Bhangra Latina is a new music phenomenon combining elements of Bhangra and Latin music. The idea was born when Kuljit Bhamra and Alex Wilson met for the first time in 2004 at the opening of The Sage, Gateshead. As they experimented with Punjabi rhythms and Latin piano riffs they discovered that a new style of music was possible. This melding of talent has explored how composers and musicians from different traditions can work together to create new music from these two forms.

Bhamra and Wilson have worked together, to create Bhangra Latina, with some of the best emerging composers in the UK, such as Nico Bentley, Paul Buckley, Chris Gander and Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian under the guidance of Trinity College of Music’s Alwynne Pritchard.

This album opens with a lively, upbeat Latin song ‘Pyar Ka Hai Bairi’, that is until the female vocals come in at 30 secs. The Punjabi lyrics take this track onto a different level and with the hybrid of Latin and Punjabi style it’s certainly a very exotic piece of music, one that certainly gets the body moving to its feel good rhythm and beat.

‘Invitation’ seems to be influenced more on the Punjabi side of the music and has a Middle Eastern mysterious feel about it. Its beats are much slower than that of the previous track but it has a more sophisticated feel about it. At 2 mins, 40 secs the music has a shift in direction to have more of a Latin feel. The longer this track goes on the more complex it becomes, reaching a peak as it crescendos to the end of its 6 mins, 43 secs.

‘Oh Kuri’ has a playful Latin feel to it with, again, Punjabi vocals. All of the musical instruments fit so well together, from the Latin percussion and sharp brass to the sounds of cowbells and tribal drums. Just sublime.

A slower sounding track is ‘Kabhi Tho Mere Yaara’, this time Punjabi female vocals feature throughout and the muffled brass show off the Latin roots. A sophisticated piano plays at the forefront in the middle of this track, which gives it a soft smooth sound.

‘Sangita Bhairanova’ opens with a mysterious, eerie sounding intro with ghostly features and the vocals sound not unlike those of a Muslim mosque calling for prayer. Then it opens to a vibrant Latin sound with the use of piano and muffled brass. Again, the tribal drums fit in perfectly with the other instruments.

‘Einstein Comes To Town’ has a strong, dark, creepy intro, with off note piano keys, sharp brass and male whaling vocals. It gives a feeling of being stern, just as in the tango. That is until it opens up at 1 min, 43 secs. where the tempo picks up and the vocals, along with the strong brass, give a "da da da" which mirror each other. As the song goes on it creates a jazzy feel which, at 4 mins changes to what feels like an experimental piece of music, exploring the different musical instruments. It reaches its peak at 5 mins, 43 secs and reverts back to the "da da da" tune but this time it’s a little slower and has other elements in it. This is a strong piece of mind-blowing music.

I love the intro of ‘Tablas Guruve’, it is so effective with just the sounds of the bass to begin then the tribal drums are introduced and as the song progresses so too do the instruments such as piano, percussion and brass yet at this point it is still a simple beat and rhythm. The further we move along the more frantic and louder it all becomes.

‘Dark Garden’ is the last track on this album but by no means is it least. The intro is simple with a drumbeat, handclaps and whaling male vocals. It has a strong steady beat and is definitely Punjabi focused at this stage. As this song goes on the vocals become quite jazzy and sounds a little like a ‘sing off’ taking place between the two vocalists. At 4 mins, 33 secs there is a drum roll which moves this song into a jazz direction. It goes on to open up and becomes livelier with a Latin feel about it. Being just less than 15 minutes long this piece of music moves in many directions, with chants, melodies and a frenzied finale crescendo where everything seems to come together.

When I first heard about Bhangra Latina I thought there was no way these two types of music could come together and work, but they do. There is so much going on in this genre of music that there is something for everyone. This music is inspiring, deep and gets your head, heart and hips moving.

9

Helena Rea