EXPECTATIONS De Dana Dan is an out and out comic entertainer due to which one doesn't quite expect a musical here. Of course Akshay Kumar-Pritam 'jodi' in the past has given chartbuster tracks in comedies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Singh Is Kinng earlier. Still, these films had a romantic angle to them which resulted in memorable music not just ... More
Sheniz Janmohamed is a freelance writer, poet and spoken word artist. She completed her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at The University of Guelph, and was mentored by GG nominee and National Bestelling author, Janice Kulyk Keefer. Her thesis is a collection of essays and poems reflecting her triune identity as a Canadian, South Asian and Kenyan. She has also completed a manuscript of ghazals in English, and is collaborating with international dub/electronica artists on numerous musical/spoken word projects. She has written for South Asian Living magazine, City Masala Magazine and Anokhi Magazine. She is the President and Founder of Ignite Poets, an spoken word initiative that allows young poets and spoken word artists to work together for peace and partnership. She recently travelled to Kenya to work with Kenyan poets on a collaborative show that raised money for Hawkers Market Girls Centre in the slums of Nairobi. She has performed at various venues across Toronto, including the Strong Words Reading Series, Toronto Poets’ Saturday Night Love, The Mini Shebang High School Tour and Masala! Mehndi! Masti!
About the MMM! Performance, The Universe Within:
On Saturday, February 20th, 2010, Sheniz Janmohamed performed as part of the MMM! Winterfest. The Universe Within, a collaborative poetic performance produced by Sheniz Janmohamed, featured Awais Jaffery on acoutic guitar, Kumail Khan on dumbek and Sediq Danesh on harmonium/vocals. The audience experienced the mystical poetry of Rumi and the timeless wisdom of Allama Iqbal as well a sufi inspired piece,"We Are", written and performed by Sheniz.
To watch clips of the performance, visit:
We Are:
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Breathe My Name/Finale:
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To find out more about Sheniz and her upcoming performances, visit:
Just another auto-tone computer disguised as an artist? Nope, not Navin Kundra - he has got the goods to hold his own! In an era where digitally enhanced music is the norm, Navin Kundra stands out in the crowd as and incredibly talented singer, guitarist and producer! This overflowing musical powerhouse has proven his merit with his tracks: Love Thing, 'Mehbooba' and 'Tere Liye' and bagged 2 UK AMA Nominations as well as some stellar upcoming performances.
Kundra's sound is very unique to the South Asian scene. Though he is known for his Bollywood sound and covers of some classics, it is his incredibly fresh alternative vibe that bagged him the UK AMA nominations in the categories of Best Male Act and Best Alternative Act.
Navin's journey in the music industry started when he spontaneously decided to audition for an audition for a music show at a Mela. He went on to represent the UK in the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge Dubai. As his career progressed, Navin has gone on to perform at those same Melas and at other prestigious events. Recently he performed at the UK British Sports Award 2010 and has a performance coming up in front of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Amitabh Bachan, Shilpa Shetty and Jesse Jackson.
To find out the intimate details of Navin's journey in the music industry and interviews with the artist, please contact me directly: Rohan Sheth 412.427.2783,
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Only in her mid-twenties, DJ Kayper has already accomplished what most would aspire to achieve in their entire lifetime. From winning numerous DJ competitions to playing the world’s hottest night clubs to now hosting her own radio show on BBC Asian Network, UK’s DJ Kayper has become world renowned as she has scratched her way to the top.
Being brought up in the London borough of Croydon, Kaajal Bakrania aka DJ Kayper, always had a passion for music and became fascinated with DJ’s and turntables at a very young age. She was influenced by her two cousins who were successful DJ’s in the 90’s that played renowned clubs like London’s Ministry of Sound as well as other popular clubs in northern England. Whenever she visited her cousins she would watch them practice on their decks (turntables) and became intrigued – she now wanted to learn how they did it. Unfortunately, her cousins were too busy and never gave her a chance to learn. One year her brother bought turntables in an attempt to learn how to DJ but as Kayper puts it ‘he wasn’t very good’. When her brother went away for university and left the equipment behind, she seized the chance to learn on her own.
“So I saw this as my opportunity to practice behind his back. I used to come home from school and go into his bedroom and practice with his records and stuff,” says Kayper.
“And then he caught me one time when he came home and he said ‘What are you doing in my room?’ And I said ‘Well I’m just practicing, I’m trying to learn how to DJ’. He said ‘Well that’s actually really good, did you teach yourself? ’And I said ‘Yeah’. After that he realized that I really wanted to do it and he supported me and took me to all my gigs. So that’s how it happened.”
Kayper began DJ’ing at the age of 12 with the guidance of her brother and two cousins and by age 15 she began to play in top bars and clubs in South London, including her first ‘serious’ gig at Ministry of Sound. She soon became known for her innate ability to control the crowd and for the unique blend of music played in her sets. Kayper would mix up just about anything and make it sound good - whether it was Rock mixed with Hip-Hop or 80’s mixed with Bhangra/Bollywood – she was beginning to catch the attention of club promoters from all over London as well as other major cities in the UK.
Fated for Success
At the age of 19, Kayper became the first female to win the prestigious Vestax Juice DJ competition. It was a national competition involving all the universities across the UK and each university had their own heats and their own final before competing against other universities. Winning the competition not only made Kayper realize her own potential but also opened many doors for her in a male dominated industry and paved the way for her future success. But it almost didn’t happen.
“The way I got into it, I wasn’t actually supposed to enter, it was my first week or first month of university when I had just started,” says Kayper.
“I had given a guy my mix tape to master because the levels were up and down and I thought I wanted to make a mix tape. He’s like third year, I was in the first year and he was doing music technology. So he mastered it for me and then he came up to me and said ‘Was that you scratching on there, is that you DJ’ing?’ And I said ‘Yeah.’ He’s like ‘Cuz that’s actually really good. You know there’s this competition going on and I think you should enter it. The only thing is it might be too late.’ He was entered in the competition and he ended up dropping out of the competition just so that I could enter. He said ‘I think you’re going to do much better than me, just go for it.’”
So Kayper decided to take the offer and entered the competition in his place. At first Kayper didn’t take it seriously and was doing it for fun, but soon her perspective changed.
“I ended up winning all the heats. And when I kept winning everything, I thought ‘Hmm, this could be interesting.’ Then it started to get more and more serious. Eventually I had to go to the semi-final in London and compete against all these other DJ’s but I won that. Then came the finals and I thought ‘Ok, this is kind of serious.’ But I ended up winning that as well, and it was up against hundreds of universities. It’s kind of crazy but I won the whole thing and it was an experience! It was cool because after that competition I started touring and doing a lot more gigs.”
After the competition, Vestax, renowned for producing DJ mixers and professional turntables, gave Kayper a two year sponsorship deal and she also received a lot of press attention, especially from two of the other sponsors – the Daily Mail and iDJ magazine. DJ Kayper had soon developed a following and started up a residency called “Ebonics” at The Fez Club in Cambridge which is a legendary club in its own right. From there she began to attract attention from international promoters and she started touring and playing clubs all over Europe as well as Mauritius, Dubai, South Africa, Malaysia, India, Canada and US, including New York City’s famed SOB’s, The Knitting Factory and Joe’s Pub.
A Constant Struggle
DJ Kayper has achieved a lot of success but she certainly has had her share of obstacles. Being a young female DJ, she has had to endure many incidents of sexism in an industry dominated by males. She has worked hard to develop her skills and prove that she is not a novelty act as well as hold her own against any DJ in the world.
“There’s not many of us, not many female DJ’s,” says Kayper. “If there is then there’s the kind of DJ’s that you just look at and don’t really have much skill. So there’s a handful of DJ’s, female DJ’s that actually have skill and are really passionate at what they do and are not doing it for the novelty factor. Because of that, when promoters look at me they’re going to think automatically she’s just a girl, a novelty thing. But when they start to do their research or if they actually hear me DJ then they’re surprised. They’re like ‘Wow, she can actually DJ, that’s really good.’”
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When Kayper started DJ’ing she experienced a lot of negativity or what she calls ‘jealous or childish kind of behaviour’ ranging from a snarky comment to having her records stolen. For Kayper one particular incident came to mind.
“I had just gone to see my cousin DJ’ing in a club and he had to step away for a bit and said ‘Can you just make sure the record doesn’t run out, just look out’. So I put the headphones on, I was DJ’ing, I’m there to kind of help him out and then this guy came up to me and said ‘Where’s the DJ?’ And when I gave him a look and said ‘Hello?’ he’s like ‘How could you be a DJ you’re a girl?’ It was stupid things like that. There are little comments that stick in your head, especially when you’re young.”
With Kayper’s notoriety and experience the tables have turned but every now and then an incident occurs to remind her that the stereotype still exists.
“But these days it’s a little bit easier but I still have that problem. There’s still not many female DJ’s, I still have the problem of people thinking I’m not good enough, I’m not going to be good because I’m a female, there’s no point of getting this girl, because blah, blah, blah, whatever reason. So I just carry on doing what I’m doing and put mix tapes out and hopefully one day it won’t be such a big deal.”
The DJ Kayper Show
Photograph by Jake Green
In 2006, Kayper was approached by BBC Asian Network to see if she would be interested in hosting her own radio show. The radio station was re-launching and wanted to attract a younger audience and as well as younger personalities to host their programs. Kayper had rarely spoken into a microphone during her DJ sets let alone have the experience to host a radio show. But she was flattered and up for the challenge. The DJ Kayper Show has become one the stations most popular shows with a wide global audience and she has gone on to interview some of the biggest names in the music industry such as Common, Questlove, Lupe Fiasco, Nelly Furtado, Xzibit, Kelly Rowland, Wyclef, Will.I.Am and of course her idol DJ Jazzy Jeff.
“I’ve interviewed a lot of big stars,” says Kayper, “big DJ’s but never have I been star-struck apart from when I met Jazzy Jeff and when he was on my show. It was weird because I had like an hour with him and he was in the studio. And I thought ‘How many people get the chance sit down with their idol and ask them anything or everything that they’ve always wanted to ask them.’ So I was definitely a bit star-struck. But then after that I’ve met him, chilled with him, worked with him so many times now it’s not a big deal.”
Meeting her idol was an opportunity of a lifetime but gaining his admiration and to have him pay her the ultimate compliment on a national audience was priceless.
“I used to run a club night in Cambridge for 5 or 6 years and the whole point of me starting this club night was to make a quality night. And I wanted to use it as an opportunity to bring over the DJ’s that I have grown up listening to and who I’ve been influenced by. And obviously Jazzy Jeff was one of them. So I booked him 2 or 3 times and he came over and he DJ’ed for me and obviously he saw me DJ because I always DJ on my own night. I interviewed him a week after he DJ’ed for me and he said ‘I’ve been watching your videos and stuff on YouTube and I seriously think you’re probably the best female DJ that I’ve ever seen in my life.’ And I was like ‘Wow, that’s cool’. Especially him saying that on national radio as well.”
Caper vs. Kayper
The origins of DJ Kayper’s stage name dates back to her days in high school. Apparently, she was a rebel without a cause - that is until DJ’ing took over her life as well as kept her out of trouble.
“I was naughty in high school, I was a bit mischievous. I was just bored I think,” laughs Kayper. “I used to get into a lot of trouble and got suspended quite a few times, I was going thru my rebel phase and so I kind of got this nickname from my friends, they used to say ‘You’re a little caper, you’re this and you’re that.’ And they just kind of named me Kayper. So when it came to me deciding on what my DJ name should be, Kayper just kind of stuck so I might as well keep it so that’s where the name came from.”
Kayper has an explanation for the unique spelling of her stage name as well.
“Well one of my other nicknames, cuz no one could ever pronounce Kaajal, everyone at school just called me Kay. Everyone kind of started spelling my name K-A-Y, that’s what I was known as.”
Another mystery solved, but whatever happened to the guy who let Kayper enter the Vestax competition?
“It’s so weird, he just disappeared after and then randomly got in touch with me on MySpace a year or two ago. He said ‘I’ve been looking out what you’ve been doing since I first met you. It’s a good think I dropped out.’ And yeah I did thank him but I haven’t seen him since which is weird. Maybe I’ll see him some other time,” laughs Kayper. “One day I’ll buy him a drink or something.”
Amplified – Imran Khan Takes Punjabi Music to the Next Level
Saturday, 13 March 2010 23:00
When you hear the name Imran Khan who do you think of?
For most, the famous Pakistani cricket star would come to mind, but for those of you haven’t heard there is another Imran Khan who is ready to take on the world and is looking to take Punjabi music to the next level.
The Dutch born Imran Khan stormed the British Asian music scene over two years ago with the single “Ni Nachleh” ( Let’s Dance). For Khan, “Ni Nachleh” was an experiment – he wanted to test out a new sound for Punjabi music and wasn’t sure what the reaction would be. The single turned out to be a huge success and had fans and critics alike asking for more.
But there was a problem. Khan didn’t have any other songs to release, so he immediately began working on an album. It was a couple of years in the making but Khan dropped his debut album Unforgettable in late July, 2009. And like “Ni Nachleh”, the album has received rave reviews and the single “Amplifier” became the summer anthem with the highest number of requests on UK radio stations catering to the South Asian demographic.
Khan is taking all the success in stride and is more than happy with how everything has turned out. On the phone from London, Khan expressed that he still had doubts prior to the album being released.
“When I was creating this album, I only thought two things,” says Khan. “Are the people going to accept this? Are the people going to listen to it? But they loved it. It’s always a risk to come with something new.”
Despite being a fan of Punjabi music he found that the music had changed very little over the years and was still too traditional. He wanted to shake up the Punjabi music scene with a new sound.
“As a Punjabi listener, as a fan of Punjabi music I thought there was a big gap in this industry,” says Khan. “I don’t know why they are keeping the traditional dhol and tumbi. You have to understand it’s 2010 you have to come with something different.”
Being born and raised in Holland, Khan grew up in a mixed community with very few South Asians. Khan’s upbringing was shaped by a diverse set of musical influences, which provided a strong foundation for his own musical creations. By successfully combining Punjabi lyrics to a blend of house, electro, hip-hop and even a bit of rock, Khan has essentially created a new sub genre of urban Desi music that will no doubt inspire other artists to follow in his footsteps.
“I thought let me fill the gap with my own creativity. So I made Punjabi music with house music, electro. It’s not like a dream but like an experiment for me as to how I was going to sound like. So I thought let me develop this idea and release it and there it was.”
Even while growing up, Khan was influenced by Punjabi singers who were unique and different from other Punjabi artists.
“I used to listen to Chan Chamkila, Didar Sandhu and Mohammed Saddiq. I thought they were different from other Punjabi artists in that time.”
As for now, Khan draws his influences from the west listening to r&b and hip-hop with T-Pain being one of his favourite artists.
Finding the Right Producer
Khan started to take his musical ambitions seriously in his early twenties and was signed to a record label in England. However, he quickly returned to Holland over mismanagement and financial concerns. From there it would take Khan a few years to find a producer who shared his vision. Whether he was in Pakistan or England, all the producers he met had an old-school frame of mind.
“Basically I went to Pakistan first to make an album. When we finished the album there after a few months I was listening to the album and I was thinking ‘No, I don’t want to come like this in this industry. I want to come fresh, something new and something modern.’ And I cancelled the whole project and I went to the UK. There I wanted to do a single release and we made the track and again the same feeling I had in Pakistan even if I was in a modern country. And still, it wasn’t what I wanted to achieve.”
At that point, Khan decided to take a year-long break to figure out his next move. But his hiatus was short-lived. Upon his return to Holland his determination got the better of him and he immediately went to work looking for producers who would feel his vibe and sound.
“Then I met Eren E and he was living just behind me, behind my house. So someone introduced me to him and when I saw him, I knew he was going to produce my album. And that’s it and from there it all started. Then I thought, there’s no need to look far sometimes it’s just near you.”
Eren E is a Dutch-Turkish music producer who produced “Ni Nachleh” for Khan and the two have worked together ever since. Eren E produced tracks 1-12 on Unforgettable while another Dutch-Turkish producer, Hakan Ozan produced the final three tracks on the album. But since both producers were unfamiliar with Punjabi music, Khan helped co-produce many tracks as well.
“I always sit next to the producer. I like to guide them because they don’t know the Punjabi lyrics so I explain them. I co-produced as well, sometimes they can’t come up with a melody line or beat and then I would tell them how to.”
Another Hit Single
“Bewafa” was chosen by Khan’s fans to be his next single and was released in December. The song became an instant hit and shows off Khan’s emotional side. The single is in complete contrast to “Amplifier” but demonstrates Khan’s ability to deliver up-tempo and slow jams with relative ease.
2010 will be a busy year for Khan as he plans to tour extensively in Europe, Asia and North America in support of Unforgettable. He has already worked on new material but wants to firmly establish the current album before he moves on to any other projects. But if the initial success is any indication we will hear from Imran Khan for many years to come.
Canadian born international beauty Queen Naomi Zaman is releasing her debut single “ROCK DESI’ on I-tunes January 26, 2010 for her long awaited fans. The song Rock Desi is a bass heavy Radio/Club track with Naomi Zaman's Hindi/English pop vocals style and a pulsing futuristic metal throb that continues the electro-oriented groove.
The production on the song is lush, with Naomi Zaman’s orchestration type vocals, simple catchy melodies and the drums that thump; it will get the dance floor moving. Naomi Zaman’s powerful yet delicate vocals have lasting echoes that gives the song a dreamlike feel, which does blend to the track's lyrical content. 'Rock This Desi Party!' as the chorus goes is written to sing/dance to and the subjective emotion behind the catchy chorus is relative to both men and women representing the Desi Community. Rock Desi is especially dedicated to Naomi Zaman's fans that have supported her over the years as the first Miss Pakistan that competed and won in an international pageant.Rock Desi is the lead single to Naomi Zaman’s forthcoming album which will be released worldwide in the summer of 2010.
Naomi Zaman will be appearing at local events this January and will be launching a Canada wide tour in support of the debut single Rock Desi.
Sheniz Janmohamed is a freelance writer, poet and spoken word artist. She completed her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at The University of Guelph, and was mentored by GG nominee and National Bestelling author, Janice Kulyk Keefer. Her thesis is a collection of essays and poems reflecting her triune identity as a Canadian, South Asian and Kenyan. She has also completed a manuscript of ghazals in English, and is collaborating with international dub/electronica artists on numerous musical/spoken word projects. She has written for South Asian Living magazine, City Masala Magazine and Anokhi Magazine. She is the President and Founder of Ignite Poets, an spoken word initiative that allows young poets and spoken word artists to work together for peace and partnership. She recently travelled to Kenya to work with Kenyan poets on a collaborative show that raised money for Hawkers Market Girls Centre in the slums of Nairobi. She has performed at various venues across Toronto, including the Strong Words Reading Series, Toronto Poets’ Saturday Night Love, The Mini Shebang High School Tour and Masala! Mehndi! Masti!
Just another auto-tone computer disguised as an artist? Nope, not Navin Kundra - he has got the goods to hold his own! In an era where digitally enhanced music is the norm, Navin Kundra stands out in the crowd as and incredibly talented singer, guitarist and producer! This overflowing musical powerhouse has proven his merit with his tracks: Love Thing, 'Mehbooba' and 'Tere Liye' and bagged 2 UK AMA Nominations as well as some stellar upcoming performances.
The Dutch born Imran Khan stormed the British Asian music scene over two years ago with the single “Ni Nachleh” ( Let’s Dance). For Khan, “Ni Nachleh” was an experiment – he wanted to test out a new sound for Punjabi music and wasn’t sure what the reaction would be. The single turned out to be a huge success and had fans and critics alike asking for more.
Casablanca22 Points
IndyJones20 Points
Kavs18 Points
