In an eclectic compilation of South Asian Hip Hop, raga-jazz, urban funk, and spoken word, the Awaz of ArtWallah festival soundtrack CD brings together a generation of progressive artists from Toronto, New York, and California. These voices represent the forefront of a new South Asian artistic movement.

© 2002, The South Asian Artists’ Collective

AWAZ OF ARTWALLAH

Festival Soundtrack CD

Arts Festival of the South Asian Diaspora

Support the festival and help promote the work of groundbreaking South Asian artists.

All proceeds benefit the ArtWallah Festival and other South Asian Artists’ Collective projects.

Ta-Beat by
GURPREEET CHANA & JUGULAR

Expanding the Punjabi Gharana style of tabla, Gurpreet blends his intricate rhythmic patterns with Jugular's vocal scratches and Hip Hop beats. As Hip Hop meets Raga and Taal, as beatbox meets tabla, the East/West cultural experience of these individuals come together in a innovative fusion called Ta-beat-la.

Gurpreet and Jugular bringing down the house in the ArtWallah 2002 evening show

Pireeni and Colm delivering a smoldering performance of The Burning Times at ArtWallah 2002

The Burning Times by
PIREENI SUNDARALINGAM & COLM O'RIAIN

Performed by Pireeni and co-written by composer Colm O'Riain, this spoken word piece stirringly places current anti-Asian violence in the UK within the context of racial crimes throughout history.

Passage to India and Outkasted by
KARMACY

Redefining the boundaries of sound, language and thought, Karmacy has established themselves at the forefront of the emerging Fusion Hip Hop genre. In striving to create music that inspires reflection and change, the members delve into their own experiences using vivid imagery to take their audience on a journey through the many aspects of life.

Karmacy packs The Village courtyard on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at ArtWallah 2002

Rosina (Lal) performing in Toronto, Canada

Bolo by
LAL

Refined lyrical insights and intensely focused rhythms collide to form LAL. On the surface rests the culmination of such Afro-musical traditions as jazz, soul and hip hop, combined with drum & bass - acting as a smooth protective skin for the East/West Indian blood that flows beneath.

Megh by
TASA

Rooted in the repertoire of ragas and talas in Indian classical music, Tasa uses ancient melodic and rhythmic forms to create a context for improvisation, while incorporating elements from Brazil, Turkey, and North America.

Indofunk performing at the Bitter End (New York)

Pass the Chillum by
INDOFUNK

Blending Indian classical music and Hip Hop with straight-up American funk and dance beats, Indofunk creates a new take on funky music as grooving as P-Funk and Sly Stone, as tight as techno DJ. Miles Davis and Ravi Shankar, with a drum 'n' bass groove.

Cover art by
CHAMINDIKA WANDURAGALA

Chamindika uses “biomythography” in her art to intertwine experience and history with a personal mythology.  Her characters inhabit a space between dream, reality, and myth.

ARTWALLAH SOUNDTRACK CD