SHEKIE N SHAM ALBUM LAUNCH Saturday 5th July 2008 Concrete, 120 Vyse Street, The Big Peg. Jewellery Quarter Hockley, Birmingham B18 6NF DJs: Manga, Parm Panesar (Funkshaan), Anthony & surprise guests Time: 10pm - 4am Admission: £5 b4 11, More After Tel: 07968 260276/ 07968 366878 Email: music@shaanti.co.uk

Birmingham's most glamorous club night Funkshaan is to host the album launch party for Shekie n Sham on Saturday 5th July 2008. Shekie and Sham are two guys from London, both are songwriters, singers and dancers - one sings in Hindi the other in English. Is it rare to find a single quality artist that excels both as a vocalist, dancer, singer and songwriter, but here are two. These talented young men are ready to set 2008 alight with their new and energising sound showcased on their debut album ‘2 Sides 2 O.N.E Coin’.

Shekie, the older of the two, sings in Hindi/Urdu/Fusion and Sham sings in English with R&B undertones. Like their vocal styles, both have very different personalities whilst boasting the same dream. Sham is evidently the more animated one whilst Shekie is clearly focused. Their contrasting personalities show them to have charisma, style and unpredictability which make them stand out from the crowd. Still in their twenties, they form a two-man collective who are fusing their talents to bring something fresh to the table. The combination of genres is exactly what makes them work well together, having shared similar influences ranging from Boys II Men, Justin Timberlake and Jodeci to Shaan & Adnan Sami.

Shekie n Sham met whilst working as professional dancers in and around the industry. “The dance community is small and at shows you see regular faces that become familiar. We kept crossing each others paths” says Sham. After both successfully auditioning for the same dance troupe (Xtreme Fuzion) they toured together at various venues across the UK. A mutual friend knew that Sham had been singing a long time and Shekie had been writing and suggested they work together.

Whilst their musical journey is just beginning, the duo recently performed at the IIFA's Fringe Festival in Bradford where they were received with much accolade. Excitedly Shekie recalls, “People were dancing with us to our music, it was brilliant, it was truly an achievement.”

Signed to O.N.E Records UK, the yet unreleased album ‘2 Sides 2 O.N.E Coin’, written by the two, was recorded both in the UK and India with a real mesh of genres. “All the sounds were created by us mentally, kind of like a sixth sense” Sham reveals. The album has a little something for everyone; a funky jazz number titled ‘Dillagi’ (their favorite track as it was the first they wrote together), ‘Baby Jaan’ a dance anthem, ‘All That I Want’ a soft R&B track and stunning ballads like ‘Tere Mere / Promises’. Not to mention the Desi banger ‘Tantanna’ featuring Bollywood pop star Akriti Kakar. Shekie asserts, “We tried to cater for all, the more the merrier, we just want people to appreciate our music.”

The first single to be taken off the album titled ‘Uh Huh’ featuring rapper English Kid, is an upbeat, radio-friendly Pop/Hindi anthem with an addictive beat. The music video to accompany the single was shot in London and the trailer is already causing a stir. The duo’s love of the cinematic industry is highlighted by the film-esq video. Both inventive and high budget, this is just a taster of the standard Shekie n Sham want to set for their promising career.

For more information visit www.snsworld.co.uk

TRAILERS

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Click here for 'All That I Want' (14MB) (Flash File).