Dis-Orient30

Essays and interviews on the cultural politics of South Asian music-making

A definitive collection of essays and interviews about South Asian diasporic music and culture.

On the 30th anniversary of Dis-Orienting Rhythms: The Politics of the New Asian Dance Music (1996) a pivotal book in British Asian music and cultural studies, Dis-Orient30: Music, Culture, Diaspora brings together original contributions from academic, creative and cultural workers. These essays, interviews and sound tracks take up, critique and expand Dis-Orienting approaches to the cultures and politics of South Asian music-making and listening.

This heterogenous collection guides readers through soundscapes and candid conversations on race, class, ethnicity, gender, nationalism, religion, exoticism, political Blackness, Brown sound, noise and voices.

Readers will step onto dance floors in Bangalore, London, and Los Angeles, enter recording studios in Bollywood and Vancouver, sound system spaces in Southall, play back Bengali mixtapes in London, Pothwari cassette messages in Manchester and Glasgow, tune in to community radio in Birmingham, rifle through record collections, trace samples, and hear from established and emergent artists.