Bhangra

Bhangra is a dance style which originates from the region of Punjab (North India and Pakistan). The dance is performed when celebrating important occasions such as the harvest, weddings and so on. This is normally accompanied by singing and, most significantly, the beat of the dhol[?] drum. Nowadays the word Bhangra is more associated with the style of music which has this percussion. The dhol's smaller cousin, the dholaki, is sometimes used instead or in addition to the dhol. Additional percussion, including tabla[?], is frequently used in Bhangra. The music is often danced to. Lyrical content of Bhangra songs relates to celebration, or love, or patriotism, or current social issues.

Bhangra has always been popular amongst Punjabi people all over the world but it has enjoyed a resurgence over the last ten years or so. It's raw traditional sound is often supplemented with contemporary musical styles. In its more recent history, Bhangra has been fused with disco, reggae, techno, house, rap, ragga and now jungle. In fact these "new" styles are so successful that modern Bhangra is now being re-exported back to India. Most of this tends to come from the UK.

Tabla player Talvin Singh[?] has mixed bhangra with western dance music, while Apache Indian[?] has mixed bhangra and raggamuffin.