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Negotiating the Third Space: British Asian Independent Record Labels and the Cultural Politics of Difference

2011; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 34; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03007766.2011.601581

1740-1712

Anamik Saha,

Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

Abstract Within postcolonial discourse the emergence of British (South) Asian electronic dance music, with its conscious fusion of Eastern and Western influences, was seen as an important cultural-political moment, challenging essentialist perceptions of South Asian identity. Yet the danger is that such a perspective overstates the transgressive potential of Asian dance music. Based on in-depth interviews with managers of three independent record labels involved in the scene, this article demonstrates how standardized marketing processes transform the potentially disruptive hybridity of British Asian dance music into a source of fetishization, reinforcing the marginalization of Asian dance labels and South Asian expressive cultures in the West as a whole. Acknowledgments This article was produced as part of an ESRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Thank you to David Hesmondhalgh and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Notes [1] This was the tag line given to the pioneering club night Anokha run by British-born South Asian drum and bass DJ and classically trained tabla player Talvin Singh. It became the unofficial name of the subsequent scene of clubs, gigs, and parties dedicated to the Asian fusion dance music that emerged during 1996 and 1997. Many promoters and musicians actually resented the title which they believed represented only Talvin Singh and not them. [2] In this essay all references to Asian or British Asian refer specifically to South Asian cultures (i.e. as originating from the Indian sub-continent) as is the case in the UK. [3] I am specifically examining labels that produce the "new British Asian dance music", defined as dance music characterized by the fusion of Western dance genres and traditional Indian sounds. I should stress that, while the category "British Asian dance music" can and should include Bhangra, for the purposes of this essay I want to classify it as non-Bhangra, as will be made more apparent in my case study of British Asian independent record labels. [4] That is not to ignore further entanglements of class, gender, and sexuality. There is not enough space within this essay to discuss these particular issues, but see Maira Maira, Sunaina. 1998. Desis Reprazent: Bhangra Remix and Hip Hop in New York City. Postcolonial Studies, 1(3): 357–370. Print[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] for an excellent insight into gay culture and New York "Bhangra-remix" parties, and Huq Huq, Rupa. 1996. "Asian Kool? Bhangra and Beyond". In Dis-Orienting Rhythms: The Politics of the New Asian Dance Music, Edited by: Sharma, Sanjay, Hutnyk, John and Shama, Ash. 61–80. London: Zed Books. Print [Google Scholar] ("Asian Kool?") and Housee and Dar Housee, S. and Dar, Mukhtar. 1996. "Remixing Identities: 'Off the Turntable'". In Dis-Orienting Rhythms: The Politics of the New Asian Dance Music, Edited by: Sharma, Sanjay, Hutnyk, John and Sharma, Ash. 81–104. London: Zed Books. Print [Google Scholar] for an analysis of Asian female participation in the music industry, examining the likes of DJ Ritu and the Voodoo Queens. [5] Quoted in Channel 4 documentary Cool Britannia: Talvin Singh (26 July 1997). [6] I describe this as the dominant version for, as Hutnyk shows us, Adorno does also believe in the potential of "the secret omnipresence of resistance" (7) in commodified popular music. [7] Swaraj is the Sanskrit word for "self rule," used by Mahatma Gandhi during India's fight for independence. [8] The chill-out music Chandola is referring to is ambient tracks that use Eastern musical references purposefully to symbolize a sense of spirituality and the mystical. [9] Despite a relatively big marketing push the release was a commercial flop. [10] The logo was created by designer Studio Mogul, who was behind much of the visual culture of the Asian Underground, designing album covers and flyers for Talvin Singh, Nation Records, and State of Bengal, among others. [11] Nitan Sawhney is the only British Asian musician from the club scene to have had mainstream success but, some would argue, only after he had softened his original club sound.