British Bhangra conquers adversity to go global

4 months ago 09th Feb 15:26

Bhangra music has gone from an obscure 1960s Birmingham import to an internationally recognised art-form - says the author of the first ever history of the genre.

But according to Dr Rajinder Dudrah who is Head Of Drama at The University of Manchester, the music has had to struggle against cultural racism and community politics to stake its place in British popular culture.

The Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies charts the rise and rise of the mix of Punjabi beats and lyrics, UK pop, RnB, reggae, garage, grime and other world sounds in his new book Bhangra: Birmingham and Beyond.

Dr Dudrah said: "Bhangra has made a hugely important contribution to British popular music despite the attitudes of the mainstream music business.

"In the 1980s Bhangra bands were selling up to 30,000 cassettes a week in Asian music shops.

"But despite its massive popularity, the music was and continues to be unrecognised by the official top 40 - though it outsells many of the official top 40 bands.

"Even though the genre now is now taught in schools, it is still sidelined by the British music establishment.

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