Editing Bhangra (music) (section)

===1970s===
A modern and commercial form of bhangra music was said to rise in Britain in the 1970s by Punjabi immigrants who took their native folk music and began experimenting by altering it using instruments from their host country. The new genre quickly became popular in Britain replacing Punjabi folk singers due to it being heavily influenced in Britain by the infusion of rock music and a need to move away from the simple and repetitive Punjabi folk music. It indicated the development of a self-conscious and distinctively rebellious [[British Asian]] [[youth culture]] centred on an experiential sense of self, e.g., language, [[gesture]], bodily signification, desires, etc., in a situation in which tensions with British culture and [[racism|racist]] elements in British society had resulted in [[Social alienation|alienation]] in many [[Minority group|minority ethnic groups]], fostered a sense of need for an affirmation of a positive identity and culture, and provided a platform for British Punjabi males to assert their masculinity.<ref name = "htyxku">Sharma, Sanjay. "Noisy Asians or 'Asian Noise'?" In ''Disorienting Rhythms: The Politics of the New Asian Dance Music''</ref><ref>[http://www.sehyon.com/bhangra.htm Sehyon.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202956/http://www.sehyon.com/bhangra.htm |date=2016-03-03 }}, a composer of bhangra music</ref><ref name="xucwva">{{cite web|url=https://moodle.brandeis.edu/file.php/3404/pdfs/sharma_noisy-asians.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408203954/https://moodle.brandeis.edu/file.php/3404/pdfs/sharma_noisy-asians.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-04-08|title=Moodle.brandeis.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-04-21 |title=What's right with Asian boys |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9f2bb9fc-d03b-11da-b160-0000779e2340 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/https://www.ft.com/content/9f2bb9fc-d03b-11da-b160-0000779e2340 |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=2022-04-07}}</ref>

In the 1980s, distributed by record labels such as [[Multitone Records]], bhangra artists were selling over 30,000 cassettes a week in the UK, but no artists reached the Top 40 UK chart despite these artists outselling popular British ones; most of the bhangra cassette sales were not through the large UK record stores, whose sales were those recorded by the Official UK Charts Company for creating their rankings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dholclips.com|title=芸能人愛用のカラコン特集┃可愛いカラーコンタクトcolors|website=www.dholclips.com|access-date=2018-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921061517/http://dholclips.com/|archive-date=2017-09-21|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The group [[Alaap (band)|Alaap]] was formed in 1977, co-founded by [[Channi Singh]] and Harjeet Gandhi who both hailed from [[Southall]], a Punjabi area in London. Their album ''Teri Chunni De Sitaray'' was released in 1982 by Multitone. Alaap was considered the first and original superstar bhangra band formed in the United Kingdom. Channi Singh has been awarded the OBE by the Queen for his services to bhangra music and services/charity for the British Asian community. Co-founder Harjeet Gandhi died in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hindunet.org/onps/default.php?dtstr=20031026&Formsearchresults_Page=9|title=Todays News|website=hindunet.org|access-date=2016-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513202212/http://hindunet.org/onps/default.php?dtstr=20031026&Formsearchresults_Page=9|archive-date=2016-05-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 1980s is commonly known as the golden age, or the age of bhangra music, which lasted roughly from 1985 to 1993. The primary emphasis during these times was on the melody/riff, played out usually on a synthesizer, harmonium, accordion or guitar. Folk instruments were rarely used.

One of the biggest bhangra stars of the last several decades is [[Malkit Singh]] and his band Golden Star. Singh was born in June 1963 in the village of [[Hussainpur]] in Punjab. He attended the [[Lyallpur Khalsa College]], [[Jalandhar]], in Punjab in 1980 to study for a bachelor of arts degree. There he met his mentor, Professor Inderjit Singh, who taught him Punjabi folk singing and bhangra dancing. Due to Singh's tutelage, Malkit entered and won song contests during this time. In 1983, he won a gold medal at the [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] in [[Amritsar]], Punjab, for performing his song "Gurh Nalon Ishq Mitha", which later featured on his first album, ''Nach Gidhe Wich''. The lyrics were by Tarlochan Singh Bilga and it was released in 1985. This album was created with Manager, Tarlochan Singh Bilga(TSB). The band has toured 27 countries. Malkit has been awarded the MBE by the Queen for his services to bhangra music.

Bhangra boy band, the [[Sahotas]], were composed of five brothers from [[Wolverhampton]]. Their music is a fusion of bhangra, rock and dance.

[[Heera Group UK|Heera]], formed by Bhupinder Bhindi and fronted by Kumar and Dhami, was one of the most popular bands of the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tM7vvmV1SWcC&q=Heera%2C+formed+by+Bhupinder+Bhindi+and+fronted+by+Kumar+and+Dhami%2C+was+one+of+the+most+popular+bands+of+the+1980s&pg=PA40|title=Folk Dances of Punjab|last=Walia|first=Aarohi|date=2008|publisher=Unistar Books|isbn=9788171426027}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/oct/14/urban|title=Bhangra music goes global|last=Steward|first=Sue|date=2007-10-14|work=The Guardian|access-date=2018-12-05|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> 

Bands like Alaap and Heera incorporated rock-influenced beats into bhangra, because it enabled "Asian youth to affirm their identities positively" within the broader environment of alternative rock as an alternative way of expression. However, some believe that the progression of bhangra music created an "intermezzo culture" post-India's partition, within the unitary definitions of Southeast Asians within the diaspora, thus "establishing a brand new community in their home away from home".<ref name="bdnvra">Sharma, Sanjay. "Noisy Asians or 'Asian Noise'?" In ''Disorienting Rhythms: The Politics of the New Asian Dance Music'', ed. Sanjay Sharma, John Hutnyk, and Ashwani Sharma, 32-57. London: Zed Books, 1996.[https://archive.today/20120730100146/http://www.focusanthro.org/essays0405/nalikagajaweera0405.htm The Discontents of the Hyphenated Identity: Second Generation British Asian Youth Culture and Fusion Music<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Several other influential groups appeared around the same time, including The Saathies, Premi Group, Bhujungy Group, and [[Apna Sangeet]]. Apna Sangeet, best known for their hit "Mera Yaar Vajavey Dhol", re-formed for charity in May 2009 after a break-up.<ref>[http://www.sonaweb.co.uk/blog/47-blog/71-blogbhangraapnasangeeet Sonaweb.co.uk] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719001225/http://www.sonaweb.co.uk/blog/47-blog/71-blogbhangraapnasangeeet |date=July 19, 2009 }}</ref>

When bhangra and General Indian sounds and lyrics were combined, British-Asian artists began incorporating them in their music. Some Asian artists such as [[Bally Sagoo]] and [[Talvin Singh]] are creating their own form of British [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]].

This era also brought about bhangra art, which like the bhangra music it represented was rebellious. Unlike folk music art, which consisted of a picture of the folk singer, bhangra recordings had details such as distinctive artwork, logos, clever album names and band/musician listings (who played what).