Asian Dub Foundation - A History Of Now (2011)

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Asian Dub Foundation are a British electronica band, that plays a mix of rapcore, dub, dancehall and ragga, also using rock instruments, acknowledging a punk influence. Their distinctive sound also combines indo-dub basslines, searing sitar-inspired guitars and ‘traditional’ sounds, shot through with fast-chat conscious lyrics. The band formed in 1993 as an outgrowth of the documentary Identical Beat, a film shot at London's Farringdon Community Music House, the site of a series of summer workshops designed to teach South Asian children the essentials of music technology. In charge of the workshops were tutor Aniruddha Das and youth worker John Pandit, also a noted DJ; with one of their students, a 14-year-old Bengali rapper named Deeder Zaman, they soon formed a sound system which they called the Asian Dub Foundation. The 1995 song, Rebel Warrior, was inspired by the 1920s poem, "Bidrohi" by Bengali poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam, an advocate for Indian independence. The song discusses the racial violence and inequality that the group state still plagues their British communities. Asian Dub Foundation have used their music in conjunction with education and social work for youth in the East End of London, as well as other British anti-racism campaigns. Combining dancehall, dub beats, ragga and punk rock influences with hard hitting lyrics, the multicultural Asian Dub Foundation are back for 2011. Their new studio album again pushes the boundaries and asks questions while being different musically from previous releases. With the sound more expanded, it proves to be the bands most cohesive uplifting masterpiece of their career. The new album title is a comment of the present state of humanity on the planet and the world we live in "there is no history anymore everything is in complete flux!" ADF is proud of what they have achieved, Steve Chandra Savale comments "in the 16 years of the band we have lived through a lot of change, how we make music, how we relate to people, we're completely transformed and this is a good way to mark that artistically." The 11 songs on the album mark a distinct change and this comes from having live drums, using more strings/flutes which makes for a more expanded sound. A 'HIstory of Now' is not focused on their original mc style, "this sound dates very quickly" explains Aktar Ahmed, this in turn meant he discovered he possessed a superb low voice and this shines through. Other vocalist Al Rumjen's voice was based on Jamacian mc'ing but his style sound has also moved on. This all comes from them "wanting to play to our strengths, to not try and chase other things". ADF are good at making hybrid music which has "elements of dub/club sensibility but also a little bit of guitar based song writing." Apart from their traditional Indian and Asian influences there are also a lot of none 1st world influences on here.

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Tracklist:
1 A New London Eye (4:49)
2 Urgency Frequency (4:27)
3 London To Tokyo (4:55)
4 A History Of Now (4:19)
5 Spirit In The Machine (4:07)
6 Where's All The Money Gone? (4:06)
7 In Another Life (5:36)
8 Power Of 10 (3:52)
9 Futureproof (3:33)
10 This Land Is Not For Sale (4:41)
11 Temple Siren (5:40)
12 Lights Out (3:47)