.co.uk Compiled by DJ Ritu, The Rough Guide to the Asian Underground gathers together most of that scene's prime movers, including State of Bengal, Joi, Fun-Da-Mental and ADF. Her selection opens with 1960s Indo-groover Ananda Shankar's "Streets of Calcutta", a kitsch forerunner of the more serious fusions to come in 1990s England. East London provided the mulching ground for most of these early experiments; Talvin Singh's Anokha club nights were the nexus for mixing tabla, sitar, bansuri flute and Bollywood strings with scratching, breakbeats and blubbery basslines. At first glance, he's the chief absentee, until we notice that Talvin's here in the guise of Mahatma T. All the set needs now is Nitin Sawhney and Badmarsh & Shri. As usual, the Rough Guide booklet includes an informative mini-essay, penned by Ritu, who also happens to include one of her own Sister India tracks. There is, however, a feeling that this compilation is arriving somewhat tardily, retrospectively gathering in the last decade. It's only Asian Dub Foundation who continued to be a strong force. This whole scene has now passed its media peak, but these influences have been absorbed into the general fabric, making a permanent dancefloor difference. --Martin Longley
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