Central London

The home of the national media, of fashionable tourists and fickle students, Central London has the most famous nightclubs in the UK -  with the highest prices. By the mid 1980's Bhangra promoters and DJ's became both very ambitious and highly competitive. Unicorn/Unique, Dhamaka, Xzecutive, Mirage and Calibar all made plans to break into the London big time. The prize was The Hippodrome, then Europe's most popular club, and in December 1985 it hosted its first Bhangra gig, Heera, Chirag Pehchan and the Xzecutive DJs played to thousands of ecstatic Bhangra fans. Beyond the Hippodrome, the Empire /Equinox remained a favourite with Bhangra promoters. Other clubs hosted Bhangra nights throughout the 1980's and 1990s, including Maximus, Ministry of Sound, Bagleys and Samanthas. Busbys hosted Sunday Daytimers in 1987 and in 1993 Breakin' Loose Productions (Markie Mark, Mits of Hustlers and Matt from Impact) launched Bombay Jungle at the Wag Club. Kushty, Krazy Gang, Anonymous, Big Baba and Hoo Haa were other successful promoters from this era. San-J Sanj says "London superclubs were packed out every weekday with young British Asians. It was an exciting time when everyone, promoters, DJs, clubs and bands were making big money; but it couldn't last" Soon promoters needed acts with a national reputation to sell tickets; Apna Sangeet, D.C.S and Malkit Singh challenged London Bhangra bands such as Alaap, Heera and Premi. After ten years of big names, big clubs and big business, the 1990's saw the London Bhangra scene begin to fragment. Small, hip, DJ-led events appeared at the fringes, mixing in Jungle, Acid House, R'n'B, Hip Hop, Drum and Bass and appealing to a cross-cultural style elite. The new breed of DJ’s included Maximum NRG, Asian DJ Culture, and DJ Ritu (the most successful female DJ). Hipper, younger and cheaper than established acts, they represented the modern and fashionable remix culture as the popularity of live bands began to decline. Big clubs and big stages began to be remodeled to reflect the bar and lounge culture rising in London at the turn of the century. Within five years, Bhangra, Bollywood and Bombass, North African beats and Sega music from Mauritius would be on the DJ's playlist. Comments (0) Write comment Name Comment Add Comment

 

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