Some albums are good. Bhangra Rangeela RULES. Red Baraat, a NYC-based South Asian brass party band, comes back with a genre-smashing record that had my 5-year-old dancing like he just discovered he has hips. And twerking. He twerks to everything. He twerked to the fucking Dandy Warhols. Why does this kid twerk so much?
Whatever. Led by dhol-destroyer Sunny Jain, Bhangra Rangeela may be a new album in a storied career, but it’s my first time hearing them. AND. IT. RULES. it’s a cacophony of horns, hip-hop, Sufi soul, and bhangra beats. It’s the kind of album that kicks your eardrums in the ass. It’s funky, it’s loud, it’s danceable, and it somehow features both Stewart Copeland (yes, that one from The Police) and a remix that could level Coachella courtesy of Indo Warehouse’s Kahani.
If you haven’t heard of banghra music, it’s basically northern Indian pop music that doesn’t fuck around. I got hooked when I lived with an Indian couple in college (shoutout to Yogesh and Jyotika!), and love to introduce others to it. Do I know ANY of the words? No. Do I need to? Not at all. Shit still rules.
Tracks like “Thums Up” (and its Sahara tent-worthy remix) punch through your earbuds, while “Bhangale” and “Gaadi of Truth” keep the global grooves coming like it’s your shittiest friend’s wedding and the open bar just kicked in: no one gives a shit, just have a great time.
And if you’ve never heard a dhol drum go toe-to-toe with brass and a tabla, you’re missing out on one of life’s true pleasures. While I do prefer the original tracks waaaay more than the remixes, I’ll take the remixes just to keep the party going.