The Daytimers 15-track compilation aimed at raising funds for Hemkunt Foundation, Goonj, and Citta India has packed some powerful musical brilliance that aims to converge South Asian culture with electronic music. We’ve selected 5 tracks from this hot release that will transport you back to classic Bollywood dreamland.
The COVID-19 crisis in India has been dominating headlines over the past few months. Despite infection numbers going down steadily, there are people who have been pushed to the fringes and in need of immediate help.
To provide aid for this unprecedented situation in India, artists from across the globe unified like never before. We saw prominent artists from the Indian Music industry unite for the ‘Social For Good’ Initiative to raise awareness and fund affected communities. This was followed by India’s Techno flagbearer Arjun Vagale’s ‘S O S [Charity Compilation]’ featuring heavyweights like BLOT!, Kohra, Browncoat, Murthovic, and many more. This compilation was followed by Boxout FM’s colossal 96-hour live-stream fundraiser for India COVID-19 relief which featured legends like Zed Bias, DJ Seinfeld, Oliver Huntemann to name a few.
For the music fraternity’s latest effort to raise funds towards urgent on-ground relief, Daytimers – a UK-based collective that champions South Asian artistry – has teamed up with Stamp The Wax Magazine to release a compilation featuring tracks from artists of South Asian heritage, with all raised funds donated directly towards charities like Hemkunt Foundation, Goonj, and Citta India.
The compilation has brought together music from Asia, Europe and North America and it features a wide spectrum of genres like Techno, Drum & Bass, Breakbeat, Footwork and more. Packed with a wide array of artists from the South Asian heritage, the most striking feature of the compilation is the use of influences from the classic & peppy Bollywood numbers of the 90s. Here are 5 tracks from the compilation that will A) blow your mind and B) make you want to put your dancing shoes on and run to a club right now!
Ayesha – Chaiyya Dub
It is hard to find someone that isn’t already familiar with the original version of this tune. Move away from the country, and you will notice that it is a party starter overseas too! Kicking off this list, we have Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Ayesha with Chaiyya Dub. Ayesha takes elements from Sukhwinder Singh’s superhit song and delivers a charged-up bass roller, laden with a sweltering blend of breaks and percussions.
Manara – J Sweeet X Dhak Dhak (Live Blend)
In a club setting, London-based DJ Manara will be seen blending house, grime and Bollywood numbers into her distinctive style of DJing, for which she is widely regarded as ‘the queen of blends’. A regular in the London club circuit, Manara is unapologetic when she is in the groove, and her Iconic Boiler room showcases are a testament to the face-melting experiments she likes to make in her DJ sets. For this blend, she has seamlessly combined the grimey sounds of London-based producer J Sweet and twisted it up with vocals from the song Dhak Dhak Karne Laga which is another famous Bollywood hit.
Qwirk – Say Shava Shava Bootleg
No prizes for guessing the original track, but what Qwirk has done with it is bonkers to say the least. The bootleg starts exactly the way the original does, but as the track reaches its climax, it twists, turns and gets unpredictable with every passing section. With a heavy use of donks and breaks, Say Shava Shava Bootleg is yet another explosive offering from Daytimers.
yourboykiran x Chandé – Pani Puri Pirates
Pani Puri Pirates doesn’t exactly lean towards Bollywood influences like the other tracks in this compilation; rather, it goes further back in time with its influences. The tune features a sped-up melody from Rufus and Chaka Khan’s 1983 hit Ain’t Nobody. The track then builds and morphs into a bouncy UK-Bass cut that is fused with crisp drums and chopped classical Indian vocal samples.
Daytimers – Tere Dar Par Sanam (Crying in the Club Refix)
Exhibit number 5 from the intricate world of Daytimers, and this one is the biggest of them all. The entire Daytimers crew has come together for this one, delivering a vocal-led Drum & Bass banger. The vocals have been sampled from Anu Malik’s Tere Dar Par Sanam, from the 1993 movie ‘Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee’.
The 15-track compilation is out on Daytimers’ Bandcamp Page. So, head over to their Bandcamp page, buy & support their efforts to raise funds. Every little donation will save a life or feed a family; and in return, you will get some breathtaking music to listen to!
