...making Linux just a little more fun!

### Non-Linux: Punjabi hip-hop?

Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:57:04 -0500

Hi, all -

Last night, we went to a little Indian restaurant here in Charleston; the owner had put on some music that was lots of fun, a sort of an Indian hip-hop with a little Hinglish rap thrown in, a fast beat and very dancy. When I tried to ask him what it was, or who it was by, or even where I could get a CD, he told me that it was "just some Punjabi music" that he had put together on a tape, and he didn't seem willing to give up any more details (artist, style, etc.) I've done some cursory looking around on Youtube, and haven't found what I'm looking for, although here's some stuff that's similar:

# "Gaddi", by Jazzy Bains: kinda close, but a bit too repetitive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjkz4-Zwz2o

# "Mundian To Bach Ke", too rap-like, not enough singing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gef48exMfo

It doesn't seem to be Bhangra (although I may be wrong, all the Youtube hits for 'bhangra rap' or 'bhangra hip-hop' are turning up... well, I don't have the musical vocabulary to describe it, but not the right thing, anyway.) Any suggestions on what to look for? I know we have a lot of Indian readers, so I thought this might be a good place to ask.

    --
    * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

Top Back

Amit Saha [amitsaha.in at gmail.com]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:21:15 +0530

Hi Ben!

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 9:27 PM, Ben Okopnik<ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote:

    > Hi, all -
    >
    > Last night, we went to a little Indian restaurant here in Charleston;
    > the owner had put on some music that was lots of fun, a sort of an
    > Indian hip-hop with a little Hinglish rap thrown in, a fast beat and
    > very dancy. When I tried to ask him what it was, or who it was by, or
    > even where I could get a CD, he told me that it was "just some Punjabi
    > music" that he had put together on a tape, and he didn't seem willing to
    > give up any more details (artist, style, etc.) I've done some cursory
    > looking around on Youtube, and haven't found what I'm looking for,
    > although here's some stuff that's similar:
    >
    > # "Gaddi", by Jazzy Bains: kinda close, but a bit too repetitive
    > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjkz4-Zwz2o
    >
    > # "Mundian To Bach Ke", too rap-like, not enough singing
    > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gef48exMfo
    >
    > It doesn't seem to be Bhangra (although I may be wrong, all the Youtube
    > hits for 'bhangra rap' or 'bhangra hip-hop' are turning up... well, I
    > don't have the musical vocabulary to describe it, but not the right
    > thing, anyway.) Any suggestions on what to look for? I know we have a
    > lot of Indian readers, so I thought this might be a good place to ask.

( I hope the food wasn;t too spicy . Off late, I have been on a couple of trips to Europe and my European colleagues have always coaxed me/my Indian colleagues to take them to Indian restaurants. Though they panted due to the nature of the food, they relished it too That was just a aside )

Coming to the Music. you might want to look for "Punjabi Hip-hop" like http://www.last.fm/tag/punjabi%20hip-hop and may be "Punjai Hiip-hop remix". There are a couple of sites I know, but for obvious reasons, I cannot share here.

Keep enjoying the Punjabi beats

-Amit

Top Back

Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:26:21 -0500

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 09:21:15PM +0530, Amit Saha wrote:

    >
    > ( I hope the food wasn;t too spicy . Off late, I have been on a
    > couple of trips to Europe and my European colleagues have always
    > coaxed me/my Indian colleagues to take them to Indian restaurants.
    > Though they panted due to the nature of the food, they relished it too
    >  That was just a aside )

In my dark and shady past, I've had Thai and Indonesian friends invite me to their homes for a meal, generally cooked by the Mom or some auntie who spoke no English but whose eyes lit up at the prospect of a new mouth to singe. Indian food is pretty mild by comparison. What I love though, particularly about southern Indian food, is its complexity of flavor - not how spicy it is. For that, I'll take Indonesian or Korean any day.

The other factor holding down the nuclear-level spiciness these days is Kat's Japanese-adapted palate (a very, very mild - some might even say bland - cuisine); if I want to share food with her, which I always do, then I have to stick with 'medium spicy' at most. So, no - no scorched tongues yesterday.

    > Coming to the Music. you might want to look for "Punjabi Hip-hop" like
    > http://www.last.fm/tag/punjabi%20hip-hop and may be "Punjai Hiip-hop
    > remix". There are a couple of sites I know, but for obvious reasons, I
    > cannot share here.

Thanks - I'll check out last.fm, including the mispeelings.

    > Keep enjoying the Punjabi beats

Oh, the videos are really amusing. I've always enjoyed Bollywood anyway (cue "Benny Lava"), but I especially love that whole upbeat hip-hop thing with the traditional instruments in the background!

    --
    * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

Top Back

Sam Bisbee [sbisbee at computervip.com]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:40:19 -0400

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 01:26:21PM -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote:

    > The other factor holding down the nuclear-level spiciness these days is
    > Kat's Japanese-adapted palate (a very, very mild - some might even say
    > bland - cuisine); if I want to share food with her, which I always do,
    > then I have to stick with 'medium spicy' at most. So, no - no scorched
    > tongues yesterday.

Glad to see I'm not the only person whose taste buds you insult. Not my fault you don't know how to order in the North East.

Speaking of spice, I'm in NC at the moment and am hoping to get to a true wing joint. Instructions to the waiter are always the same: I want the ones that when you carry them out you start crying.

    --
    Sam Bisbee

Top Back

Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:05:22 -0500

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 01:40:19PM -0400, Samuel Bisbee-vonKaufmann wrote:

    > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 01:26:21PM -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote:
    > > The other factor holding down the nuclear-level spiciness these days is
    > > Kat's Japanese-adapted palate (a very, very mild - some might even say
    > > bland - cuisine); if I want to share food with her, which I always do,
    > > then I have to stick with 'medium spicy' at most. So, no - no scorched
    > > tongues yesterday.
    >
    > Glad to see I'm not the only person whose taste buds you insult.

Sam, your tastebuds got shot off in the war. The one thing that you've pronounced acceptable, fried fish (which I will admit they do well in Boston), is my definition of "bland and safe" - something I tend to avoid except on the rare occasions when I'm slumming.

(Great guy, this Sam Bisbee-vonKaufmann - but if interesting food is your thing, he just ain't got that swing. The look of trepidation on his face when looking at real Taiwanese or Ethiopian food would be enough to move anyone to pity.)

    > Not my fault
    > you don't know how to order in the North East.

Sam? Charleston, SOUTH Carolina is in the, um, SOUTH. Their governor just got caught having an affair with a Argentinian woman... you know, that South Carolina.

Besides, I know how to order food in the North-east just fine: just stay away from the bland, fried-fish-only places, and it's just like anywhere else (and sometimes even better.) Knowledge of Chinese, Portuguese, Swahili, and whatever else you can squeeze in is a major plus.

    > Speaking of spice, I'm in NC at the moment and am hoping to get to a true wing
    > joint. Instructions to the waiter are always the same: I want the ones that
    > when you carry them out you start crying.

If you're anywhere within driving range of Charleston (yes, that Charleston), come on down. I'm sure I could find you a dead fried fish or something, and laugh at your horrified expression while we munch on real food you've never heard of. Most of the world's cuisine, that is.

    --
    * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

Top Back

Sam Bisbee [sbisbee at computervip.com]

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:24:34 -0400

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 09:05:22PM -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote:

    > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 01:40:19PM -0400, Samuel Bisbee-vonKaufmann wrote:
    > > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 01:26:21PM -0500, Ben Okopnik wrote:
    > > > The other factor holding down the nuclear-level spiciness these days is
    > > > Kat's Japanese-adapted palate (a very, very mild - some might even say
    > > > bland - cuisine); if I want to share food with her, which I always do,
    > > > then I have to stick with 'medium spicy' at most. So, no - no scorched
    > > > tongues yesterday.
    > >
    > > Glad to see I'm not the only person whose taste buds you insult.
    >
    > Sam, your tastebuds got shot off in the war.  The one thing that
    > you've pronounced acceptable, fried fish (which I will admit they do
    > well in Boston), is my definition of "bland and safe" - something I tend
    > to avoid except on the rare occasions when I'm slumming.

You seem to have completely forgotten the Ethiopian restaurant that I took us to and the awesome sea food place in Hull (Jake's); not my fault you ordered the sea food casserole at Jake's when I got the cedar planked salmon.

    > (Great guy, this Sam Bisbee-vonKaufmann - but if interesting food is your
    > thing, he just ain't got that swing. The look of trepidation on his face
    > when looking at real Taiwanese or Ethiopian food would be enough to move
    > anyone to pity.)

Again I refer you to the Ethiopian restaurant suggested to me by my friend who's from there and cooks for us on occasion.

And I would love to take you to Germany some time - a few interesting dishes I'd like to put in front of you. :-P

    > > Not my fault
    > > you don't know how to order in the North East.
    >
    > Sam? Charleston, SOUTH Carolina is in the, um, SOUTH. Their governor
    > just got caught having an affair with a Argentinian woman... you know,
    > that South Carolina.

blink Did I say anything about South Carolina? I have only eaten with you in the North East and therefore limited my commentary to that region's eateries.

    > > Speaking of spice, I'm in NC at the moment and am hoping to get to a true wing
    > > joint. Instructions to the waiter are always the same: I want the ones that
    > > when you carry them out you start crying.
    >
    > If you're anywhere within driving range of Charleston (yes, that
    > Charleston), come on down. I'm sure I could find you a dead fried fish
    > or something, and laugh at your horrified expression while we munch on
    > real food you've never heard of. Most of the world's cuisine, that is.

I'm not, but I've been to Charleston many a time. I have friends in the Isle of Palms that I visit on a semi-regular basis. And yes, I love it there too.

As an aside, I hereby give up on you. Your close minded cousin snobbery is impenetrable - it blinds you sir!

    --
    Sam Bisbee

Top Back

Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:11:01 -0500

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 12:24:34AM -0400, Samuel Bisbee-vonKaufmann wrote:

    > > >
    > > > Glad to see I'm not the only person whose taste buds you insult.
    > >
    > > Sam, your tastebuds got shot off in the war.  The one thing that
    > > you've pronounced acceptable, fried fish (which I will admit they do
    > > well in Boston), is my definition of "bland and safe" - something I tend
    > > to avoid except on the rare occasions when I'm slumming.
    >
    > You seem to have completely forgotten the Ethiopian restaurant that I took us
    > to and the awesome sea food place in Hull (Jake's); not my fault you ordered
    > the sea food casserole at Jake's when I got the cedar planked salmon.

Nope, didn't forget anything - including you poking at the Ethiopian food suspiciously. As to Jake's, it's exactly what I said: fried fish.

    > And I would love to take you to Germany some time - a few interesting dishes
    > I'd like to put in front of you. :-P

I've eaten German food - quite a bit of it, in fact. I used to live by a tiny German restaurant in Mayo, MD that made the best spaetzle ever, and would cook German specialty dishes if asked a day ahead of time. I've also spent some time in Milwaukee, which has lots of German and Austrian restaurants. German food holds no surprises for me... but I guarantee you that I could surprise the hell out of you with some Burmese or Norwegian or Korean dishes.

    > > > Not my fault
    > > > you don't know how to order in the North East.
    > >
    > > Sam? Charleston, SOUTH Carolina is in the, um, SOUTH. Their governor
    > > just got caught having an affair with a Argentinian woman... you know,
    > > that South Carolina.
    >
    > blink Did I say anything about South Carolina? I have only eaten with you in
    > the North East and therefore limited my commentary to that region's eateries.

You were commenting on my post about us ordering at an Indian restaurant - which happens to be in the South.

    > As an aside, I hereby give up on you. Your close minded cousin snobbery is
    > impenetrable  - it blinds you sir!

Sam, you're welcome to marry your cousins for all I care. I'm happy to maintain my "snobbery" about not doing so myself, however.

    --
    * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

Top Back

Amit Saha [amitsaha.in at gmail.com]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:10:30 +0530

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 11:56 PM, Ben Okopnik<ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote:

    > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 09:21:15PM +0530, Amit Saha wrote:
    >>
    >> ( I hope the food wasn;t too spicy . Off late, I have been on a
    >> couple of trips to Europe and my European colleagues have always
    >> coaxed me/my Indian colleagues to take them to Indian restaurants.
    >> Though they panted due to the nature of the food, they relished it too
    >>  That was just a aside )
    >
    > In my dark and shady past, I've had Thai and Indonesian friends invite
    > me to their homes for a meal, generally cooked by the Mom or some auntie
    > who spoke no English but whose eyes lit up at the prospect of a new
    > mouth to singe. Indian food is pretty mild by comparison.  What I love
    > though, particularly about southern Indian food, is its complexity of
    > flavor - not how spicy it is. For that, I'll take Indonesian or Korean
    > any day.
    >
    > The other factor holding down the nuclear-level spiciness these days is
    > Kat's Japanese-adapted palate (a very, very mild - some might even say
    > bland - cuisine); if I want to share food with her, which I always do,
    > then I have to stick with 'medium spicy' at most. So, no - no scorched
    > tongues yesterday.

That just reminds me that some of the Indian "big" restaurants in Bangalore, which are part of the Hotels, where often foreign visitors stay have reportedly made their food a lot more "bland" to cater to the needs.

    >
    >> Coming to the Music. you might want to look for "Punjabi Hip-hop" like
    >> http://www.last.fm/tag/punjabi%20hip-hop and may be "Punjai Hiip-hop
    >> remix". There are a couple of sites I know, but for obvious reasons, I
    >> cannot share here.
    >
    > Thanks - I'll check out last.fm, including the mispeelings.

Sorry for the mispeelings. It wasn;t intended. But you never know, you might get some Music too.

    >
    >> Keep enjoying the Punjabi beats
    >
    > Oh, the videos are really amusing. I've always enjoyed Bollywood anyway
    > (cue "Benny Lava"), but I especially love that whole upbeat hip-hop
    > thing with the traditional instruments in the background!

He he. Its almost a funny mix, but surely enjoyable. Its like a cacophony of various things, the end product, though turns out entertaining most of the times.

-Amit

    --
    Journal: http://amitksaha.wordpress.com,
    Micro-blog: http://twitter.com/amitsaha

Top Back

Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:15:24 -0500

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 11:10:30PM +0530, Amit Saha wrote:

    > On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 11:56 PM, Ben Okopnik<ben@linuxgazette.net> wrote:
    > >
    > > The other factor holding down the nuclear-level spiciness these days is
    > > Kat's Japanese-adapted palate (a very, very mild - some might even say
    > > bland - cuisine); if I want to share food with her, which I always do,
    > > then I have to stick with 'medium spicy' at most. So, no - no scorched
    > > tongues yesterday.
    >
    >  That just reminds me that some of the Indian "big" restaurants in
    > Bangalore, which are part of the Hotels, where often foreign visitors
    > stay have reportedly made their food a lot more "bland" to cater to
    > the needs.

Sure. We try to stay away from that kind of places; in fact, one of my definitions of a top-notch place to eat is where the staff speak no, or barely any English. Lately, we've been hitting the Mexican taco trucks in this area; the food is fantastic and inexpensive. I'm a big fan of bahn mi (Vietnamese sandwiches with a French influence) for the same reason.

http://images.google.com/images?q=banh+mi

    --
    * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

Top Back

Raj Shekhar [rajlist2 at rajshekhar.net]

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:11:12 -0700

In infinite wisdom Ben Okopnik said the following On 7/11/09 8:57 AM:

    > Hi, all -
    >
    > Last night, we went to a little Indian restaurant here in Charleston;
    > the owner had put on some music that was lots of fun, a sort of an
    > Indian hip-hop with a little Hinglish rap thrown in, a fast beat and
    > very dancy. When I tried to ask him what it was, or who it was by, or
    > even where I could get a CD, he told me that it was "just some Punjabi
    > music" that he had put together on a tape, and he didn't seem willing to
    > give up any more details (artist, style, etc.) I've done some cursory
    > looking around on Youtube, and haven't found what I'm looking for,
    > although here's some stuff that's similar:
    >
    > # "Gaddi", by Jazzy Bains: kinda close, but a bit too repetitive
    > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjkz4-Zwz2o
    >
    > # "Mundian To Bach Ke", too rap-like, not enough singing
    > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gef48exMfo

Hmm - can you check out Bally Sagoo <http://www.last.fm/music/Bally+Sagoo> and jazzy B <http://www.last.fm/music/Jazzy+B>

By any chance, did he mention if it was the soundtrack of a hindi movie? In that case, this might be one <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94ssZP0lvzU> or this one <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpvNM9kj6d8> (same movie)

Top Back