This is not nostalgia. It is a resurgence, arriving at a time when the sound of Punjabi music is steadily emerging on UK dance floors, shaping festival line-ups, warehouse raves, and club nights. The reissue signals a shift: what once tiptoed through community halls and corner shops now has global visibility and cultural capital. Produced by her son, Kuljit Bhamra, the album’s initial release was tragically overlooked, primarily due to a music industry that struggled to categorise, let alone support, innovative diasporic sounds. Now, through Naya Beat Records, this ‘true lost relic’ is poised to receive its long-overdue recognition, shedding light on a vibrant yet marginalised subculture that has profoundly shaped British music.

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The story of ‘Punjabi Disco’ begins in West London, where first-generation South Asian immigrants navigated a complex cultural landscape. Mohinder Kaur Bhamra, a revered classical vocalist, was already a trailblazer, becoming the first woman to sing at Punjabi weddings in the UK. These events, typically conservative and segregated, provided the unlikely backdrop for a quiet revolution. Inspired by the burgeoning disco movement, Kuljit Bhamra envisioned an ‘unsegregated dancefloor’. His mother’s album became the vehicle for this social rebellion, directly challenging gender and social barriers within the community. “We were notorious for enabling the first mixed British Asian dancefloors,” Kuljit recalls, highlighting how the music was not just an artistic experiment, but a socio-political intervention.

Technologically, the album was a marvel. Kuljit utilised a Roland SH-1000 synthesiser and a CR-8000 CompuRhythm drum machine, cutting-edge instruments of 1982, to craft a tapestry of electric drum rhythms, warbling bass, and psychedelic, siren-like Roland synth melodies. This futuristic electronic sound provided a vibrant canvas for his mother’s powerful Punjabi-language folk singing, creating a genre-defying fusion that pre-dated much of what would later be recognised as electronic dance music. 

The path to reissue was arduous. It began with a chance find: a friend alerted archiving DJ Raghav Mani to a rare copy, prompting a hunt for the original master tapes. Over three years, Mani and partners scoured archives, negotiated rights, repaired deteriorating tapes and rebuilt the sound. The remastering includes unreleased tracks, which could not fit on the original press. The reissue also features remixes from contemporary artists such as Peaking Lights, Psychemagik, Mystic Jungle and Baalti.

‘Punjabi Disco’ is no longer a footnote in collector lore. With this reissue, it asserts itself as a foundational document of hybrid sound, one that challenges narratives about where innovation originated and whose voices shaped it. ‘Punjabi Disco’ is finally ready to take its rightful place on the global stage, illuminating a forgotten past and inspiring future generations.

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/from-lost-holy-grail-to-dancefloor-revelation-reissue-of-punjabi-disco-illuminates-forgotten-uk-asian-dance-legacy/feed/ 0 https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/the-beatles-announce-last-song-now-and-then-alongside-red-and-blue-album-re-releases/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/the-beatles-announce-last-song-now-and-then-alongside-red-and-blue-album-re-releases/#comments Thu, 26 Oct 2023 14:55:23 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=66457 The Beatles have announced a new song, ‘Now and Then’, which is billed as their last song. The track is set to be released on November 2^nd. The band also announced expanded and remixed editions of the Red and Blue compilation albums, set to be released on November 10^th.

(1/6) “NOW AND THEN. THE LAST BEATLES SONG. OUT 02.11.23. #NowAndThen
New expanded and mixed editions of the “Red and Blue” albums to be released 10.11.23.
Pre-order now: https://t.co/jQtFaz4Tq8 pic.twitter.com/aLS2C046Pu

— The Beatles (@thebeatles) October 26, 2023

This will be the final song from the Beatles, as the track was created by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr with John Lennon and George Harrison being incorporated with the help of AI software, via using isolated demo tracks. The song was mentioned by both McCartney and Starr across the year, and its release was hinted earlier this week with projection images of cassettes across important landmarks related to the band in Liverpool like the Cavern Club and Strawberry Fields.

The track ‘Now and Then’, was first wrote by John Lennon in the late 1970’s, with a demo recorded with just piano and vocals from Lennon in his New York home. The recording was given to McCartney, Starr and Harrison in 1994, alongside already released demo recordings: ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’, tracks that were released in the mid 1990’s as part of The Beatles Anthology.

Technological limitations at the time meant that the band couldn’t build upon the demo mix of ‘Now and Then’ as they did with the other songs, because they couldn’t find a way to separate Lennon’s piano and vocals to create a clear mix, something which was able to be achieved with modern day AI technology. George Harrison’s widow, Olivia commented on this, saying: “Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard”.

Paul McCartney commented on the new recording saying: “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.” Ringo Starr also added: “It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”

The creation of the new song was inspired by the AI audio technology used in the Peter Jackson ‘Get Back’ documentary, which released in 2021 as the technology was able to isolate conversations from videos of recording sessions of Let It Be. The band used the technology to remix Revolver in 2022, before deciding to use the technology to revisit ‘Now and Then’.

The Red and Blue compilation albums will also be reissued and remixed the following week on November 10th, with 21 tracks being newly added, 9 on Blue and 12 on Red. This includes newly mixed tracks from singles and albums that had not been previously remixed across the past 6 years with tracks like ‘Help!’ from Help!, ‘Nowhere Man’ from Rubber Soul and ‘Hey Bulldog’ from Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, just to name a few.

Our first album Take Off Your Colours was released 15 years ago this Friday.

We wanted to do a proper release to vinyl of this album for years and now that we as a band finally own the rights to do so, we are releasing a limited vinyl pressing with some new merch! pic.twitter.com/nnV19hllHp

— You Me At Six (@youmeatsix) October 4, 2023

The pop-punk masterpiece, as some would refer to it, made the band a household name upon its release and shot the band to stardom, as well as earned You Me At Six critical praise and commercial success. Now, the band have expressed their delight in being able to please their fans after years spent clamouring for a re-release of the album. The band have recently acquired the rights back to their debut record and are excited to give Take Off Your Colours the celebration they feel it deserves.

Frontman Josh Franceschi said of the re-issue, “we’re very excited to celebrate the 15th anniversary of our debut album with this very special limited edition vinyl. We finally own the rights to this album again, which is an amazing feeling for us, and so we’re finally able to answer the calls from fans to re-issue the album on vinyl and release it directly to them. It won’t be available in shops. This is such a special album for us and we know it’s special to so many fans too”.

Franceschi and guitarist Max Helyer, during an interview with Kerrang Magazine nostalgically looked back to the time of writing and recording the album and reminisced that they were attempting to accomplish what very few UK based artists were doing in those days. Franceschi said, “There were no UK bands doing what the US scene had going on. [Labels] like Fueled By Ramen, the Warped Tour, Drive-Thru Records. There wasn’t really a UK band flying that flag at that particular moment in time. All our mates were playing in hardcore bands and we like hardcore music, but we also liked songs with melodies and with a pop sensibility to it. We were like, ‘If we do that, maybe we’ll stand out more.'”

Helyer added, “When you’re 15, up to 18, you’re kind of adapting and learning your craft. There was no pressure. It was like, ‘Let’s make music for fun and stuff we get kicks out of.’ Realistically, we didn’t expect the response to some of the songs that we wrote at that time. Save It For The Bedroom was the song that shot us out into a bigger audience.”

You Me At Six just released their seventh studio album Truth Decay in August . You can purchase it here.

The track, titled “Little Darlin” was released this week by Rhino Entertainment and was originally recorded by McVie in 2004 when working on her solo album, In the Meantime.

McVie would have turned 80 on 12th July 2023, with Rhino working together with McVie’s nephew, Dan Perfect, to release a remastered version of “Little Darlin” on this date to celebrate the singer’s legacy. Perfect was involved in the original writing and production of In the Meantime back in 2004, and has continued to play a significant role in his aunt’s career.

Rhino have also shared further plans to release reissues of McVie’s solo album In the Meantime as a whole, in addition to a reissue of her self-titled 1984 album later this year. These projects are also being overseen by McVie’s nephew, Dan Perfect, who shared his thoughts in the liner notes of the re-release.

Perfect said, “When my aunt Christine McVie died unexpectedly last year, plans were already afoot for the re-release of this solo album, which is perhaps her most personal and intimate project.”

Perfect also shared, “Chris and I had been working for some time on remixing the original tracks in Dolby Atmos, and Chris was excited and intrigued by this process, which was bringing fresh life and contemporaneity to the songs… I dearly wish that she could have lived to see this re-release as she would have been delighted.”

McVie’s former Fleetwood Mac band member Mick Fleetwood also paid tribute to her to mark her 80th birthday. He released a spoken word adaptation of McVie’s track, “Songbird,” saying in the track, “As the songbird sings, now from the heavens, to you Christine, I wish you all the love in the world. But, most of all, I wish it from myself.”

Mick teamed up with Jake Shimabukuro to produce the track, with Mick on vocals and percussion.

“Songbird” was also performed by Mick Fleetwood, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt in tribute to McVie at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards earlier this year.

McVie passed away in November of 2022 following a brief illness, and has left behind a huge legacy that is still being celebrated after her passing.

Fleetwood Mac shared their thoughts via social media, writing, “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”

Otherwise known by his nickname Mr Razzcocks, the late drummer passed away on Tuesday 6th September 2022; a cause of death is yet to be known. The Libertines took to social media to pay tribute to their former band member; alongside a picture of the band, The Libertines included the following heartfelt statement, “Paul Dufour, our much loved drummer from the early days, passed away last night. We are all in great shock and sadness. Sending love and thoughts to Paul’s friends and family. It was honour to play with you Mr Razzcocks. Forever in our hearts x,“

Paul Dufour, our much loved drummer from the early days, passed away last night. We are all in great shock and sadness. Sending love and thoughts to Paul’s friends and family. It was honour to play with you Mr Razzcocks.

Forever in our hearts x pic.twitter.com/Y21OU96iYb

— Libertines (@libertines) September 7, 2022

Earlier this year, the indie rockers announced a one-off show celebrating the twentieth-anniversary edition of their debut album. Released in October 2022, Up The Bracket ushered in a new generation of modern popular music and propelled The Libertines into the limelight. The album’s release and The Libertines’ subsequent notoriety marked a resurgence of popularity in the UK rock and alternative music scene; the album’s tracks such as “Time For Heroes” and “Boys In The Band” have since become the cornerstone of indie music.

‘Up The Bracket’ arrived like a raging bull in a tired post-Britpop china shop, introducing The @libertines‘.

In celebration of 20 years since this astonishing debut, it now arrives as a deluxe boxset with double vinyl, cassette & book.@RoughTradeRecshttps://t.co/W6fWHoTaPm pic.twitter.com/mfzVDGsdWK

— Rough Trade (@RoughTrade) June 16, 2022

The Libertines have also confirmed a release date of a special twentieth-anniversary edition of Up The Bracket; the album will be released via Rough Trade Records and will be able to purchase from 21st October 2022. The beloved band’s drummer Powell recently spoke with NME concerning the anniversary release and the band’s hotly anticipated fourth studio album, the band’s upcoming album will follow their third studio album, Anthems For Doomed Youth, released in 2015.

Within the interview, Powell confirms he is more interested in new material than the forthcoming reissue, “My mind is more in line with the opportunity to record a new album than anything regarding 20 years ago. We’ve been playing the majority of the album [‘Up the Bracket’] for 20 years now, so this year for me, is a great opportunity to draw a line under this part of the saga and move on to the next phase.“

The Libertines’ sticksman continued to describe the band’s new music, “The good thing is everybody’s been writing. I’m hoping there’s going to be a whole new fervour and interesting dimension added to how we approach things. Obviously, we’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel and be like Depeche Mode going from rock ‘n’ roll to electronic, but I think we can push the boat out a little more while still bringing something that has the same emotional integrity and dynamism that the audience craves when they come to a Libertines show.“

The Up The Bracket 20th Anniversary Edition is available to pre-order now and will be available on various formats. A statement via Rough Trade describes the upcoming release, “In addition to a remaster of the original Up The Bracket album, produced by Mick Jones (The Clash), the Super Deluxe Edition also includes a remarkable 65 previously unreleased recordings including many original demos, radio sessions and live recordings all helping to chart the making of Up The Bracket, plus a live recording from the 100 club in 2002. It also contains a 60 page book with a forward by Matt Wilkinson, new interviews with the band by Anthony Thornton and many unseen photos and memorabilia.“

Click here to pre-order Up The Bracket 20th Anniversary Edition.

Also, next month the band will be reissuing their first-ever single, “What a Waster“, as well as the accompanying B-side “I Get Along“. Released back in June 2002, the reissue will be giving it a fancy makeover, being re-pressed on black vinyl for June 3^rd. They’re also releasing a What a Waster Live from the ICA EP on streaming platforms as well, which has some live versions of the songs. If you want to pre-order either of them, you can look here.

Band co-frontman Pete Doherty has been a bit busy on his own recently, releasing an album with French composer Frédéric Lo titled The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime (more of which you can read about here), as well as getting married last September and announcing the upcoming release of his memoirs – titled A Likely Lad.

Having been sober for the past two and a bit years has obviously given him a chance to reflect on his past as The Libertines’ debut album and single turn twenty. He’s been revealing plenty of details from his past, such as losing his ear lobes in intoxicated brawls and finding solace watching The Simpsons whilst in prison. Either way, it seems like it’s helped out his old band, what with their recent celebrations and there even being talks of new music being made.

As for The Libertines’ other frontman, Carl Barât has had slightly less luck as of recent, having had two of his guitars stolen ahead of some rehearsals with his group Dirty Pretty Things and making a public appeal for them.

If you’re interested in seeing The Libertines celebrate in person, you can see their UK tour dates down below, with tickets available here. Doherty has also been playing some solo dates recently, having been around Aberdeen, Hull and Cambridge over the last week. Sadly all his UK dates have gone now, but you can still catch him in Russia, France and Ukraine over the next few months, tickets for which can be gotten here.

All UK dates for #UPTHEBRACKET20 are on sale now xhttps://t.co/eur3BKaH6I pic.twitter.com/iZQni1Kt4l

— Libertines (@libertines) April 4, 2022

The Libertines UK Tour Dates
04/06/2022 – 1 Big Summer, Plymouth
11/06 – Rock & Roll Circus, Newcastle
30/06 – O2 Academy, Bristol
01/07 – Castlefield Bowl, Manchester
23/07 – OVO Wembley Arena, London
05/08 – Bute Park, Cardiff
06/08 – Bingley Weekender, Bingley
08/08 – O2 Academy, Edinburgh
28/08 – Victorious Festival, Portsmouth
02/09 – Godiva Festival, Coventry

COMING SOON…#sonicblewclassics pic.twitter.com/nWfhQJaV2f

— The Cribs (@thecribs) May 23, 2022

If you had to make an educated guess, one could assume that the teaser is alluding to a limited-edition re-issue of their self-titled debut, and maybe even more. As the images pop up during the snippet, it’s pretty clear to any big fan of the band’s early work that we’re getting some extra content regarding the band’s first LP. Then as the album’s artwork fades out, and the Sonic Blew Classics logo comes in with the colour palette of the debut… are we due a couple of reissues from the band’s back catalogue? Maybe a collectors club releasing more limited releases from back in the day? Think along the same lines as Third Man Records’ member’s Vault Package. The perfect place to bag any Third Man-based records, posters, and pretty much any other memorabilia. None of this is confirmed might I add. But the name Sonic Blew ClassicS (with an S) really implied some longevity to this reissue.

Last August when the singles club was first announced, Jarman explained the reasoning behind the situation as such, “Back in the day, we were always a band that were known for our B-sides – a concept that is pretty much irrelevant nowadays…we know that the fans miss this, so setting up the Sonic Blew Singles Club seemed like the ideal solution – we get to clear the vaults, and people get a guaranteed new single plus B-side every month.” While we may no longer be talking specifically about unheard B-sides from their most recent project, I see no reason why the same principle cannot be applied to a new, revamped version of their debut, but now with all the fan favourite B-sides and rarities as a part of a standalone package. Seems like every record collector’s dream if you ask me.

Visual artist Dominic Hailstone (made famous for his work on “Alien: Covenant” or “The Eel”) worked with Adam Jones (the band’s guitarist) on the 10-plus minute film, which is the band’s first new video in 15 years. The clip continues TOOL’s knack for merging the aural and visual worlds, creating an all-encompassing experience for the listener that has been a hallmark of the outfit since their inception. Hailstone and Jones also collaborated on the filmed pieces featured on the current Fear Inoculum tour. The physical release features a Blu-ray housed in a 46-page art book with behind-the-scenes and making-of photos as well as interviews and insights from special guests. “Opiate^2” pre-orders are available now:

TOOL are also currently on tour, after beginning a worldwide string of dates in early 2020, the band obviously had to cut all of that shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, 2 years later, the dates have been rescheduled, and as soon as they’re finished with their lengthy US tour the band will be coming over to tour the UK and EU.  Beginning in May, the group will play 5 shows in the UK bookended by an extensive list of EU dates. See here for ticket information, on what few tickets may remain that is.

TOOL also hit the headlines recently after fans kicked off a little over the price of a signed 5-LP box set the band were selling at their shows. Featuring limited edition etchings on the records, and even a signature from each of the band members wasn’t quite enough to justify the $810 (£600-ish) price tag. Fans took to the band’s socials after the announcement was made. One person queried, “Any chance of a non-silly variant too, you know, just be able to listen to on a record player?”. The band have since lowered the cost.

TOOL’s Fear Inoculum Tour Dates:
2/5/22 – AO Arena – Manchester
4/5 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
6/5 – 3Arena – Dublin
9/5 – O2 Arena – London
10/5 – O2 Arena – London

Photo Credit: Travis Shinn

The re-issue will include the 2015 remaster of The Number of the Beast, featuring remastered versions of all eight tracks from the original 1982 release. The design of the cassette itself is based off of the original 1982 release, with a couple of updates to the inlay. The re-issue, given that it is based off of the original release, will not include the song “Total Eclipse” a B-side taken from the 1982 “Run to the Hills” 7” single that was featured on the 1995 re-issue of The Number of the Beast. You can view the artwork and design down below.

The Number of the Beast is Iron Maiden’s third album, coming two years after the seminal metal act’s self-titled debut and their 1981 album Killers. The album famously marks the introduction of frontman Bruce Dickinson, who still fronts the band to this day, and it is widely considered to be the band’s “big break”, skyrocketing their popularity and spawning fan favourites such as “Hallowed Be Thy Name”.

The album was released on March 22^nd, 1982 to wide critical acclaim, and also stirred up a great deal of controversy in regard to the themes and content of the album. In the USA, the group were accused of being Satanists, and public destructions of copies of the album were organised by several religious groups, which included burning and smashing records to pieces with hammers. When the group embarked on the “Beast on the Road” tour, demonstrations took place outside their shows, with one instance of a twenty-five foot cross being carried out to protest the album and the band’s performance.

Over the years, the critical acclaim the album received has stayed consistent, with Allmusic stating that the album “certainly ranks among the top five most essential heavy metal albums ever recorded.” The record has also appeared on numerous “Top Albums of All Time” lists, including Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time” list, where it ranked 4^th. Moreover, it has been the subject of numerous documentaries, including BBC’s Classic Albums series.

The clip included Amnesiac’s opening track “Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box” and showed a pair of hands trying to tape together CD copies of Kid A and Amnesiac, which the hands eventually somewhat succeed at.

#iceageandsoon#iamcitizeninsane#followmearound#thingsfallingapart#goldenhandshake#whoareyoukidding#theorchestraattheball#allparticipationisamyth#learnhowtoswimbeforetheshipsinks pic.twitter.com/wXLcORYsKu

— Radiohead (@radiohead) September 7, 2021

KID A MNESIA will be released via XL Recordings on November 5. The record will feature both aforementioned albums alongside a newly compiled third disc titled Kid Amnesiae, which will be full of unearthed material taken from the Kid A and Amnesiac sessions. These new materials will include the previously unreleased studio recording of “Follow Me Around” as well as the never-before-heard “If You Say The Word” which you can listen to below.

The new track has a lush and elegant quality with delicate finger-picking and a foreboding groove using eerie chiming percussion, it is superficially pretty yet not cheerful and could be described by some as a lost classic.

This special reissue will be available in these formats: deluxe LP (limited edition 3xLP cream vinyl + 36-page hardback art book), Kid Amnesiette (a limited and numbered edition cassette [limited to 5000] + 36-page booklet), indie exclusive limited edition red vinyl 3xLP, black vinyl 3xLP, 3xCD and 3-volume digital formats.

Along with this release two art books by frontman Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood an artist who has created all the artwork for the band since 1994 where he catalogues the visual works created during the Kid A / Amnesiac era which will be published on November 4.

You can see the album artwork and tracklisting below as well as find out more and pre-order Radiohead’s ‘KID A MNESIA’ here.

KID A MNESIA Tracklist:

Side A

1. Everything In Its Right Place
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How To Disappear Completely
5. Treefingers

Side B

1. Optimistic
2. In Limbo
3. Idioteque
4. Morning Bell
5. Motion Picture Soundtrack

Side C

1. Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box
2. Pyramid Song
3. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors
4. You And Whose Army?
5. I Might Be Wrong

Side D

1. Knives Out
2. Morning Bell/Amnesiac
3. Dollars and Cents
4. Hunting Bears
5. Like Spinning Plates
6. Life In A Glasshouse

Side E

1. Like Spinning Plates (‘Why Us?’ Version)
2. Untitled v1
3. Fog (Again Again Version)
4. If You Say the Word
5. Follow Me Around

Side F

1. Pulk/Pull (True Love Waits Version)
2. Untitled v2
3. The Morning Bell (In the Dark Version)
4. Pyramid Strings
5. Alt. Fast Track
6. Untitled v3
7. How to Disappear into String