BADMARSH

Already strategically placed between Bombay and the East End, 'Signs' continues to explore their fascination with musical migration, a path they've followed since their collaboration on their debut album 'Dancing Drums'.

When Outcaste released the Badmarsh and Shri remix of Ananda Shankar's "Dancing Drums" in the summer of 1997, it was a huge hit with dance floor inhabitants everywhere. Shortly afterwards, their brilliant debut appeared, delivering a brooding, funky soundscape of drum and bass, hip-hop, Indian classical music and jazz. The Badmarsh / Shri connection came via Shabs, the head of Outcaste Records, who believed that their differing styles would complement each other to innovative effect, and he was right. Both talents were bubbling under - Shri due to his well-received debut 'Drum The Bass', and Badmarsh through his cross-cultural club excursions. "It was a challenge," says Shri, "We had a long road to travel before we could really begin to explore the possibilities."

A first break for Badmarsh (meaning 'rascal' or 'black sheep' in Hindi) was working at reggae studio Easy Street, along side such luminaries as Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs. Easy Street hired out PA systems to local Hackney rave club Labyrinth, and after a visit to the notorious nightspot, Badmarsh was bitten by the DJ bug and immediately ran out to buy decks and records. Before long, he secured a residency at Labyrinth, which went on to last for 5 years. "Djing forced me to listen to records with a more critical ear," he says. "I'd think, this is good, but wouldn't it be better if the bass line were fatter or the break changed. After a while, I was itching to produce."

By drawing upon the exuberant, polyrhythmic legacies of dancehall reggae, latin, funk, hip-hop, and African rhythms, Badmarsh and Shri have created 13 tracks of emotional beauty and funky percussive action. 'Signs' is panoramic dance music, pure and simple. From the menacing buzz and relentless B-line of "Swarm," to the driving layers of percussion and sweeping synths of "Tribal," the album delivers aggressive beats in sophisticated style. But it's not all footsore beats; 'Signs' also has its chilled, sensuous side. The duo plays to full, euphoric effect, blissed out on Bombay sunrise strings and flute-driven sultry soul on tracks like the sitar-swirled "Elektro" or the angelic vocal delivery of "Sajanaa."

Coupled with UK Apache's roller coaster vocals, Badmarsh and Shri's live experience is now like a wicked four way collision between Hackney-style breakbeats, Jamaican ragga, percussive funk, and classical Indian sounds twisted into something entirely new. The mechanism that keeps Badmarsh and Shri rolling is the respect they have for one another's cultural legacies. It's not Asian Underground, just quality dance music made by two innovative producers from different backgrounds. 'Signs' is an album with imagination, conviction and the courage to experiment, resulting in a collection that is electrified, and above all, musical.

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