Reviews
Overview
Shot on video and film over seven years, American filmmaker Vivek Bald's absorbing examination of the Asian Underground movement in English rock in the 90s combines interview and performance footage of all the key players-Talvin Singh, Fun-Da-Mental, Cornershop, Joi, and Asian Dub Foundation. Nearly every musician interviewed talks about experiencing anti-Asian racism while growing up. Bald shows how defensive identification with England's black population led them to embrace reggae and hip-hop in addition to Indian sounds like Bollywood sound track music, bhangra, and Indian classical music. A passing moment of attention from the mainstream media and major record labels has embittered some of the performers but left others more focused and still hopeful.
