DJ Swami
| DJ Swami | |
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DJ Swami
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Pop, Dance, Rock, Bhangra |
| Years active | 1989– |
| Labels | Nation Records (to 2004) Envy/Roma Music (2004, UK) Sony BMG India (2005, India) EMI Virgin India (current, India) |
| Website | www.djswami.com www.swamimusic.com |
DJ Swami is a DJ producer, songwriter and guitarist. He is also the leader of UK pop/ electronic/ bhangra band Swami. He is Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize nominated and produced and played alongside Mutt Lange on the Shania Twain double Grammy nominated 2004 album Up!. He is twice winner (2005 and 2008) of Best Producer category at the UK Asian Music Awards. He is also winner of Best Mix Engineer at the South African Music Awards 2010.
An internationally accomplished British Asian DJ and music producer, having produced a variety of platinum-selling award winning recording artists, including Shania Twain, Pras, Apache Indian, Maxi Priest, Stereo Nation and China Black as well as remixing Erasure, The Beat and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has also performed and toured as a guitarist with Robbie Williams, Boyzone, and Blue.
His most successful solo Swami album to date was 2004's DesiRock, the title track from which has been used in a variety of movies, TV shows, and video games.
Contents
Biography
Born Diamond Jyoti Duggal, he grew up in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, England in a melting pot of second-generation Indian and Jamaican multi-culturalism. By the age of 12 he was already playing guitar in local reggae and rock bands. While learning the craft of music through listening to records by Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, Kraftwerk, Laxmikant Pyarelal and local Birmingham artists Steel Pulse and UB40, Diamond witnessed his first glance of a new musical hybrid and what was ultimately to become his life’s passion.
In 1997, Diamond started the group Swami with drummer and brother Simon ‘Subs’ Duggal, vocalist Taz Singh and Indian percussionist Kam Bura. The band performed a number of local and European shows before releasing their debut album Desi Nu Skool Beatz on their SubDub Records label in 1999. The album was given an international release in 2000 on Nation Records (Beggars Banquet). The guitar surfing electronic title track "Mehbooba" went on to feature in the Olsen Twins Warner Brothers movie New York Minute (2003).
Diamond took to the studio in 2002 to work with Shania Twain on her follow-up album to Come On Over entitled Up!. The album was produced by a totally international team co-ordinated between producer Mutt Lange, Diamond and Simon Duggal. Shania Twain’s Up! topped the American Billboard for six weeks in late 2002 with multi-platinum sales exceeding 15 million and received two Grammy nominations in 2004.
Swami's follow-up album was So Who Am I on SonyBMG in 2005. The title track "DesiRock" embraced clubs the world over with DJ Swami’s unique left field electronic beats and anthemic bhangra melodies and reached even wider audiences in the EA Games FIFA World Cup 2006 video game as well as the UK movie Mischief Night (2006).
In 2005, Swami won "Best Producer" at the UK Asian Music Awards.[1]
Diamond has recently been touring with his band Swami promoting the new Swami album Equalize released in late 2007. The album features mainstream collaborations from the USA, South Africa, France, England and India.
In June 2007, DJ Swami was listed in the official Guardian Glastonbury Festival Guide as one of the Top 5 acts to see at Glastonbury 2007 alongside Amy Winehouse and the Arctic Monkeys.
In January 2008, Swami's album Equalize was voted album of the year by DesiHits.com
In March 2008, DJ Swami won "Best Producer" at the UK Asian Music Awards for a second time.[2]
In August 2008, Swami's "Hey Hey" music video received its Canadian premiere at Toronto's FILMI South Asian Film Festival, as part of FILMI's debut music video night programmed by Deejay Ra.
In April 2010, DJ Swami won best Mix Engineer at the South Africa Music Awards (SAMA).
Discography as DJ Swami
- DJ Swami – Sub Culture Vol. 1
- Kurthi Malmal Di
- Bismillah
- Raathi Kithe Giya Si
- Mitran Dee Yaad
- Jind Mereeyeh
- Dekha
- Dil Naihee Dehna
- Oh Carol Club Mumbai Mix
- DJ Swami – Sub Culture Vol. 2
- Intro
- Jatan Nu Larey
- Nit Kher Mangdi
- Hat Jo Hat Jo
- Pyar Tere Nai
- Koka
- Nachna
Production discography
1990
- Doggy – Psyche (single/ Rham Records)
- Demonik – Labyrinthe (single/ Rham Records)
1991
- The Badman – Magic Style/ Shape Dancing (single and remix/ CityBeat)
- The Badman Presents N.D.X. – Come With Me/ Higher Than Heaven (single and remix/ CityBeat)
- Aretha Daye – No More (Making Love) (single)
1992/1993
- Apache Indian – No Reservations (album/ Island Records)
- Apache Indian – Arranged Marriage (single and remix/ Island Records)
- Apache Indian – Chok There (single and remix/ Island Records)
- Louie Rankin – Typewriter (remix/ Ruffness)
- Johnny Zee – Cum Be My Lover (remix)
- Dillinger – Cokane In My Brain (remix/ Island Records)
1994/1995
- Erasure – Run To The Sun (remix/ Mute)
- The Beat – Mirror In The Bathroom (remix/ London Records)
- Raise – I Got It (single and remix/ SubDub)
1997/1998
- Stereo Nation – I’ve Been Waiting (single)
- Stereo Nation – Jambo (album)
1999
- Swami – Desi Nu Skool Beatz (album/ Nation Records)
- Swami – Transmission (single)
- Taz – Nasha (album/ SubDub)
2000/2001
- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Redefined (remix album/ OSA)
- Pure Garage Volume 2 (Roma II)
2002
- Shania Twain – Up! (album/ Mercury)
- Swami – BhangraDotCom (album/ Nation Records)
- Pure Garage Volume 4 (Roma II)
2004
2005
- Swami – So Who Am I (album/ Sony BMG)
- Apache Indian – Time For Change (album/ Revolver)
2007
2008
- Tigerstyle – Balle Shava (remix)
- Delhi 2 Dublin – Dil Nachde (remix)
2009
- Swami – Electro Jugni/She’s Mine EP
- Swami – 53431 (album/ EMI Virgin)
- Swami – Sugarless (single and remix)
- Ishmael – Over The Edge (album/ Ghetto Ruff)
- Meja – Regrets (remix/ Sony)
2010
- Meja – Chasing Butterflies (remix/ Sony)
- Delhi 2 Dublin – Planet Electric (album mixing)
2011
- Swami – Upgrade (album recording)
- Deep Forest – Deep Swami recording/ remixes
2012
- Fell On Deaf Ears – Are You Getting Enough? (album mixing)
- Swami – Upgrade (album mixing)
2013
- Swami – Back It Up (single)
- Viktor Kiraly – Fire (single)
- Pop Chaot – Album tracks
- Zoheb Hassan – Album tracks
References
External links
- Diamond 'Swami' Duggal's website
- Swami performing at BBC Asian Network Uni Tour 07
- An interview and another with DJ Swami
- Another interview and the German translation with Diamond & S-Endz
