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Swami is a
British Indian electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
/
bhangra/
world music act from
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, England. "Swami" is also the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of the DJ producer
Diamond Duggal (aka
DJ Swami
Diamond Duggal also known as DJ Swami is a British-Indian music producer, composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist. He has produced a diversity of award-winning global artists, including Shania Twain, Pras Michel, Apache Indian, Maxi Pri ...
). Swami currently performs as a hybrid electronic DJ act with special world music guests and collaborations including
Deep Forest
Deep Forest is a French musical group originally consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Éric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance b ...
and
PunjabTronix.
History
Swami's debut dance album ''Desi Nu Skool Beatz'' was initially released on Simon & Diamond Duggal's own Sub Dub label in 1999. The album was picked up by Nation Records. Described as "blinding" by the Birmingham Post, the album received some international recognition when the opening track ''Mehbooba'' appeared in the 2004
Olsen twins
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...
movie
New York Minute. ''Desi Nu Skool Beatz'' was followed by the 2002 album ''Bhangradotcom'', which was less dance-oriented.
2004–2006: ''DesiRock''
Swami's big break came with the release of the third album ''
DesiRock'', which became popular in the
British Asian
British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British citizens of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 6.9% of the population identifying as Asian/Asian Bri ...
music scene. By this time Diamond was the only original member remaining and had recruited his cousin S-Endz as rap vocalist in the band alongside British bhangra singer Jagz and MC Sarpanch.
The title track ''DesiRock'' features guest Indian Punjabi vocalist
Lehmber Hussainpuri
Lehmber Hussainpuri (pronounced ; born 17 July 1977) is an Indian Bhangra singer.
Life
Lehmber Hussainpuri was born on 17 July 1977 in his village Hussainpur. He now resides in Deol Nagar Jalandhar City. On May 31, 2021, Lehmber was accused ...
and was voted a
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
favourite, which led to a Maida Vale session in the summer of 2005. The track also appeared in the Official ''
2006 FIFA World Cup Germany'' edition of
EA Sports
EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network ...
'
FIFA series
''FIFA'', also known as ''FIFA Football'' and to be rebranded as ''EA Sports FC'' from 2023, is a series of association football video games developed and released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. As of 2011, the ''FIFA'' fr ...
of video games.
In the same year DJ Swami won the Media Storm Best Producer award at the UK Asian Music Awards, as well as being nominated for Best Track (''DesiRock'') and Best Group.
In late 2005, Swami signed a deal with
Sony BMG to release ''DesiRock'' in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as ''
So Who Am I
''So Who Am I'' is the fourth album by British bhangra group Swami.
The album is a re-recorded and re-mixed version of their previous album, ''DesiRock'', and contains massive musical differences, most notably, the tracks have all been re-done w ...
'' with a new line-up without Sarpanch and replacing Jagz with new vocalist Supreet Suri (aka Sups). With a heavily rock, electronic and Punjbai sound (nearly all songs re-recorded with live guitar and drums), Swami embarked on a promotional tour of India which included a performance at the
MTV Style Awards. ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' credited Swami with bringing British bhangra back to prominence in Indian clubs.
A fourth album of live recording sessions was scheduled to be released in the spring of 2006.
Two songs from the sessions have been heard, "Afraid" and "No Apologies", both at one stage were available on the band's Myspace site. "Afraid"'s 'bhangra-fied mix' was played on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's
Desi DNA
''Desi DNA'' was a British television show on the BBC covering ''Desi'' (North Indian) art, culture and entertainment that launched in 2003.
In 2004 ''Desi DNA'' received the Best Lifestyle Programme award from the Royal Television Society.
Th ...
programme. These recordings remain otherwise unreleased.
In December 2006, dhol player and percussionist Bobby Panesar joined the band.
2007–2009: ''Equalize''
In March 2007, an update was made to
Swami
Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used eit ...
's website, containing details of the forthcoming album and revealed that it would feature many guest appearances including
Pras
Prakazrel Samuel Michel (; born October 19, 1972) is a Haitian-American rapper, producer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the hip hop group Fugees, alongside Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. After the Fugees, he earned two ...
of
the Fugees
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, Boostylz, Lady Ru, French rappers Asuivre, South African vocalist Ishmael, MC Spee from the band
Dreadzone
Dreadzone are a British electronic music group. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums, and two compilations.
Career
Dreadzone were formed in London, England in 1993 when ex-Big Audio Dynamite drummer Greg Roberts teamed up ...
, Yam Boy and more.
It was later announced that Swami's 2007 release was to be named ''
Equalize
''Equalize'' is the third album by the UK band Swami, released on 24 September 2007.
Track listing
# "Hey Hey" (featuring Boostylz)
# "Electro Jugni"
# "Intoxicated" (featuring Lady Ru)
# "Ching" (featuring Spee)
# "Pushin'" (featuring Pras ...
'' and would be out in the fall following a tour including Wychwood and Glastonbury festivals.
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
premièred "
Hey Hey", the first single from ''Equalize'' on 14 August. After this,
Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to:
*BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC
** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music
*CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
DJ
Bobby Friction
Paramdeep Sehdev () (born 21 August 1971, in Hammersmith) better known as Bobby Friction, is a DJ, television presenter and radio presenter from west London.
Early life
After studying Contemporary Arts at Nottingham Trent University, Friction's ...
announced that Swami would soon be performing an exclusive live session at
Maida Vale
Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is ...
. The session was recorded and broadcast at the end of September and featured many new songs from ''Equalize'' and guest appearances from some of the featured artists including Boostylz, MC Spee and Ishmael
Ghetto Ruff.
''Equalize'' was released in the UK on 24 September, and in mid November a music video began rotating for "Hey Hey".
In December 2007, Swami announced that they had signed a new record deal with Virgin/EMI and would soon be releasing ''Equalize'' in India and South Asia. The major label release is a new version including bonus tracks, one of them being an all-new version of the track "
Electro Jugni" featuring Swedish popstar DeDe Lopez.
In January 2008, Swami won the Album of the Year award on
DesiHits
Background
DesiHits is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquart ...
, and were nominated for three awards (Best Album, Best Producer and Best Underground Act) at the 2008 UK Asian Music Awards. Diamond (
DJ Swami
Diamond Duggal also known as DJ Swami is a British-Indian music producer, composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist. He has produced a diversity of award-winning global artists, including Shania Twain, Pras Michel, Apache Indian, Maxi Pri ...
) was awarded the Best Producer award, but could not attend the event, so S-Endz, Liana and Bobby Panesar accepted the award on his behalf.
In February 2008, Swami appeared on the UK TV show ''Desi DNA'' on BBC 2 and performed "Ching" and "
Electro Jugni". The performance of "Electro Jugni" was also the début of Swami's new vocalist Liana. The video to "Electro Jugni" was shot a few weeks later.
In June 2008, Swami revealed a forthcoming digital EP of ''Electro Jugni/She's Mine''. Both songs are new versions, "Electro Jugni" is a new Punjabi and Hindi version, and "She's Mine" is an all-new English version of the song. Both songs feature new vocals from Sups, S-Endz and Liana. The EP was eventually released on 9 March 2009.
In August 2008, Swami's "Hey Hey" music video received its Canadian première at Toronto's FILMI South Asian Film Festival, as part of FILMI's début music video night programmed by Deejay Ra.
The video for "Electro Jugni" was premièred on the DesiHits website on 23 October 2008.
A trailer for the music video to "She's Mine" appeared in March 2009, but the full video was not released.
2009–2011: ''53431''
On 12 June 2009, the Swami song "Sugarless" premièred via the entertainment website DesiHits, who reported that the track would feature on an upcoming Swami compilation called ''
53431
''53431'' is a Greatest Hits compilation by the electro-pop band Swami. The title refers to the numerical spelling of the band's name. This release is a milestone to mark 10 years of the band's existence, and contains the hits and most well know ...
'' that would contain the hits from the band's previous studio albums, two new songs ("Sugarless" and "Tonight"), and two remixes.
"Sugarless" received heavy worldwide radio support following its première, and shortly afterwards the band released a heavier dance remix, entitled "Sugarless (The New Desi Generation Remix)" which also went on to receive airplay.
''
53431
''53431'' is a Greatest Hits compilation by the electro-pop band Swami. The title refers to the numerical spelling of the band's name. This release is a milestone to mark 10 years of the band's existence, and contains the hits and most well know ...
'' was released on 17 August 2009 and the music video for "Sugarless" premièred in early September.
In an interview with ''Eastern Eye'' newspaper in November 2009, Swami revealed they were currently working on a new album and it would be "an international English electronic pop album which will be released by a major US label".
In a newsletter sent out on 27 January 2010, S-Endz mentioned that he and
Diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
had written 20 new songs for the new album, and that the 20 songs would all be completed before the best ones were chosen.
The Sugarless Tour 2010 took place in the UK and Canada across June and July, and the set included several new songs from the upcoming album.
2011–2017: ''Upgrade''
On 17 May 2011, a new track entitled "Dumdaraka (Dub Upgrade)" was released to BBC Radio 1 and Asian Network. The following week, on 24 May, Diamond revealed in an interview with
DJ Nihal
Nihal Arthanayake (born 1 June 1971) is a Sri Lankan radio and TV presenter who broadcasts on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Early life
Nihal Arthanayake was born on 1 June 1971, to Theravada Buddhist, Sri Lankan parents. Nihal began his involvement in t ...
on BBC Radio 1 that the new album is entitled ''Upgrade''.
In December 2012, a video preview of "
Back It Up", the first official single from the new album was uploaded to Swami's official YouTube channel. On 12 January 2013, the single was released in two different versions – the original mix, sung in English, and the Desi Mix, sung in a mix of English, Punjabi and Hindi. The two tracks were released as a free download on the band's official website.
In August 2014, Swami announced filming of a new music video in India for a song called "
Do It Again". The track was released on 7 November 2014, with several remixes including Dub and Extended versions released in January 2015.
On 6 July 2015, Swami premiered a new song entitled "We Are" on Australian radio station PBS 106.7FM in Melbourne, on the Mumbai Masala show hosted by Richi Madan. On 2 August, Swami released a new EP entitled ''Upgrade in Progress'' featuring "We Are" alongside all the previously released songs, "Back It Up", "Do It Again", "Dumdaraka" (now renamed Dhoomdaraka) and a previously unreleased unplugged mix of "Do It Again".
In May 2017, Swami released the album ''Upgrade'' on the Times Music label in India and South Asia. The lead single "Dil Vich" featuring the vocalist Lovely Pawar was released to coincide with the album release. The album was accompanied by a remixed DJ friendly electronic/deep/tech house version of the album entitled ''SIDETRKD''. A deluxe version of the album featuring both versions was also made available.
In August 2017, the Swami albums ''Upgrade'' and ''SIDETRKD'' were released internationally via
INgrooves on the Station 5 label.
Discography
*''Desi Nu Skool Beatz'' (1999)
*''BhangraDotCom'' (2002)
*''
DesiRock'' (2004)
*''
So Who Am I
''So Who Am I'' is the fourth album by British bhangra group Swami.
The album is a re-recorded and re-mixed version of their previous album, ''DesiRock'', and contains massive musical differences, most notably, the tracks have all been re-done w ...
'' (2005)
*''
Equalize
''Equalize'' is the third album by the UK band Swami, released on 24 September 2007.
Track listing
# "Hey Hey" (featuring Boostylz)
# "Electro Jugni"
# "Intoxicated" (featuring Lady Ru)
# "Ching" (featuring Spee)
# "Pushin'" (featuring Pras ...
'' (2007)
*''
Electro Jugni/She's Mine EP'' (2009)
*''
53431
''53431'' is a Greatest Hits compilation by the electro-pop band Swami. The title refers to the numerical spelling of the band's name. This release is a milestone to mark 10 years of the band's existence, and contains the hits and most well know ...
'' (2009)
*''
Upgrade
Upgrading is the process of replacing a product with a newer version of the same product. In computing and consumer electronics an upgrade is generally a replacement of hardware, software or firmware with a newer or better version, in order to ...
'' (2017)
*''
SIDETRKD'' (2017)
References
External links
Official Swami band websiteNovember '07 interview with Diamond and S-EndzDecember '07 interview with Diamond and S-Endz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swami
Desi musical groups
Musical groups from Birmingham, West Midlands
Musical groups established in 1998
1998 establishments in England
Nation Records artists