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The
Blue Night Network
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The
second full length CD from Toronto-based Public Transit
Recordings. This compilation features some new and emerging
local South Asian performers. Artists such as Radar
aka Nikhil Tumne, M-Rock
aka Maneesh Bidaye, and Rosina
from the LAL crew, draw
from many of the influences of the music.
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Radar's track "verbal science" is a forray into
beat boxing, in which all the sounds in the song are played
with his mouth. In the track "fader in the middle"
M-Rock showcases his turntablism skills as he creates a
song solely from two turntables. In the song "Corners"
by L A L the smooth vocals of Rosina and the down tempo
beats of Murr, exemplify the overall mood of this compilation,
telling the story of a typical urban street corner.
LAL: Adding Colour to
the Underground Music Scene
Lal started working collaboratively about two years ago.
Nick had been mixing and DJing and Rose had been a closet
writer for years. Like most artists at some point, they
felt a pressure to conform; each went to school for two
years, each dropped out to pursue music.
"There's a lot of pressure on South Asians to go to
school, get your degree, become a doctor", says Rose,
"I always knew I wanted to do music...I went to the
University of Toronto for a couple of years...but then I
said you know what? I have to do this."
The ball got rolling when Public Transit Recording took
an interest in a track that Rose had written and produced.
"Moonstar (a producer at PTR) put out a compilation
of music Toronto and I had produced this track, you know,
haphazardly...and I played it for him and he like it..and
he put it on the comp and that was two years ago".
The rest is history.
Like most worthwhile music these day, Lal's sound eludes
description. It's got a funk, house, hip hop, Erika Badu/
Portishead thing going on. Although both are heavily influenced
by House, Hip Hop, and Reggae, Rose says that the South
Asian influence has always been there, just subconsciously.
Now studying classical Indian music, she hopes to incorporate
recognizably Indian tonalities into the sweet, soulful music
that Lal produces.
Usra
Leedham
Raj Palta- Toronto's South Asian Youth Magazine
www.rajpalta.com
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