Asian Dub Foundation are back with a brand new album, 'Punkara', today. As ever, the album is a smart blend of genres and politics, proving that the band have lost none of the power, musically or lyrically, that has won them so many fans over the years - including Iggy Pop, who joins them for a cover of The Stooges' 'No Fun'. You can catch the band live at The Electric Ballroom in Camden on 28 Oct. We spoke to frontman Chandrasonic about the new album.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I think it's just something all of us have always done in one form or another. I remember seeing some old film of The Who smashing up their instruments when I was about 10 and then, with my brother in tow, building a Lego guitar and drum kit and proceeding to destroy them. It was uphill from there...
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Realising that we should make an album the same way we play on stage - ie by playing together as a group as much as possible.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating an album?
Throw ideas at each other like a custard pie fight in an old silent movie. Once you've cleaned up the mess you're left with a banging tune. Then begins a heroic struggle against iron deadlines!
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Early Jungle, Lee Perry, Public Image, The Specials, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, James Brown, Bhangra, Public Enemy, Tinariwen... the list is endless.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Expect an energy rush of extreme proportions, plus a combination of styles that aren't usually put together.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
We want 'Punakara' to inspire as wide an audience as possible to believe that music can still be conscious of the real world without losing a centimetre of passion and imagination.
MORE>> www.asiandubfoundation.com and www.myspace.com/asiandubfoundationuk