Asian Dub Foundation | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Asian Dub Foundation formed in 1993 as an outgrowth of the documentary Identical Beat, a film shot at Londons Farringdon Community Music House, the site of a series of summer workshops designed to teach Asian children the essentials of music technology. In charge of the workshops were tutor Aniruddha Das and youth worker John Pandit, also a noted DJ; with one of their students, a 15-year-old Bengali rapper named Deedar Zaman, they soon formed a sound system that they called the Asian Dub Foundation. After each adopted an alias -- bassist/tabla player Das became Dr. Das, Pandit became Pandit G, and Zaman became Master D -- they gradually evolved into a working band with the 1994 addition of former Higher Intelligence Agency guitarist Steve Chandra Savale, an innovative performer known for tuning his strings to one note like a sitar, turning up the distortion unit, and playing his instrument with a knife, earning him the nickname "Chandrasonic." Emerging in the midst of considerable anti-Asian violence throughout Britain, the Foundations early demos landed them a contract with Nation Records, and they recorded their debut EP, Conscious, in 1994. Channeling influences ranging from punk to ambient music to Bengali folk songs, Asian Dub Foundation quickly gained a strong fan base not only among clubgoers but also among the anti-fascist movement, who applauded the groups vocal stand against racism. After earning a reputation as standout live performers, the Foundation -- who now included dancer Bubble-E and second DJ Sun-J -- won widespread acclaim for the 1995 single "Rebel Warrior." Their first full-length effort, Facts and Fictions, followed later that same year, and in 1998 Asian Dub Foundation returned with Rafis Revenge. Community Music appeared in mid-2000, followed later that year by another full-length, R.A.F.I. Subsequent Asian Dub Foundation albums have included Enemy of the Enemy (2003) and Tank (2005). | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: Facts and Fictions Released: 1995-10-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:09:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Witness (04:51) 2 PKNB (06:27) 3 Jericho (07:02) 4 Rebel Warrior (06:27) 5 Journey (07:06) 6 Strong Culture (06:44) 7 Th9 (05:24) 8 Tu Meri (04:57) 9 Debris (04:18) 10 Box (06:10) 11 Thacid 9 (dub version) (05:32) 12 Return to Jericho (dub version) (04:27) |
| Facts and Fictions : Allmusic album Review : Asian Dub Foundations album debut finds the band with their chops fully intact, even at this early date. Dr. Das rapping flow is speedy and intricate, though continually inflected in the same ways (very reminiscent of Rage Against the Machines Zack de la Rocha). The production and programming, by Steve Chandrasonic and Dr. Das, is the real highlight here, incorporating traditional Indian percussion and instruments, but constantly name-checking contemporary dance styles like bhangra and ragga jungle. The haunting vocals that open "Rebel Warrior" make it a highlight, while Chandras deep drum programs provide continual thrills. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: R.A.F.I. Released: 1997 Tracks: 13 Duration: 58:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Assassin (04:13) 2 Change (03:07) 3 Black White (03:35) 4 Buzzing (05:35) 5 Free Satpal Ram (04:24) 6 Modern Apprentice (04:55) 7 Operation Eagle Lie (04:17) 8 Hypocrite (04:29) 9 Naxalite (04:56) 10 Loot (05:07) 11 Dub Mentality (04:26) 12 Culture Move (04:30) 13 Real Areas for Investigation (04:22) |
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: Black White Released: 1998 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Black White (03:35) 2 Rafi (03:31) 3 Assassin (live) (05:37) 4 Buzzin (live) (05:07) |
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: Naxalite / Culture Move EP Released: 1998 Tracks: 5 Duration: 28:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Naxalite (main mix) (03:35) 2 Culture Move (Pusher Sound mix) (07:37) 3 Free Satpal Ram (Russell Simmins remix) (05:44) 4 Culture Move (Urban Decay remix) (06:56) 5 Culture Move (Silver Haze mix) (04:41) |
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: Conscious Party Released: 1998-04-17 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:08:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Assassin (05:34) 2 Black White (03:53) 3 Naxalite (05:26) 4 Taa Deem (05:11) 5 Dub Mentality (04:53) 6 Hypocrite (03:55) 7 Buzzing (05:01) 8 Charge (05:17) 9 Free Satpal Ram (03:44) 10 Tribute to John Stevens (05:17) 11 Free Satpal Ram (ADF Sound System remix) (05:26) 12 Charge (ADF Sound System remix) (05:08) 13 Digital Underclass (04:55) 14 Culture Move (ADF vs. M.C. Navigator Disco Plate) (04:36) |
| Conscious Party : Allmusic album Review : Furious, smart, and bolstered by their Rage Against the Machine-its-okay-to-like tag, Asian Dub Foundation were exterminating complacent rock half a century before Primal Scream decided to teach listeners that vowels were fascist. So this exclusive French release pits ADF in the live arena and sprinkles on some B-sides to remind listeners when Bobby Gillespie and company decided to ditch their Stetson Stones shtick and get with the fists in the air program. Too bad this badly mixed reproduction of the band ripping up the London Astoria doesnt quite do them justice. Guitars sound like birdfeeders, sequencers like Nintendo; only the vocals fire off with any sort of Johnny Rotten anti-elegance. And when they feel the need to spell out their message in between songs, you can just picture the receptive heads making beelines for the bar. Patronizing instead of political, counter-productive instead of heroic. If this is how its going to be, theres not much else fans can do but band together, demand less patronizing, and -- here it comes -- fight the glower. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: Rafis Revenge Released: 1998-05-08 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:11:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Naxalite (04:45) 2 Buzzin (04:29) 3 Black White (03:35) 4 Assassin (04:02) 5 Hypocrite (04:00) 6 Charge (03:39) 7 Free Satpal Ram (03:46) 8 Dub Mentality (04:29) 9 Culture Move (04:30) 10 Operation Eagle Lie (03:21) 11 Change (03:09) 12 Tribute to John Stevens (05:16) 13 Free Satpal Ram (Russel Simmins remix) (05:44) 14 Culture Move (Pusher Sound mix) (07:36) 15 Charge (live version) (03:39) 16 Naxalite (live version) (05:04) |
| Rafi's Revenge : Allmusic album Review : Much of the really interesting music coming out of England in the late 90s is being produced by members of what has come to be called the Asian Underground -- a dancehall aristocracy of mostly South Asian DJs, producers, dub artists and instrumentalists who seem bent on completely transforming the U.K. dance-music scene into a welter of wildly various and pan-ethnic influences: bhangra, dub, ragga, funk, speed-rap and metal, even surf guitar and classical Hindustani music all get thrown into the stew, and the result is thick, spicy and delicious. On this release from Asian Dub Foundation, that vision is realized in tracks that blend Indian percussion with reggae basslines and jungle breakbeats, as on the head-banging "Buzzin," or which combine a straight one-drop reggae beat with Indian keyboard and pop vocal samples, as on "Black White." The singing is paradigmatic: vocalist Deedar sings and shouts in an accent divided in equal parts between Cockney, Indian and Jamaican. This is an exhausting but exhilarating album, and its depth and complexity of texture keep revealing new surprises with repeated listenings. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Community Music Released: 2000-03-08 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:09:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Real Great Britain (03:13) 2 Memory War (03:35) 3 Officer XX (03:20) 4 New Way, New Life (05:01) 5 Riddim I Like (04:27) 6 Collective Mode (03:52) 7 Crash (05:24) 8 Colour Line (04:01) 9 Taa Deem (04:46) 10 The Judgement (04:14) 11 Truth Hides (08:21) 12 Rebel Warrior (06:23) 13 Committed to Life (04:44) 14 Scaling New Heights (08:26) |
| Community Music : Allmusic album Review : Anarchist Emma Goldman said, "if I cant dance, its not my revolution." This sentiment lies at the core of Community Music. At the intersection of dub, punk, funk, reggae, dancehall, Bollywood, and political polemic youll find Asian Dub Foundation. And you most certainly can dance to it. Community Music is thick with speaking Truth to Power while ADF storms the Bastille with an awe-inspiring musical ferocity and their crystalline political vision. The first half of Community Music is fierce and unrelenting in its musical influences, construction, and politics. From the thunderous opening cut, "Real Great Britain," youre left in no uncertain terms where the politics of ADF lie or how passionately they hold them. Sharp observations on the current state of capitalism, politics, and race in Britain form the focal point of the CD. The blistering exposé of police incompetence on "Officer XX" refers to the botched Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry, while set to a simple guitar and drum pattern. The stirring dub-electronic account of how second-generation immigrants to Britain have emerged both influenced and in turn influencing Cool Britannia, on "New Way, New Life," makes it one of their strongest songs to date. While on the opposite side of the same coin, "Memory War" illustrates that the immigrant communities are not a new form of British citizen, and their contributions must be included in the official histories of the island. The second half slows the pace gradually, stretching the musical genres further and encouraging dancing. "Crash" is a didactic dub reggae dance groove critique of global capitalism that blazes out in a frenzy of jungle drums and punk guitar. As an ode to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a seminal figure in the emergence of "Eastern" music to Western ears and one given a much-deserved shout-out by ADF, the piece "Taa Deem" has appeared in a slightly different version on Star Rise, a remix collection of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khans material by a whos who of contemporary British Asian musicians. The shuffling dance grooves and rap of "Rebel Warrior" call to mind the Stereo MCs. A further illustration of their politics, if needed, by Assata Shakur, who is invited to give a personal account of her revolutionary beliefs, to "struggle because committed to life." Community Music ends with an expansive electronic dub coda. As "Englands new voice," calling for intellectual self-defense and self- awareness ADF represents the potential future. Community Music should be in every thinking persons collection, directly between the Clash and Public Enemy. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Frontline 1993-97 Released: 2001 Tracks: 11 Duration: 59:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Witness (DJ Scud remix) (03:36) 2 Change a Gonna Come (03:15) 3 Strong Culture (Juttla / Charged remix) (05:15) 4 Change a Gonna Come (Panicstepper remix) (05:15) 5 Rivers of Dub (05:43) 6 Tu Meri (Wayward Soul remix) (06:02) 7 Nazrul Dub (06:30) 8 Jericho (Capa D dub) (06:03) 9 P.K.N.B. (Dry & Heavy Connection dub) (06:26) 10 C.A.G.E. (Via Pirate Satellite) (06:59) 11 Operation Eagle Lie (04:21) |
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: Live: Keep Bangin on the Walls Released: 2003 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:09:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cyberabad (04:49) 2 Charge (03:29) 3 Blowback (03:08) 4 2 Face (04:51) 5 Fortress Europe (03:28) 6 Riddim I Like (04:12) 7 New Way New Life (05:11) 8 Rise to the Challenge (04:04) 9 Assatta Dub (05:40) 10 Enemy of the Enemy (05:04) 11 La Haine (04:01) 12 Naxalite (04:48) 13 Free Satpal Ram (03:36) 14 Dhol Rinse (04:25) 15 Rebel Warrior (08:45) |
| Live: Keep Bangin' on the Walls : Allmusic album Review : Hardcore members of the Asian Dub Foundation massive will want to invest in the DVD from which these 15 live tracks were taken, since it includes video footage, three bonus audio tracks, photos, and a documentary film. But for those with less disposable income and a simple desire to hear the band in its natural element (in front of a large, sweaty, politically receptive crowd), Live: Keep Bangin on the Walls will do just fine. It includes versions of about half the tracks from the bands then-recent studio effort, Enemy of the Enemy, as well as a healthy assortment of earlier material and one tune that has previously been released only on an obscure compilation. That one, "Assatta Dub," is a mixed blessing. The music is a perfect example of Asian Dub Foundations strengths, a relentlessly churning fusion of Asian flavors and reggae structure; the lyrical content is a recording of breathtakingly banal observations from the American political exile Assatta Shakur ("I hate having to struggle," she confesses bravely. "Ill be honest with you; I hate war."). Elsewhere they vent somewhat more worthwhile spleen over the unjust imprisonment of Satpal Ram and invoke the memory of Indias Naxalite insurgents, and occasionally even take a break from the sermonizing to just dance to the drum ("Dhol Rinse") and celebrate Londons incredibly fertile Asian Underground scene ("Riddim I Like"). Highly recommended. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: Enemy of the Enemy Released: 2003-02-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 55:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fortress Europe (03:53) 2 Rise to the Challenge (04:25) 3 La Haine (03:54) 4 1000 Mirrors (04:54) 5 19 Rebellions (05:22) 6 Blowback (02:56) 7 2 Face (05:14) 8 Power to the Small Massive (04:23) 9 Dhol Rinse (03:17) 10 Basta (04:32) 11 Cyberabad (05:01) 12 Enemy of the Enemy (07:15) |
| Enemy of the Enemy : Allmusic album Review : Enemy of the Enemy certainly isnt Asian Dub Foundations strongest effort. While the band has created wonderfully bombastic and soaring sonic confections in the past, they drop the ball repeatedly here, struggling to find interesting melodies or a political stance with weight. One cant fault the Foundation for trying to keep pace with the U.K. music scene; indeed, the lo-fi production of the Streets is stamped all over the album as an inspiration. But mixing such moody copy-and-paste samples with Public Enemy-like ferocity amounts to a kind of musical sludge that never truly takes off. Really only four tracks stand out. "1000 Mirrors" sees guest vocalist Sinéad OConnor offering up the most confident vocals shes sung in years. OConnors voice feverishly details oppression as her cohorts settle into a sticky, moody dub groove. This virtual Celtic Dub Foundation makes for fascinating listening. Its the kind of mesmerizing result one had hoped for from Massive Attacks 100th Window, where OConnor tackled similar themes and genres. "Fortress Europe," "Rise to the Challenge," and "Basta" are the albums other clear winners. Here the band assaults, innovates, and explores melody, blending drumnbass, reggae vibes, and exotic instrumentation toward a catchy goal. But it seems like every other track is either unfinished, rushed, or just in place as filler. Weak vocals, clichéd lyrics, poor sequencing, and overall studio sloppiness make for sub-par songs that work more like background noise than anything the band has released in the past. Comparing the album to similar genre experiments from bands like Leftfield sees Asian Dub Foundation falling somewhat behind. While Enemy of the Enemy has its bright spots, its definitely a below-average release from a band whos shown more imagination and had more relevance on previous albums. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: Tank Released: 2005-02-16 Tracks: 11 Duration: 53:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Flyover (04:17) 2 Tank (05:36) 3 Hope (05:09) 4 Round Up (04:36) 5 Oil (04:33) 6 Powerlines (04:34) 7 Who Runs the Place (04:12) 8 Take Back the Power (04:27) 9 Warring Dhol (05:54) 10 Tomorrow Begins Today (03:58) 11 Melody 7 (06:13) |
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: Time Freeze 1995 / 2007: The Best of Asian Dub Foundation Released: 2007-03-05 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:24:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Rebel Warrior (03:24) 2 Box (Andy Kershaw BBC Radio 1 session 1996) (04:04) 3 Jericho (Andy Kershaw BBC Radio 1 session 1996) (07:01) 4 Th9 (05:24) 5 Naxalite (main mix) (03:35) 6 Black White (03:33) 7 Change (03:09) 8 Free Satpal Ram (03:46) 9 Buzzin (03:54) 10 Real Great Britain (03:12) 11 Collective Mode (03:48) 12 New Way New Life (03:34) 13 Fortress Europe (03:51) 14 Thousand Mirrors (04:53) 15 Flyover (04:17) 16 Stop Start (03:42) 17 Target Practice (03:32) 1 Debris (04:18) 2 Culture Move (Pusher Sound mix) (07:36) 3 Memory War (03:36) 4 Siberian Slengteng (05:07) 5 Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos (03:14) 6 Son of a Bush (05:56) 7 Modern Apprentice (04:54) 8 Free Satpal Ram (Russel Simmins remix) (05:44) 9 Fortress Europe (Jazzwad remix) (06:07) 10 Journey (07:06) 11 Oil (04:33) 12 Hope (Congo Natty remix) (04:23) 13 Rafi (04:21) 14 Roundup (Sun J remix) (05:13) 15 Activists & Selectors (03:41) |
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: Punkara Released: 2008-03-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Superpower (04:54) 2 Burning Fence (04:12) 3 No Fun (04:17) 4 Speed of Light (06:15) 5 Ease Up Caesar (03:58) 6 S.O.C.A. (04:40) 7 Target Practice (03:33) 8 Living Under the Radar (Ghostplane) (04:16) 9 Altered Statesmen (04:18) 10 Bride of Punkara (05:01) 11 Stop the Bleeding (03:31) 12 Awake/Asleep (04:05) |
| Punkara : Allmusic album Review : Its always strange when bands that have invented a new sound settle on a songwriting routine, especially if they are as ferocious as Asian Dub Foundation, but its also unavoidable. On Punkara, the group still sounds like a bunch of rebels who are here to bring down the musical conventions of the Western world and then proceed to a full-scale revolution, but they also follow the conventions theyve established themselves -- off-beat reggae rhythms are fused with almost jungle-like electronic beats, punkish guitars are buried under Middle Eastern folk instruments, and heavily accented voices spit out rants that manage to combine vehement social criticism with a relaxed feel-good atmosphere. This is textured, multi-layered work that is similar to a Syrian bazaar, a leftist rally, and a beach party at once -- a real song of globalization -- but it lacks the element of surprise. The first albums by Asian Dub Foundation felt like a window into a world that gets almost no representation on the Western pop scene, but by the time of Punkara, the window has been open for over a decade, and most of those interested have already looked out of it. A couple of relatively new tricks appear here, such as the Brit-rock-sounding "Target Practice" and some dreamier, trippier interludes, but they dont add much to the album. However, its not fair to fault the band for repeating themselves, because their goal never was to be something new, but only to give voice to the musical alternative that the "developing world" has to offer. Punkara pales in comparison to the Asian Dub Foundations best work simply because its over-conscious of that presence -- something neither the Rafis Revenge, with its primeval rioting, nor the epic Community Music could be accused of -- but it still does what its supposed to do, and remains tight and powerful enough to be enjoyed for what it is. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: A History of Now Released: 2011-02-06 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A New London Eye (04:48) 2 Urgency Frequency (04:27) 3 London to Tokyo (04:55) 4 A History of Now (04:18) 5 Spirit in the Machine (04:05) 6 Wheres All the Money Gone? (04:06) 7 In Another Life (05:36) 8 Power of 10 (03:52) 9 Futureproof (03:33) 10 This Land Is Not for Sale (04:40) 11 Temple Siren (05:39) 12 Lights Out (03:47) |
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: The Signal and the Noise Released: 2013 Tracks: 13 Duration: 56:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Zig Zag Nation (03:49) 2 The Signal and the Noise (03:20) 3 Radio Bubblegum (04:16) 4 Qutab Minar (04:20) 5 Stand Up (04:58) 6 Hovering (04:52) 7 Straight Jacket (03:58) 8 Get Lost Bashar (03:40) 9 Bnadh Bhenge Dao (03:29) 10 Blade Ragga (06:06) 11 Your World Has Gone (03:19) 12 Dubblegum Flute Flavour (05:29) 13 Psychosamba (04:43) |
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: More Signal More Noise Released: 2015-07-10 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Zig Zag Nation (03:55) 2 The Signal and the Noise (03:22) 3 Radio Bubblegum (03:51) 4 Blade Ragga (06:11) 5 Semira (04:32) 6 Stand Up (04:29) 7 Flyover 2015 (04:18) 8 Hovering (04:48) 9 Get Lost Bashar (03:42) 10 Fall of the House of Cards (03:30) 11 Dubblegum Flute Flavour (05:27) |
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: More Signal More Noise: The Remixes Released: 2015-11-13 Tracks: 7 Duration: 35:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Stand Up (M1, dead prez & Bonnot remix) (04:34) 2 The Signal and the Noise (Sound Avtar remix) (04:15) 3 Radio Bubblegum (Juttla remix) (03:35) 4 Dubblegum Flute Flavour (05:27) 5 Zig Zag Nation (Frontline Frequency remix) (05:07) 6 Get Lost Bashar (Kosmik Maelstrom remix) (07:50) 7 The Signal and the Noise (Juttla remix) (05:07) |