are
21st century MIDI warriors. Their distinctive sound is a combination
of hard ragga-jungle rhythms, indo-dub basslines, searing
sitar- inspired guitars and 'traditional' sounds gleaned from
their parents' record collections, shot through with fast-chat
conscious lyrics.
1998's album 'Rafi's Revenge' on London Records met with much
critical acclaim and received a Mercury Prize nomination.
By that time already considered one of Britain's most exciting
live bands, this album helped to introduce them to a wider
audience.
They started off in 1993 at London based organisation Community
Music where bassist Dr Das taught music technology. He teamed
up with one of his students, rapper Deeder Zaman and civil
rights worker DJ Pandit G to form a sound system to play at
anti-racist gigs. The following year they recruited guitarist
Chandrasonic and started moving further afield. With Sun-J
joining in 1995 on live technology and 'radical movements,'
the line up was complete.
Their debut album 'Facts and Fictions' (Nation Records) came
out in 1995 and was largely overlooked by a country obsessed
with retro guitar pop. And at that time, to be 'Asian' was
yet to be considered 'cool.' On the continent however, ADF
were given ample opportunity to tour and develop their performance
skills. Their musical and lyrical package was met with considerable
enthusiasm, especially in France where their second album
'R.A.F.I.' was released by Virgin France in 1997. The following
year's 'Rafi's Revenge' was in fact a re-recorded, recharged
version of R.A.F.I, energised through extensive live playing.
It was Primal Scream who finally brought ADF to the attention
of the British media. ADF toured the UK with them in the summer
of 1997 having by now signed to London. The Primals also collaborated
with ADF on the single 'Free Satpal Ram,' which has done much
to draw attention to the situation of an Asian man whom they
both believe is yet another recipient of British rough justice.
ADF spent most of 1998 touring, consolidating their reputation
for uplifting live sets and for attracting culturally mixed
audiences. In Britain, Primal Scream's championing of ADF
was soon vindicated. Journalists were taken aback by their
energy and made inadequate comparisons to well known previous
punk bands. Little did they realise, that aside from having
played in front of mad French audiences, it was their own
ignoring of the band that had made ADF focus in such a way.
ADF performed at many major festivals in the UK and the rest
of Europe as well as at Fuji Rock in Japan. A Beastie Boys
support tour in the autumn introduced them to the US where
they received a warm welcome, much to their own surprise.
ADF's forceful presence has helped to demolish many stereotypes
of Asian musicians and by extension, Asian people. An acknowledgement
of this came in the form of the BBC Asian Award for Music
in December 1998.
Their higher profile enabled ADF to attract funding from
the London Arts Board to establish ADF Education (ADFED) to
promote and practice the teaching of music and technology
to young people. ADFED now functions as an independent organisation
running various workshops in London.
ADF did their first headlining tour of the US and Canada
in the Spring of 1999 getting an excellent response, with
the majority of the dates being sold out. Audio Active from
Japan accompanied ADF on this tour and it was dubbed the 'Asian
Invasion.'
Their third album 'Community Music' was released in March
2000, named of course after the place where they started and
out of respect to their ethnically and culturally diverse
'outernational' fanbase. It showcased a more spacious sound
that utilised amongst other things, strings and horns, surprising
those who had expected more 'jungle punk.'
With extensive European touring and a trip to Singapore,
Australia and New Zealand and their first tour of Japan, ADF
consolidated their reputation for being one of hardest working
live bands. Their last tour of France saw them working for
the first time with an extended line-up featuring drummer
Rocky Singh whom they first encountered in Toronto, MCs Aktarvata
& Spex from the Invasian, which emerged out of ADFED,
and dhol player Pritpal Rajput. These musicians are now a
permanent live fixture.
After playing his last gig on new year's eve 2000, and having
fulfilled his live and touring commitments for that year,
Deeder Zaman left the band to dedicate his time to working
with grassroots civil rights and anti-racist organisations
as he had planned to do so for some time. He had generally
wished to have a break from music, in particular the heavy
touring aspect, and explore other avenues of life having been
in the band since the age of fourteen.
In March 2001 the band composed and performed a live soundtrack
for the film 'La Haine' as part of the 'Only Connect' season
at the Barbican. The event met with critical acclaim and enabled
the band to showcase their instrumental skills, so often overshadowed
by the so-called 'political' aspects of their work.
Their British Council organised trip to Brazil in April 2001
was the first tour with the new ADF line-up. All band members
engaged in music workshops with young people and sound systems
as well as the actual gigs. Spex and Aktarvata drew upon their
experience as members of ADFED to demonstrate the MPC 2000
sequencer. The concerts themselves were a resounding success,
ADF performing allongside top Brazillian bands such as Orappa,
Nacao Zumbi and Afroreggae. The passion and resourcefulness
of the musicians they met had an enormous impact on the members
of the band.
In the autumn the band was dropped from London Records who
were in the process of shedding most of their roster. ADF,
who had been rehearsing new material and recording from the
spring, immediately set about negotiating a new worldwide
deal with Labels/Virgin France. The deal was eventually signed
in May 2002.
ADF rounded off the year with a their first extensive tour
of Eastern Europe. They were shocked by the level of support
and enthusiasm showed by the fans there. In Yugoslavia they
played to 8,000 people; their largest club date ever and in
Bulgaria to 3,500. All in all like Brazil the band came away
from the tour very uplifted and inspired.
The beginning of 2002 saw long-time inspiration Adrian Sherwood
come on board as executive producer of the new album, restoring
focus to a project slightly derailed by the swapping of labels.
Sherwood, amongst other things, brought in new producers/programmers
such as Jaswad to contemporise some of the beats and sounds.
The release is now expected to be early 2003.
As usual ADF punctuated studio work with touring. In March
of this year they had an amazing visit to Cuba, once again
sponsored by the British Council. Much to their surprise over
5000 people turned up to watch them at the Salon de Rosada,
a venue more associated with salsa. Unlike the Manics' trip
to Cuba the crowd didn't have to be bussed in!! The gig also
involved collaborations with top Cuban band Sintesis and the
excellent hip hop duo Anonimo Concejo. Again another awe-inspiring
trip which will no doubt inform and influence ADF's global
outlook to music and politics.
ADF's latest album 'Enemy of the Enemy' is released Feb 2003.
It will include contributions from guitarist Ed O'Brien from
Radiohead, Sinead O'Connor, Hindi vocalist Sonia Mehta, On-U
Sound's Ghetto Priest and long time friend and collaborator,
Navigator. Serious world touring will ensue.
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