Home > Shop > World’s first book on the history of British Bhangra

World’s first book on the history of British Bhangra

Ever wanted to know what hugely popular artists such as Nelly Furtado, Kelly Rowland, Twista and Truth Hurts have in common? They have all used elements of the traditional south Asian music genre known as bhangra in their songs, with massive success.

Punch have worked with a Birmingham born academic and written a revolutionary book, which charts the history of the musical phenomenon that is British bhangra music from the streets of Birmingham to its place in the mainstream music world.

Bhangra: Birmingham and Beyond, the first book of its kind ever, is written by Dr Rajinder Dudrah, a senior lecturer in Film and Media Studies at the University of Manchester. This historical overview of the unique music genre has been produced in collaboration with Punch Records supremo Ammo Talwar and established photographer-writer Boy Chana.

Bhangra music is a genre that comes from the Indian subcontinent and sung in Punjabi. Bhangra: Birmingham and Beyond traces its birth in the UK to when migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent and East Africa arrived in the country in the 1960s, many settling in West Midlands areas such as Birmingham.

Along the way, we learn how stars such as Heera, Alaap, Premi and Malkit Singh stamped their influence on the scene, paving the way for fresh UK based talent such as Apache Indian, Bally Sagoo, Juggy D, Sukshinder Shinda amongst many others, to follow in their footsteps and become successes in their own right.

Ammo Talwar says of the book:

“Bhangra has really forged a path for itself through the years and nowadays it is commonplace to hear its influence in many mainstream songs, such as the remixed version of Mundian To Bach Ke, which has leading hip-hop artist Jay-Z’s rapping on it. Clearly, British bhangra music has evolved in the UK from its folk beginnings in the Punjab. We simply wanted to recreate the journey bhangra has embarked on over the years and I hope the end product is an experience worth sharing with others.”

For further details, interviews, or other materials please contact: Punch on 0121 224 7444