Badmarsh & Shri

"We wanted to make music that moved you on the dancefloor as well as at home. Everything had to be emotive, whether it made you angry or made you swoon. But it also had to funk. We wanted it to be about feeling rather than thinking -- that was our vision," say Badmarsh and Shri about 'Signs', the pair's latest album on Outcaste Records. Already strategically placed between Bombay and the East End, 'Signs' continues to explore their fascination with musical migration, a path they've followed since their collaboration on their debut album 'Dancing Drums'. The Badmarsh / Shri connection came via Shabs, the head of Outcaste Records, who believed that their differing styles would complement each other to innovative effect, and he was right. Both talents were bubbling under - Shri due to his well-received debut 'Drum The Bass', and Badmarsh through his cross-cultural club excursions. "It was a challenge," says Shri, "We had a long road to travel before we could really begin to explore the possiblities." First stop for Shri was a five-year tenure with Nitin Sawhney, who eventually produced Shri's solo album 'Drum the Bass'. "It's not easy to come into a culture like London and immediately click - you need a guide, and Nitin guided me." A first break for Badmarsh (meaning 'rascal' or 'black sheep' in Hindi) was working at reggae studio Easy Street, along side such luminaries as Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs. Easy Street hired out PA systems to local Hackney rave club Labyrinth, and after a visit to the notorious nightspot, Badmarsh was bitten by the DJ bug and immediately ran out to buy decks and records. Before long, he secured a residency at Labyrinth, which went on to last for 5 years. "Djing forced me to listen to records with a more critical ear," he says. "I'd think, this is good, but wouldn't it be better if the bass line were fatter or the break changed. After a while, I was itching to produce." their second Lp 'Signs' is panoramic dance music, pure and simple. From the menacing buzz and relentless B-line of "Swarm," to the driving layers of percussion and sweeping synths of "Tribal," the album delivers aggressive beats in sophisticated style. But it's not all footsore beats; 'Signs' also has its chilled, sensuous side. The duo play to full, euphoric effect, blissed out on Bombay sunrise strings and flute-driven sultry soul tracks or the angelic vocal delivery of "Sajanaa." Badmarsh and Shri admit that each time they step into the studio they think on a symphonic scale. "There is a musical idea rather than theme for each track, but it's never rigid, there's always space for improvisation," says Shri. With guests like the Bombay String Orchestra and UK Apache (of "Original Nuttah" fame) on board, Badmarsh + Shri have crafted a deceptively relaxed, open and confident sound. Live, UK Apache has become integral to the Badmarsh + Shri show, vocalizing the intensity of the rhythms with his rapid fire ragga-chat, but also able to sing in the sweetest croon on dancehall gem "Signs," a cover of an old Tenor Saw classic. Coupled with UK Apache's rollercoaster vocals, Badmarsh and Shri's live experience is now like a wicked four way collision between Hackney-style breakbeats, Jamaican ragga, percussive funk, and classical Indian sounds twisted into something entirely new. The mechanism that keeps Badmarsh and Shri rolling is the respect they have for one another's cultural legacies. It's not Asian Underground, just quality dance music made by two innovative producers from different backgrounds. 'Signs' is an album with imagination, conviction and the courage to experiment, resulting in a collection that is electrified, and above all, musical.