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Episode details

Asian Network,22 Sep 2026,60 mins

with Beant: the South Asian underground scene

Asian Network Represents

Available for 26 days

New voices and new sounds from the Asian Network. Beant takes a deep dive into the Asian Underground and the Panjabi garage sounds that have shaped British Asian club culture. From Talvin Singh and State of Bengal to Asian Dub Foundation, Joi and Nitin Sawhney, he explores the groundbreaking movement that emerged from UK Asian nightlife in the 1990s, blending South Asian musical traditions with jungle, garage, electronic and dance music. The journey then moves into Panjabi garage, with tracks from RDB, Nindy Kaur, XLNC, DJ Surinder Rattan, Punjabi Hit Squad and more, exploring how folk vocals, poetry and familiar South Asian sounds found a new home on the dancefloor. In his Moment That Made Me, Beant reflects on discovering the renaissance of the Asian Underground at DialledIn in 2021, where he experienced a new generation of artists bringing together Panjabi music, garage, dubstep and electronic sounds in an inclusive space. From the pioneering artists of the 90s to the producers and DJs pushing the movement forward today, Beant celebrates a sound that has always been about community, creativity and breaking new ground. Produced in Birmingham by Solis Productions for BBC Asian Network.

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Tracklist

  1. Track
    Artist
  2. 1.
    Tauba Tauba (From Bad Newz)
    Tauba Tauba (From Bad Newz)
    Karan Aujla
  3. 2.
    Jhak Maar Ke (from Desi Boyz)
    Jhak Maar Ke (from Desi Boyz)
    Neeraj Shridhar & Harshdeep Kaur
  4. 3.
    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    Talvin Singh