats with Caribbean energy to create songs that appear on top of both Bhangra and Reggae lists.

In the 1800’s, British ruled India began sending droves of Indians to the Caribbean Islands to work on sugar plantations in reluctant indentured servitude. Approximately 800,000 Indians arrived in the British West Indies, which includes Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guiana, to do the work of recently liberated slaves and quickly became the near majority on many islands.  This transplanted capsule of India continued to create traditional folk music, but it was soon infused with the Caribbean groove that surrounded them.  The dancehalls of Jamaica caribbeanized the music to create a genre called “chutney”.   Many Indians also played a part in creating “ragga” music, which is a hyped-up reggae sounds that often includes Indian beats.

Indians and Caribbean folks were destined to meet yet again.  In 1960, the UK opened its arms to all commonwealth residents, and saw in influx of both Caribbean and Indian immigrants.  Joined by their marginalized state in British society, these two groups met each other again in immigrant, working class neighborhoods in South London and Birmingham.  This is where the musical alchemy really heated up and produced the mishmash of utterly danceable sounds that can now be found all over the world (including India!).

Britain in the 80’s and 90’s saw the birth of “Bhangragga” and the unlikely mixing of Bollywood and techno.  Immigrants from India were not only meeting their Indo-caribbean kin, but also native caribbeans, and Indian artists like Apache Indian and Bally Sagoo let the reggae, soul and funk surrounding them seep into the traditional Bhangra and Bollywood they knew so well.  In 1995, Talvin Singh founded a UK nightclub where DJ’s mixed bhangra, techno, house, drum n bass and tabla beats.  The sound took off, and Singh has become an international superstar and is considered an originator and crucial catalyst for the “Asian Underground” sound.

The sound was a hit.  The US, with a much smaller Indian population, has been slower to embrace it, but DJ’s like Marco and Mogambo are helping to spread the word.  If the crowd at Masala Beat Club is any indication, US taste buds are starting to crave a bit more spice.

Originally published by The Indian American, July-August 2006