HOME      EXCLUSIVES    FEATURES    MOVIES    REVIEWS    CONTESTS    TALK TO US    SUBSCRIBE  Introducing: If you don’t actually know a lot about British Asian music but you’re stuck in a situation where you have to pretend, a few essential names dropped strategically should cover your butt. Talvin Singh and Nitin Sawhney can be your go-to luminaries but leave out Shri and your bluff will be called pretty quickly. Shri (full name Shrikanth Sriram) was one of the early success stories of the UK Asian movement as one half of the dynamic Badmarsh and Shri. Watch him on stage and you’ll know why. Recently in Mumbai playing live at the British Council, the musician specialised in blurring lines – tabla bols rolled over thumping bass lines, organic met electronic as loops were created on the fly and, most notably, it was the bass guitar that had its moment in the spotlight, played like a sitar, plucked like a cello, and evoking a violin even through the evening. This year, the Bombay-bred classically trained musician brings his vibrant sound to Indian shores with the release of his new solo album. Highlights: - Shri’s UK career started as a bass player and accompanist to contemporaries like Talvin Singh and Nitin Sawhney. He was soon signed to Outcaste Records and his first solo album-Drum The Bass (1996) was produced by Nitin Sawhney. - Shri teamed up with DJ Badmarsh to form Badmarsh and Shri. This collaboration produced two ground-breaking albums - Dancing Drums (1998) and Signs (2001) both of which received rave reviews from magazines like Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, India Today and Ministry amongst many others around the world. The Record Q&A: What is playing live in India like? There are two aspects – I’m always terrified of the audience. I don’t know what kind of audience it’s going to be. [Across the world] I’ve played to 80-100,000 people no issues, but here it’s like if they don’t like you, they’ll really demolish you. When I play in Europe, the crowd comes because they want to come to your concert. There are 50 concerts happening at the same time so if they come it’s because they really want to watch you play. I think it is improving here but if say there is Bryan Adams playing, everyone will go to watch Bryan Adams – not because they like him or not, that’s irrelevant. So if you are a bit pissed and drunk you start shouting and screaming. That makes a big difference I think. You don’t play a standard bass guitar. Tell us more. I made it myself out of a piece of teak wood lying at the back of my building, being rained upon for years. One day I just wanted to make a bass with it – I picked it up, scrubbed it, I liked the grain, how it looked and I made this bass. It was just one of those moments. I had to cut another bass up to figure out the shape but it took 3 days to make. The carvings on it took another 2 months. Also featured: ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The Record has been around since 1998. Do you have every issue of your favourite magazine? to order back issues Would you like to have your favourite music magazine delivered directly to your doorstep? Website: Thrillpill Design © THE RECORD MUSIC MAGAZINE. All Rights Reserved.