We have 60 Cd’s left and I will be selling them at Zenzi for Rs 200 each.

A must have CD as I like almost every song in it. Come get your copy from me at Zenzi as long as the stock lasts.

Viva la Salsa India!

Kaytee Namgyal
Founder / Director
www.salsa-india.com

The party, at a club called S.O.B.’s, is about the dance moves unique to the music as well as the music itself. It starts early, and there’s always a free dance lesson at the beginning. The crowd is diverse, including people of South Asian descent, people with an interest in South Asian culture, and people just looking to party.

DJ Rekha says she doesn’t prepare for her weekly gig. “I never know what’s going to happen because I’m always just trying to respond to the crowd,” she says. Making an album was different, though, and it took her a long time.

Many people only know one Bhangra song: Panjabi MC’s “Mundian to Back Ke” (“Beware of the Boys”), which was already a huge international hit in 2003 when Jay-Z rhymed over a remix. DJ Rekha says that the success of the remix created a sense of urgency in a lot of bhangra artists about the need to collaborate with hip-hop MCs.

She herself doesn’t rule out collaborating with hip-hop artists. In fact, an introduction and a short rhyme from Wyclef Jean opens her record. “My goal is to just make my music reach as many people as possible,” she says. “So if that means crossing over, then it does. But it’s about finding an audience that appreciates it.”

The first track, called “Basement Bhangra Anthem,” is aptly titled. Like most Bhangra songs, it features the dhol — a two-sided drum that functions as the percussive heart of the music.

A group called Tigerstyle produced “Aaja Nachiye Boliyan Paiye.” Brothers Raj and Pops are Sikhs from Glasgow, and they’ve been influential in the Bhangra scene for almost 10 years.

One of the first to mix bhangra and hip-hop was Bally Sagoo, who produced the track that closes out Basement Bhangra: “Gur Nalon Ishq Mitha.” The song was produced in 1990, but it still works on a dance floor today. DJ Rekha often plays it at the end of her party because it’s long and it builds. She says she’s played it everywhere, in every context.

DJ Rekha says her record isn’t a carbon copy of what she’d play at one of her shows. Basement Bhangra does feature artists who’ve performed at her parties over the years, but the songs on the CD are much shorter than what she could play in a room full of people dancing. Still, she says she set out to make a dance CD, not a world-music CD. The term “world music” strikes her as too anthropological and voyeuristic, she says, but dance music is something anyone can throw on and move to.

Link

• 2003 Homenaje a Beny More
• 2003 Celia & Johnny
• 2002 Regalo Del Alma
• 2003 Dios Disfrute a la Reina
• 2003 Son Boleros, Boleros Son
• 2003 Reina de la Musica Cubana
• 2003 Regalo del Alma
• 2003 Mas Grande Historia Jamas Cantada
• 2003 Estrellas de la Sonora Matancera
• 2003 Celia in the House: Classic Hits Remixed
• 2003 Carnaval de la Vida
• 2003 Candela Pura
• 2002 Unrepeatable
• 2002 Hits Mix
• 2001 Negra Tiene Tumba’o
• 2000 Siempre Vivire
• 2000 Salsa
• 2000 Emily Fleigle is the best girl ever
• 2000 Habanera
• 2000 Celia Cruz and Friends: A Night of Salsa
• 1999 En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 3
• 1999 En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 2
• 1999 En Vivo Radio Progreso, Vol. 1
• 1999 En Vivo C.M.Q., Vol. 5
• 1999 En Vivo C.M.Q., Vol. 4
• 1998 Mi Vida Es Cantar
• 1998 Afro-Cubana
• 1997 Tambien Boleros
• 1997 Duets
• 1997 Cambiando Ritmos
• 1996 Celia Cruz Delta
• 1995 Irresistible
• 1995 Festejando Navidad
• 1995 Double Dynamite
• 1995 Cuba’s Queen of Rhythm
• 1994 Merengue Saludos Amigos
• 1994 Mambo del Amor
• 1994 Irrepetible
• 1994 Homenaje a Los Santos
• 1994 Guaracheras de La Guaracha
• 1993 Introducing
• 1993 Homenaje a Beny More, Vol. 3
• 1993 Boleros Polydor
• 1993 Azucar Negra
• 1992 Verdadera Historia
• 1992 Tributo a Ismael Rivera
• 1991 Reina del Ritmo Cubano
• 1991 Canta Celia Cruz
• 1990 Guarachera del Mundo
• 1988 Ritmo en el Corazon
• 1987 Winners
• 1986 De Nuevo
• 1986 Candela
• 1982 Feliz Encuentro
• 1981 Celia & Willie
• 1980 Celia/Johnny/Pete
• 1979 Ceiba
• 1978 Eternos
• 1978 Brillante
• 1978 A Todo Mis Amigos
• 1977 Only They Could Have Made This Album
• 1975 Tremendo Cache
• 1970 Etc. Etc. Etc.
• 1969 Quimbo Quimbumbia
• 1968 Serenata Guajira
• 1968 Excitante
• 1967 Ti Mexico
• 1967 Bravo Celia Cruz
• 1966 Son con Guaguanco
• 1966 Cuba Y Puerto Rico Son
• 1965 Sabor y Ritmo de Pueblos
• 1965 Canciones Premiadas
• 1959 Mi Diario Musical

This year sees a resurgence in salsa king Hector Lavoe’s popularity as the much anticipated biopic of the Latin legend, El Cantante, starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony prepares to hit the silver screen. Fania Records has prepared a new compilation of classic Hector Lavoe material in celebration of the occasion, entitled The El Cantante: The Originals. The album contains 13 newly re-mastered classics all featured in the Hector Lavoe film, as well as an exclusive remix of “Mi Gente” by Lavoe’s nephew, DJ Louie Vega [Masters at Work] and is set for release on July 17th. iTunes users can download the album one week ahead of time starting the week of July 10th.

Hector Lavoe’s brilliant voice and incomparable panache made him the ultimate icon of Latin cool and earned him the name “El Cantante” (The Singer) to generations worldwide. Often referred to as the “Latin Frank Sinatra,” Lavoe captured the essence of what came to be known as the Fania sound and dominated the salsa world for over three decades. His life story is full of dazzling heights and tragic lows. Shortly after meeting New York City trombonist, Willie Colon, the two instantly became a successful duo and produced hits such as “Che Che Cole” and “La Murga.” Lavoe went solo after releasing 10 albums with Colon, transforming the look and feel of Latin music with his signature “salsa dura” (hard salsa) sound. Hits such as “Mi Gente” have evolved to symbolize Latin power.

For any query feel free to write to nitin@danceincity.com