The Other View

Community Music

by Cameron Mitchel

'They've actually held back for so long, and things were boiling away - things were about to go out of control and yesterday it did go out of control.'

A statement that you could easily mistake to be from a North Belfast resident regarding the recent disturbances! However this is the account of Ashid Ali, chairman of the Oldham Bangladesh Youth Association, when describing last May's riots in the town between Asian youths and the police.

Over the past year some Asian activists across England have increased their demonstrations to a point were some have climaxed into violent riots. Clashes between Asian youths and certain hard-line white groups have been blamed for these riots erupting. Those living in Belfast are only too familiar with violent street protests, and some in our city would agree that such protests can over-shadow the initial grievance, not that it is forgotten by the those who wish to express it, but that it becomes buried in the process.

The East End of London, an area with a high Asian population, has not been excluded from such community tensions. Though for some young East End Asians, expression through music is regarded to be of a more worthwhile platform.
Dance/rap act Asian Dub Foundation was formed in 1993 by five students of the Community Music Workshop, an educational project designed to give young Asians an introduction into the music industry and grant them the experience of performance and expression.

The band doesn't claim to be spokespeople for the Asian community, but their sales have proven that there are a great number of people who agree with their lyrics. It is through songs such as 'Colour Line' that the band attempt to describe the connection between poverty and skin-colour.
It is Asian Dub Foundations continuing work with the Campaign against Racism and Fascism, the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) alongside their own projects (such as 'Free Saptal Ram') that has helped promote concerns from within their community.

The group set up its own educational package, ADFED, as a way for up and coming musicians to have practical experience on the newest and latest technology. Now in its fourth year ADFED has toured Britain, opening its doors to those who are interested in music as a career.
Spex, one of the tutors on the course, explained, 'ADFED allows people who are interested in music access to equipment, learning people how to sample, vocal techniques, writing lyrics, etc, over a period of ten weeks. Then at the end of the course the students have the chance to have a showcase in a professional environment'.

Former students, Inv-Asian, described to The Other View how ADFED opened 'industry' doors for them, 'A youth worker around our estate recommended the workshop to us, as he knew a couple members of the Asian Dub Foundation, we just went in and wrote some deep conscious lyrics about what was going on at the time, put it to a tune, and we got quite a good response and have been committed to it ever since. We have just finished a Japanese and European tour with the Asian Dub Foundation and have had a few record deal offers. If ADFED believe in you they will push you all the way, they'll help you get the contacts, I think there needs to be more places like that'.

They continued, 'Although we don't share all the same views as Asian Dub Foundation, sometimes the Asian community can feel as a minority, things like Oldham does have a knock-on effect around communities. I expect it is similar to that in Northern Ireland where one group may have a fear, and a similar community in another part of the country may share that. But Inv-Asian and Asian Dub Foundation isn't just music for Asian people'.

The Asian Dub Foundation has been involved in the production of a CD-ROM for young people aged 13 – 16 years old. The 'homebeats' CD was designed as an alternative learning tool to a text-book, as member John Pandit explained on their website ;
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We are even finding out stuff on this CD that we were never taught in school and this is why I think it's absolutely vital for young people to have access to this. You can just tap in, find something you are interested in and follow your own routes'.

No matter what you think about the Asian Dub Foundation¹s politics, their method of expressing their views and the contribution they put back into their community needs to be admired. Their skills in music production does not draw attention away from what they are trying to say, but puts these ideas and views on to national radio and into a club or gig situation.

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