Terry Mardi owns the worlds first DESI CIRCUS! His amazing Big Top consists of amazing talented singers and musicians to combine and create Terry Mardi Productions.
Terry Mardi Biography: Terry Mardi is the young eccentric British Asian media entrepreneur turned music producer/artist manager. Born and raised in Hounslow, London (the same area Phil Collins, Patsy Kensit, Jay Sean, Bobby Friction and Rishi Rich grew up). The self taught music producer spent 10 years perfecting his craft and knowledge of the music industry and being instrumental in the creation of the British Asian scene before launching his public persona in 2006. His energy is fuelled by the fact that he survived being shot in the leg at age 8 by racist gang members called the National Front also known as BNP.
Music Career: Since going public Terry Mardi very quickly managed to marry music production that resonates with the target audience with expert knowledge of the South Asian market to create success for various artists he has launched and even has attracted global names to work with him such as R. Kelly, the legendary James Brown crew and even Martha High, Mint Condition are coming out with something that will blow your mind. Terry work’s very closely with KIKIT who of course manage Prince. Terry Mardi is also responsible for the official South Asian Michael Jackson Tribute which is currently underway in his London circus themed studio, where over 25 British Asian stars all come together and are singing together on one track produced by Terry Mardi.
British Asian artists Terry Mardi has been responsible for launching and working with include, Jay Sean (now signed to Cash Money), Hard Kaur (Birmingham based rapper who has since become a household name in India), Ash King (International R&B and Hindi singer now working with AR Rahman in Bollywood), Ramzi (Lebanese artist from UK , No.2 in Arab State Dubai Charts), Raghav (4 Top Ten Hits in UK and platinum selling artist in India), M.I.L.A.D (the first British Iranian artist where we achieved over 1.4 million hits on myspace and dozens of sell out shows in Europe) and Shad Star (International Asian R&B singer where Terry Mardi collaborated with Harmony and Rodney Jerkins DarkChild/Blackout Entertainment on a co-production deal for the Indian markets). Terry Mardi looks after various new artists such as Jin who is set to create her debut album. Her incredible world class vocals are sure to resonate with music fans all over the globe.
Terry has also remixed for various artists over the years creating bespoke British Asian remixes to enable non-Asian artist to get airplay on Asian radio stations, clients include Outlandish (Sony BMG), Nina Jayne (BMG), Ms Dynamite, So Solid Crew (Virgin), 2Play (Inferno), Sean Paul to name a few.
Recent Success: Terry Mardi productions have also created a brand new genre for the UK which is currently dominating the North of England club scene and now moving south and outwards to India, it is called Desi Niche. His album “Terry Mardi presents Desi Niche†is a joint venture with nightclub Niche (North England’s largest club chain) and caters specifically for the Asian audience and fuses popular electronic dance music styles with addictive Indian vocals and instrumentation, the album was a spin off from their debut test project “Sounds of the Bassline†and “Sounds of the Bassline 2†which have now sold over 200,000 copies with partners Ministry of Sound. Desi Niche has just been playlisted on BBC Radio in the UK and about to be licensed to a major in India.
With all his clients and artists, Terry Mardi always looks at the bigger picture and uses his media background to help to sculpt a visual identity and public persona to accompany the music to help it resonate into people’s lives.
Media Career:Terry Mardi started from the bottom up, studying and working in the club scene, understanding the buying habits of his peers at university, his degree and masters in Design became useful when he began to market and showcase new talent on mix-tapes in the late 90’s selling over 30,000 in a few short months with a shoestring budget and combining the CD sales with live events he quickly made a name for himself in London and the home counties in the suburbs, keeping people outside of London in touch with new music before the escalation of the internet.
In 2000, he co-founded Br-Asian Group which went on to become Br-Asian Media the world’s first western focused entertainment site for Asians. Br-Asian media became the first choice for brands to reach the British Asian Youth market, using online, viral and guerilla PR techniques to communicate with the target audiences, combining this with TV, Press and Radio to further impact the nation. Clients such as Sony Playstation, Nike, Home Office, HM Prison Service, Napster, as well as all the Major record labels used their services.
2001 – Co-launched local FM radio station in Southall, London, “BBA Radio (British Born Asians)†where Bobby Friction (BBC Radio 1), Ameet Chana (Bend it Like Beckham, BBC Asian Network), Panjabi Hit Squad (BBC 1xtra), Neev (Kiss 100 FM) all started their careers in radio and media.
2003 – Br-Asian launched the first UK Asian Music Awards on terrestrial TV network, ITV1 achieving over 1.1 million viewers in one night.
2004 – Launched Canadian Asian artist Raghav via Virgin and achieved top ten hits.
2004 – Terry Mardi founded the Br-Asian stage at Glastonbury (the UK’s largest music festival) 40,000 people attended the stage.
2004 – Launched Br-Asian Mobile servicing South Asian content to Vodafone, Orange, Three and T-Mobile.
2004 – Br-Asian host the British Asian Panel with Rocafella/Damon Dash at the Urban Music Seminar UK.
2005 – Terry Mardi doubled the size of the Br-Asian stage at Glastonbury achieving 80,000 attendees.
2005 – Launched Brasian Beats, South Asian digital music download service.
2006 – Terry Mardi Productions was founded formally and Terry Mardi ‘the character’ began his popular podcast which achieved over a million downloads to date and started his journey as a “in front of scenes characterâ€.
2007 – Terry Mardi founded the Desi Circus – a secret league of gentlemen and women who traditionally do not fit into the ideal pigeon holes of popular culture but exude musical talent beyond belief, he tours the Desi Big Top in secret locations with impromptu invites via mailing list and SMS only. Rumors suggest that the show contains so much excitement and no cameras are permitted due to copyright control.
My Grandfather used to say: 'Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.'
Today in 2007, my work in music and fashion is dedicated to my ancestors who rose against oppression, racism and bad taste over the past few centuries. The story began over 200 years ago with my great great Grandfather Terry Mardi I (the first), born in Paris in 1869. He was a rare mixed race child, his father was a french diplomat; Monsieur Thierry Mardi who fell in love with an Indian industrialists' daughter from Punjab, Preetam Sagwant. He met her on a visit to India for an agricultural meeting with Indian Politicians, I was told that the meeting was about Wheat export from India.
Terry was moved from Paris when he was only 6 months old to London and resided in a small town close to London, a town called Isleworth. He lived there until the age of 6 before being 'shipped' to India for his formal education. It was in 1875 that Terry Mardi began his schooling and was classmates with a boy named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who later became one of the worlds most remembered Lawyers. Mardi and Gandhi remained good friends, even when Mohandas Gandhi moved to London and then South Africa to practice law. Apon Gandhi's return to India, Terry Mardi had established himself as a self made Fashion Designer and had been draping high society clients that his father would introduce to him. Gandhi was becoming more and more vocal about his views against modern machinery and believed that manual labour was to be retained. He was dead against machine woven cotton and said to Mardi that he wanted to wear handwoven cotton only. Terry Mardi decided to honour Gandhi Ji's request. Terry Mardi then recreated Gandhi's look when he designed the first Tunic (in 100% handwoven cotton) for Mahatma Gandhi. This became the attire of choice for M. Gandhi and indeed it is how I remember him. I have pictures of Gandhi with the late Terry Mardi I, which I will update onto my myspace asap once they have been restored, they are quite fragile and have eroded over the years. Therafter he went on to create fashion statements for visionaries across the globe. He met with Mother Theresa who taught him many wonderful things about how to treat fellow human beings, these teachings were passed on me too.
He only had one son, he named him Terry Mardi II (this was my Gt-Gt Grandfather), he was born of an Indian mother, a poor merchants daughter. Terry Mardi II grew up as his father's apprentice and continued to design well into the 20th century. My Grandfather Terry Mardi III did not follow the family tradition of designing clothes, he went on to become an accountant, he was shunned and "kicked out" of the family for committing such a tragedy. However his wealthy background meant that he managed to make links with the world leaders in during the second world war and eventually was re-accepted by his family when he had a son and declared that he would influence his only born to go back into the family business of fabrics and clothing.
Terry Mardi IV (my dad) was born during the 2nd world war and grew up seeing poverty and death first hand, he had dreams of becoming a Bollywood film director and ran away in his teens from the family palace and insisted on coming to London so he went but via East Africa, Kenya actually. Not taking any financial assistance from his wealthy family TM IV vowed never to design for the priveleged again, he slept in one room with his friends and gave up his lavish luxuries. Dad is remembered for owning just one pair of shoes and reinvented his own look like he was his own advert. A walking billboard. His iconic Mardi Moustache has left it's impression on Indians all over.
When I was born I was born with the Family mark on my face, it caused many problems growing up in the 80's, especially in London. I was taught as a child that "The Mardi Mouche" is a symbol of age and wisdom and "it is a gift from God" but my school mates who would bully me for being different wouldn't understand this, instead they beat me and I even got shot at the age of 8 when one of my white friends turned racist and his father made him spray "NF" on my house, which stands for National Front.
I wanted to shave the moustache off but it would grow back within a moment, the words of my father echoed in my mind, He would say to the woman in his life "It takes years for the average man to grow a good moustache, the Mardi blood allows us to do it in hours or days, the longer the hairs the more wise and powerful the bearer is." - when she would ask him to remove it, she was given the speech. Luckily she wasn't my mother she was Samantha Fox (my father's Mistress) and well known English page 3 model.
I last heard from a reliable source (The Sun newspaper) that Terry Mardi IV lives in the remote mountainous jungles of Bedfont, one day I shall go explore. One day.
I am Terry Mardi V (fifth) and I am now living between London and NYC, I have a home in New Delhi too. My aim is to make my ancestors proud by reinventing modern day music and embed our culture into the grain of our music and fibres of our clothes to give us all a soundtrack to our lives and the garments to make us look amazing and feel amazing. Expression. My biography will be available to read shortly
Terry Mardi V believes: "Go Back to Where you Came From" only then can you move forward and move mountains. "Through Struggle Comes Triumph" "Never Bury your Dreams". "Rise to Power", "Geeks rule the world" "Dream Big...Think Bigger". "Gillette..The Best a regular Man can get" Uhummm!
www.TerryMardi.com
