Desi Redux

August 1, 2005 12:08 AM

Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha" and Panjabi MC's collaboration with Jay-Z don't mark Desi's lone inroads into mainstream European and North American culture. The creative hybridizaton might not be widespread, but the impact is felt well beyond pop music, from examples that often range from the comedic to the dramatic to the controversial, giving a glimpse into the ongoing conversation between widely disparate cultures and traditions, going beyond convenient media stereotypes.
posted by Rothko (5 comments total)

This may be entirely apocryphal, but i think i read somewhere that when Cornershop was asked in an interview whether they'd heard from Asha Bhonsle about the song, they were completely unaware that she was still alive. There are tons of other musicians who have contributed to the spreading of desi culture, and I think Night Song (a collaboration between Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook) is one of the best fusion albums ever.
posted by dhruva at 2:05 AM on August 1, 2005

I like the fact that reggaeton artists are using desi sounds, that's some post-modern cross-pollination!
Musically, I suppose it is all a bit last year, Rishi Rich and Brittney Spears (pop-ups), Mis-Teeq and of course Missie Elliot. Still, got to love the chutney.

Hollywood seems unable to convert desi into film revenue, which I find amusing considering the succes of Bollywood.

Oddly, searching for 'desi' one gets rather alot of lewd links.
posted by asok at 2:17 AM on August 1, 2005

heh. Contextually, the desis abroad are all pardesis.
posted by dhruva at 2:43 AM on August 1, 2005

This topic was previously discussed in this thread:
http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/30211
posted by gen at 2:52 AM on August 1, 2005

Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, mine's on the forty-five

surely, one of the best lines ever, from one of the best songs ever.

Contextually, the desis abroad are all pardesis

no, they are not. they are NRIs.

speaking of pardesis, though...

Pardesi pardesi jaana nahin
Humein chhod ke humein chhod ke
Pardesi mere yaara vaada nibhaana

posted by UbuRoivas at 5:43 AM on August 1, 2005