IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL OUR FRIENDS - SONIK GURUS HAVE DISBANDED AFTER 3 SUCCESSFUL, PRODUCTIVE AND VERY ENJOYABLE YEARS.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT BOTH ASH & RANVIR HAVE NEW EXCITING MUSICAL PROJECTS WITH MY SPACE PAGES AND WANT TO REMAIN YOUR FRIENDS:-
ASH: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SWARAJMUSIC
RANVIR: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/UNIVERSAL TAAL
SO, CHECK OUT OUR NEW PAGES AND SEND US THOSE FRIEND REQUESTS !
Defying categorisation, this divinely quirky tag team have been described by DJ Pathaan as An emerging, refreshing sound that simply cannot be ignored ! Ranvir Verma aka Urban Tiger & Ash Chandola aka Khushboo have star quality in spades and are creating sublime multi-tonal soundscapes for the 21st Century.
Innovative, fearless and wicked, their debut album is an impressive collection of their best work so far. Sonik Gurus are the first band to sign to global beat pioneer DJ Pathaans Globetronica label.
The aptly-titled Sound & Culture Clash will be released in October 2006 and embodies many of their musical influences, taking you on a psychedelic carpet ride through the vibrant clubs of London and New York, over Asias colourful streets and into the fiery dancehalls of Jamaica and Latin America. Global folk beats and melodies are effortlessly cut up with every genre from Soul, Blues and Funk to Hip Hop, Breakbeat and Drum n bass - and thrown back in your face. Their sound is underpinned by a heady brew of cutting-edge studio electronics, live instrumentation and strong, catchy songs in many different languages. Sonik Gurus walk the line between the mainstream and the underground while embracing both the airwaves and the dancefloor
Ranvir and Ash have passionately and continually championed the pulsating sounds of the Brit-Asian music scene and their individual production style has earned them the tag of the most leftfield artists to emerge from it. Sonik Gurus are true musical pioneers and originators in their sphere and their instinctively eclectic sound is derivative of their 2nd generation immigrant experience.
Heavily tipped as one of the hottest bands to look out for in 2006, BBC Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction has described them as original as hell - Electronic Bhangra Skanky Funk with a London attitude, all with an international indo-sensibility. Sonik Gurus sound like the UK feels at the moment....messy, noisy, angry and glorious.
Sound And Culture Clash has a truly international flavour and features many languages - English, Spanish, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and Bengali. As well as peppering the album with their own vocal imprints Sonik Gurus collaborate with a wide range of vocal talent from around the world including Indias top rapper Ishq, Bollywood playback singer Shonaa Gonsalves and Rocky a big bhangra artist in his native Punjab. They are joined by one of Venezualas most internationally admired vocalists - One Chot - and a host of UK-based talent including Bhangra producer and vocalist Bee 2, Unnati, Sonia Panesar and Radio Clubasia DJ Noreen Khan - all rising stars in their own right. Drummer Olly Oakley, vocalist/tabla player Hanif Khan and violinist Kumar Raghunathan join the cast of performers for their exhilarating live shows.
Sonik Gurus know where they came from and they know where theyre going but the bottom line is that they are heading a new vanguard of artists propelling British music forward regardless of race, colour or creed. They are the meeting point of ancient, contemporary and future - they are all about the music.
As well as being a multi-instrumentalist (bass, guitar and keyboards), lyricist and vocalist, Ranvir is also the bands producer. He comes from mixed heritage with and Indian father and English mother. He has been playing bass guitar for 21 years, taught himself to play and went on to study harmony, arrangement and composition of music in his native North-East England. He then honed his craft through his diverse experiences working live with Roots Reggae, Jazz Funk, Soul and Drum & Bass artists. He started developing his production and writing skills in the early 1990s on his Atari 1040, since when he has continued to merge his considerable musicianship and production skills. His devotion and dedication led him to produce albums for LTJ Bukems Good Looking Records as well working with Pied Piper, Afro Art Records, Z Records (Dave Lee, Jakarta), Acid Jazz Records and a no 1 dance hit for Massi.
Ash lyricist, vocalist, dj and keyboard player- was born in London of Indian descent and started life in the music business at MTV Europe, negotiating tour promotion for artists including Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Fugees. Turning his back on the corporate world he came into his own as a promoter and dj, forging new ground with the legendary Swaraj clubnight, the worlds longest running Asian Breaks night - 8 years and counting. These illustrious events broke new ground, pushing the British Asian sound to all corners of the globe. Swaraj resident djs over the years include a number of todays prominent British Asian Producers and DJs including DJ Pathaan, Bobby Friction, Nasha Collective and Shiva Sound System.
Sonik Gurus have a soaring international profile having played all over the world. Last year they played at the Masala Mehndi Masti Festival in Toronto - North Americas largest South Asian music festival and New York where they collaborated with San Franciscos pioneering Dhamaal Collective.
Sonik Gurus have performed live in India 3 times in the past 3 years. In July 2003 they played to 1500 people at the Swaraj event at Club Mikanos in Mumbai. The event was promoted by MTV India and broadcast to 23 million homes across the country. In January 2004 they performed live at the Jaipur International Heritage Festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan with local street musicians. Playing in India is always a spiritual journey for the band but this trip was particularly emotional for Ranvir as they performed at the historical Amber Palace home to his ancestor Man Singh, the 16th Century Rajput commander for all of India to the legendary emporer Akbar the Greats army !!
In February 2004 they again performed to 1500 people in Caracas, Venezuala. This historic eventthe first Asian clubnight ever in its kind in South Americawas organised by the British Council and broadcast to the whole of South & Central America on the Sony Entertainment Channel. Sonik Gurus have built a strong relationship with the British Council, who also promoted their January 2005 tour of Poland and will be promoting their Mexico tour in October which will include a live performance at Cervantino...Central Americas largest music festival.
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