On Saturday July 10^th 2010, our very own SatsB was the host of Imran Khan’s Bounce Billo Tour. This event took place at the Allstream Center at the CNE grounds. Walking in, I was astonished by the elegance of the venue.  It was very chic with black and white couches and candle vase center pieces. The show kicked off with our very own desiFEST’s host SatsB and he did what he does best, drawing in the crowd. The first segment of entertainment was provided by SAMA Models.  SAMA Models was founded in 1997, by Raj and Mala Singh and have made many appearances in film and print. These beautiful male and female models did a fashion show displaying cocktail attire. Throughout the entire night, DJ Kamran & Clymaxxx alongside Ali Kat kept the music pumping, playing a wide range of RnB, Hip Hop, Bollywood and Bhangra. Light finger food was also served, for those wanting munch while watching entertainment. The concert started with a former desiFEST artist, Kateyez hitting the stage.  Kateyez approach singing opposed to rapping gave a fresh approach to the ear. The next artist is no stranger to desiFEST, he has travelled across the country with us and once again, Saturday night, we witnessed Roach Killa do his thing. Handing out free cd’s and roses for the ladies, the crowd was hanging off his every word.

Next to perform was the legendary Snow who opened up for Imran Khan. It was amazing seeing him perform after growing up to his songs. He performed “Informer” which remained #1 on the American Billboard charts for 7 consecutive weeks. “Informer” has been recorded twice in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best selling reggae single in US history, as well as the highest charting reggae single in history along with a few more of his songs. Snow had a guest appearance by Kobra Khan, who together performed a track entitled “ Just For U”.  To the crowd’s amazement , Kobra Khan had a live Snake wrapped around his body during his performance. One of Kobra’s more popular songs that he performed was “20 inch” by Cutty Ranks featuring Khan himself.

Last but not least, Imran Khan was to take the stage, the fans started chanting Imran Khan’s name as they waited for him. Imran performed all the songs off his recent album and the fans went wild!! At the end of his performance, the crowd chanted for him to sing one more track and with an open heart, he delivered. Over all, it was a great night with amazing performances, food and drinks. Along with the greatest host to ever hit any South Asian stage !!.

Check out some pictures from the event below

Photo credits go to Amoor.

Sats B doing this thing !

The fans going wild for Roach Killa !

Kobra Khan and his Snake !

Imran Khan doing his thing !

The girls are going wild for Imran Khan !!

Kateyez doing this thing !!

The legandary Snow !

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Call for Volunteers for desiFEST 2010

Be involved in the city’s largest and only South Asian Music Festival…Now is your opportunity!

Volunteer with desiFEST 2010 taking place on May 29 2010, 10am to 10pm…12 hours of music, dance, food, and a whole lot more. Positions are available for all roles including kids zone, merchandise booth, information booth and more….there are many exciting positions just waiting to be filled!

If interested, please email mladha@bluebandmedia.com with your full name, phone number, email address, age, hours you are available and the position you are interested in.

desiFEST will also provide reference letters for your volunteer time upon request.

Looking forward to an exciting desiFEST 2010!!!!

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Raghav is an Indo-Canadian artist born in Calgary, Alberta. His first album Storyteller sold 1.6   million copies worldwide. Identity is Raghav’s second album.

Identity is an upbeat dance album with a mix of Hindi and urban desi songs. This album is so diverse in sound; anyone who likes good music with good beats will definitely enjoy listening to it.

BlueBand Musiq’s Top 3 Picks:

1.   My Kinda Girl Featuring Redman

This was the first single released off Raghav’s second album. It was originally released worldwide as a download on his website. The song is in collaboration with US artist Redman and has a hip hop R&B feel to it. Raghav still keeps to his original style of good easy to move to beats.

2.   Humrahee

The second single to be released is a soft low tempo Hindi song. Raghav’s soothing voice blends well with the flutes and guitars in the background of this song. The sweet mellow track sounds almost like it’s from a Bollywood movie but still makes you want to listen to it.

3.   Once Featuring Iceberg Slimm

This song is one of the best tracks on the album in my opinion. It’s exciting upbeat and most importantly very easy to dance to. Mixed with a bit of Indian flavour, Raghav’s lyrics make you want to sing out loud with him.

After a four-year break, Raghav comes back strong with collaborations with Redman and Iceberg Slimm. This album has upbeat tracks like Once, My Kinda Girl and Jaadugar. And melodious songs like Humrahee, Naino Waali and Angelina. Even though he didn’t go above and beyond what was expected, I still give him credit for delivering good fun songs.

BlueBand Musiq rating:  UUU1/2

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Roach Killa’s Debut Album “The Revolution” released in September 09 by MovieBox UK peaked at No.6 on the ITUNES World Charts. His 1st Single Yaara Dildara feat Shahid Ali Khan reached No.1 on the BBC ASIAN NETWORK Charts. The video is currently on heavy rotation on all the major Global Channels B4U, SONY Ent Television, Zee TV, Brit Asia UK Roach Killa’s been touring Europe, Asia and Middleast promoting his music and has created a massive fan base around the world. His songs have been playlisted on all the commercial radio stations across Europe.

This album caters to the new age Desi’s around the world. It has a urban desi flavour that is a mix of the western and eastern genres of music. This album demonstrates Roach Killa’s ability as a well rounded artist with different tones from reggae, rap and South Asian influences.  The collaborations on this album show his diverse ability in different genres of music appealing to a broader audience.

BlueBand Musiq’s Top 3 picks:

1. Yaara Dildara

This is the first single off the album and has gotten much recognition. This song was No. 1 on the BBC Asian Network Charts. This song features the melodious voice of Shahid Ali Khan. This track is a fusion of traditional sounds from Shahid Ali Khan and urban vibes from Roach Killa; put together to tell a story about a love lost.  It draws you in emotionally to the song. You can find the video to this song at roachkilla.com.

2.  Revolution

If you like conscious reggae, this is the track for you. This song talks about real issues that young people face in society and the hardship of the ghetto.  This song shows you the true reggae side of Roach Killa.

3.  Killin ‘Em Feat. Maria Marcial and Skelitor

This song is a upbeat dance song. The collaborations on this track bring different flavors of music from RnB, Rap to Reggae. You can find the music video for this song on Much Music’s website. It’s has potential to be the next hot club anthem.

Over all the part I enjoy most about this album is his lyrical content. It’s very real and raw and draws you into his music because it’s easy to relate to. This album shows you that he is a very diverse artist with different tones. Its keeps you excited because you don’t know if the next song will be a Hindi mix, rap or conscious reggae. The only constructive criticism I have to offer is the album cover does not reflect the album. This is a great album to pop into your player on a weekend and you can jam to the whole album without feeling that it’s repetitive.

Blueband Musiq Rating: UUUU

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Parichay has been in the music industry for the past 10 years. He has gone from doing underground Bollywood to urban desi to doing over 300 performances. When he was 12 years old, he won the most popular singing competition in India called ‘Antakshari’.

Parichay’s debut album No Boundaries has gotten critical acclaim worldwide. His R&B style mixed with Hindi lyrics makes him different from many of the South Asian artists out there. The lyrics are sweet and catchy. Most of the songs have R&B sounds with some Pop and Hindi classical mixed in. The album can definitely be played from beginning to end.

BlueBand Musiq’s Top 3 Picks:

1.  Deewana Tera (She Makes Me Crazy) featuring Roach Killa & Blitzkrieg

This song was introduced as Parichay’s first single. It starts off with an exciting reggae beat and mixes in an energetic sound. Roach Killa adds his reggae feel and Blitzkrieg with his killer verses make this song extremely easy to move along to. Deewana Tera was a perfect choice as a first single.

2.  Kasam Se (I Swear) Featuring Joe Louis

This addictive song gets right into the flow with a smooth beat. Add a little flavor with Joe Louis rapping and you’ve got a second hit off this album. This love ballad is easy to sing along to and really shows off Parichay’s vocal skills.

3.  Tere Bin (Without You) Featuring Blitzkrieg

Here’s another song featuring Blitzkrieg. Another sad love song with a really good beat and once again makes you want to sing along. Parichay really outdoes himself with the choice of lyrics and beats and putting together another great song.

Overall, I think this a really great debut album for Parichay. I could listen to this album from start to finish and sing along to most of the songs. “Help Me to Shine” is probably one of the weakest tracks on the album. I like how Parichay experimented with different sounds and instruments. The beats flow together nicely and make you want to move. I will definitely be looking forward to his second album

Blue Band Musiq Rating: UUUU

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Singer/songwriter Prita Chhabra was born in Montreal, Canada. At the age of fifteen, she moved to Orlando, Florida. After seven years, she returned to Montreal where she acquired a degree in Psychology from Concordia University. She then decided to pursue a career in singing and songwriting.

Prita has been writing music and singing since she was a child, including the orchestra score for her high school graduation. While living in Florida, she often performed at Disney World, in addition to concerts put on with the Valencia Community College and InTone.

Even before releasing her first album, Prita has achieved a series of career milestones. Last year she performed in front of thousands as a part of RBC’s desiFEST (Canada’s national South Asian music festival). She was also one of the few singers to have performed at Parliament Hill in Ottawa for key Canadian ministers and dignitaries.

Highlights from some of Prita’s numerous TV, radio and print media coverage include performing on CTV’s national “Telethon of the Stars”; being play listed and charting #4 on the “Top 6 @ 6” fan requested countdown by Canada’s top South Asian radio station RJ1200; and receiving a half page pictorial in the Toronto Sun newspaper following a performance for over 5,000 people at Yonge & Dundas Square.

Prita’s debut EP, “Spread the Word”, consists of her seven original songs with Montreal’s acclaimed Othentic Productions. Prita is currently recording with one of Canada’s top music exports, fusion band Josh, and recently finished her first Bollywood themed music collaboration with famed Canadian bhangra producer Vikas Kohli of FatLabs.

www.pritamusic.com

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