Search - Wedding Bands From Rajasthan :: Disco Bhangra

The sounds of traffic--obviously a busy corner in Jaipur--and some tuning up, a few horns, a megaphone, and then (finally) the Prakash Band kicks in, and a whole herd of celebratory elephants are let loose. Truth be known, they're actually trombones (not elephants), and the celebration you're hearing isn't real: these guys gotta get paid to play. You see, Indian wedding bands--brass bands amplified through cheap PAs (to the point of distortion), with horn sections, accordions, and conductor-vocalists shouting through equally lo-fi megaphones--are serious business in India. This disc captures five of them, from the Prakash Band screaming through "Tequila" to the Babu Band's insanely wild version of "I'm a Disco Dancer" (they can't play to save their lives, but it doesn't matter). Instrumental proficiency is negligible here, but these bands--pent up on enthusiasm, pride, and capitalism--swing like no one else. Yale Evelev captured all this on tape, and it makes for a terrific document. --Jason Verlinde