"The Punjab, Australia, America, France and even the Zulu of South
Africa have contributed, clashed, merged and metamorphosed in to songs
that make this even more panoramic than a Nitin Sawhney album"
Nihal - BBC Radio 1
"Ideas that sound warped on paper sound great on record…After hearing
Hey Hey I was sitting there with my mouth WIDE open"
Bobby Friction - BBC Radio 1
Releasing 24TH SEPTEMBER
Previous Swami albums were more of an exploration into the
British-Asian club experience of London and Birmingham…However, in the
futuristic globalized MySpace music era, as leading pioneers of British
urban music, Swami are making bolder and bigger statements by seeking
out much wider inspiration…
The brand new album 'Equalize' ventures way beyond the local London
studios with a new found excitement of globe hopping melodies, crossing
rhythms and languages unlike any predecessor. With their core trademark
electronic bhangra sound, Swami's 'Equalize' journeys much further
afield interacting with the parallels of North African hip-hop of
France, the Zulu Rn'B of South Africa, the black soul and rap of east
coast USA, as well as the sounds of their London via Delhi DJ hybrid
mixes…. The result is a unique commercial edged pop record with a
heavy-hitting unstoppable desi dancefloor groove…
Initial ideas of 'Equalize' were ironically developed in the Indian
recording studios of Swami's ancestral home Phagwara in Punjab, India.
Inspired by the musical travels of Damon Albarn, experimenting with a
wealth of eclectic track ideas developed in London, DJ Swami's
intention was to indulge in the most authentic desi vocal and
instrumentation parts possible on what was always going to be their
most progressive and experimental record to date. Allowing the songs to
travel further into other corners of the world created an even greater
musical energy exchange on an unprecedented scale. By connecting with
recording studios in NYC, London, Nice, Punjab, Johannesburg and Sydney
via the Internet, Swami were moving tracks between studio engineers and
musicians sometimes on up to four continents simultaneously…
From the Daft Punk in Punjab styled 'Electro Jugni'to the Bronx driven
Beyonce meets Bhangra across James Brown funky horns on 'Hey Hey',
Swami's progressive thinking has been truly captured. Stylized yet
internationally open-minded, their new found freedom shows no
boundaries: from the Sub Focus style Dn'B driven drink issues on
'Ching' to the poetic AR Rahman style Bollywood cinematic imagery of
'In Your Eyes' to the tri-lingual in ya face Dr. Dre hip-hop flowing
'Pushin'' crossing Punjabi to Zulu to the rap flow of Pras Michel of
the Fugees…
The most progressive international desi album of our time is here…
Moving from an introspective urban soundscape to a renaissance of
internationally inspired credible pop with elements of 80s electro and
funk, 'Equalize' is bhangra entering a totally new generation... With a
playground of ideas inspired by the digital age, equality and musical
originality that is free of mono-cultural propaganda, Swami's MySpace
pages are gonna keep spinning across the planet for the foreseeable
future…
1. Hey Hey ft. Boostylz
2. Electro Jugni
3. Intoxicated ft. Lady Ru
4. Ching ft. Spee
5. Pushin' ft. Pras Michel & Ishmael
6. Shakedown ft. El Feco
7. Break ft. Ishmael
8. Can't Let Go ft. Errol Reid & Yam Boy
9. Give It What U Got ft. A Suivre
10. In Your Eyes ft. Sonia Panesar
