A Look Back As The Asian Underground Turns 20
This new sound became "trendy" in Great Britain. The mainstream media lapped it, and Billboard declared "British Asian Scene on Brink of Mainstream," as it tried to normalize the movement.
In 1997 Talvin Singh, a British musician of Indian origin finished putting together a 12-track record with the help of his friend Sam Zaman, better known as the performer State of Bengal. Along with a few of their own compositions, the tracks were produced by musicians who were British nationals from families that had emigrated from South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
At the time, Singh was unaware that this unnamed record would help define an entire movement and further consolidate the identity of young British Asians. He could not anticipate that the album would unite the multi-ethnic
