For the Kulture

The Kulture Sessions platform by DJ Bal-t pays homage to old-school legends from Southall and West London whilst on the precipice of ushering in new talent from the local area.

On an unassuming Thursday night in March I left work early and rushed across London for a very special event. Truly one for the ages, DJ Balt through his platform Kulture Sessions joined forces with longstanding Southall institution, Jas Musicals to bring us a night of pure nostalgia and connection with our roots. This evening was an opportunity to honour the greats before us and mark a new wave of Panjabi arts and culture coming out of West London.

First up we had Ominous DJs. My teenage heart broke a thousand times… I may or may not have tried to get into Boulevard’s (iykyk) at 15 to see these guys play. Originally a quartet; carrying the flag for Ominous these days are brothers Rekhi and Dips. DJ Dips, arguably one of our biggest Bhangra music DJs, who travels the world with Miss Pooja, came up through the arts scene with his older brother through this collective; and boy did they spin some nostalgic tunes.

Once upon a time, Ominous DJs even released a couple albums, and the gravelly garage voice you can hear on some of those tunes is none other than fellow local legend, MC Rax. Still hitting the mics with the likes of DJ Balt and turning his hand to music production, Rax was the perfect host for the night.

We were then (re)introduced to another Southall sibling pair: LL Cool Singh and Phat Boy Singh. Their names, obviously inspired by Hip Hop legends from the USA, helps to place the era in which these two came up. In the early 2000s our introduction to Hip Hop or Dancehall music as young brown kids was actually through Bhangra remixes of these genres, mainly by pioneering DJs such as LL Cool Singh and Phat Boy Singh. They paved the way for the likes of Ominous, H Dhami, Juggy D etc and I would say, kick-started the Golden era of UK Panjabi music in the 2000s; perhaps even for artists such as the iconic Panjabi MC?!

Talking of Panjabi MC, although not a West Londoner, we had the absolute pleasure of witnessing his closing set of the night. The room fell silent, and the stormy start of Challa creeped through the sound system set up in the middle of the store (the vibrations from which pushed a harmonium, and a harp?! off of the shelves). Panjabi MC was the epitome of 2000s Bhangra music and propelled UK Panjabi music to the world stage, his iconic Mundian to Bach Ke is literally the ONE Bhangra song EVERYONE recognises and the Jay Z remix isn’t even the most popular one!

The 2010s and early 2020s saw a return to popular Bhangra music from the Panjab itself and although artists from the UK were still making music, we are now at the precipice of; no we are in the full flow of a renaissance of UK Bhangra and Panjabi music and to honour the greats on which new artists stand on the shoulders of, was the perfect way for upcoming youngster, DJ Balt to pay homage to those that came before him.

I spoke to Balt before and after the event. We spoke about why he put it together, the importance of honouring legends, musical influences and the impact of growing up in West London. Balt’s Kulture Sessions have gained traction online as a platform for DJs to perform and so combining with Indian classical music store, a staple on the heart of The Broadway: Jas Musicals as a part of their recent ‘Jas After Hours’ events made for the perfect setting. DJ Decks set up on the counter and a red neon shop sign helped to create the nostalgic feeling that permeated through the store.

Balt helped to explain: ‘we grew up listening to these artists and they paved the way. In order to be successful and make it, we copied their blueprints and adapted it in our own ways’. The new surge of South-Asian and Panjabi music is in the midst of taking the world by storm and Balt has noticed that ‘we are getting more recognition as a community worldwide. I didn’t expect such a following in Australia and was surprised on my recent trip by how much recognition I was getting for my DJing. I think it’s because there are a lot more platforms and everything is more accessible now’.

As the curator of the event itself, it is clear to see who Balt’s musical influences are, but his musical family also plays a big part of the journey. ‘Musical artists and performers like Tigerstyle, PMC, Sammy Virji’ were huge for Balt, but also within his own family ‘my cousins are DJs and producers, it goes as far back as my Nana doing it back in the day’, you can also often find his little brother not too far, usually behind the lighting deck. ‘There’s a whole mix of what makes me the DJ I am because I mess with so many different genres’. Talking of different genres, Balt plays a wide range of Panjabi, Hip Hop, Dancehall, Garage, Grime and Jungle but also listens to a lot of Lofi and Soulful House which might be surprising; but when I asked what his favourite Genre is: ‘straight Panjabi’.

As glamorous as the life of a young DJ may seem, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. ‘It’s fun, you get to play your favourite music out loud…you get to book your favourite artists and build communities together… but there’s all the things you don’t see, the setting up and taking it all down. It’s a lot that goes into the production and AV at the events for example, and although it’s a massive high to put these events together and you get to experiment with sound, it’s a lot that goes into it’ and it takes the whole family, a member of another sibling pair in attendance this evening his little bro is always close by! Well, we appreciate the effort to keep the Kulture alive, Balt!

Keep an eye out on Balt’s journey: honestly one of my FAVOURITE DJs, he gets me up on my feet (and keeps me up) every time he presses play. I predict big things for our bright star! He’s already played across the world in places such as India, Australia, across North America and this current season of travel sends him on another trip to Australia and will then culminate for Balt and his Jawani4va crew in Malta at the Breaking Borders festival in September for 3 days of South-Asian and Panjabi vibes! Can’t wait to see the footage!