Chakdey.Com hooked up with the band Swami for an exclusive interview with Dj Swami and S-Endz. Having released an amazing array of albums throughout their career, the group have returned with new members and originals still in their midst.  What are you waiting for?! Continue reading to see what went down!

The Group – Swami

Many people will know DJ Swami & S-Endz as the main members of the group. Can you fill us in on the rest of the clique?

S-Endz: Sups is a bi-lingual vocalist, a very talented singer. All of us in the band pride ourselves on our ability to rock the stage, and Sups was at home with that straight away, he and I have great dynamics together. Bobby P is our dhol player and percussionist and he is a serious beast on that drum. Without a doubt one of the baddest dholi’s in the world!

DJ Swami - We also have a drummer Rocky Singh and bass player Baba Stormz for when we play the big festivals….

For those music lovers who have had their head in the sand for the past 10 years, what have been your success stories?

DJ Swami - Producing and writing the Apache Indian album ‘No Reservations’ and producing Shania Twain’s album ‘Up!’ as they were both multi-platinum sellers.

S-Endz: With the albums “DesiRock”, “So Who Am I” and “Equalize” I think we have established ourselves as the most original and progressive band in the scene. Love us or hate us, we have made and will continue to make an impact and that to me is most definitely a success story.

Past Work

From this side of the world it’s hard to judge as a fan what sort of success your albums have in the sub continent. So how well did the track DesiRock fare?

DJ Swami - DesiRock has become really popular with the album release on Sony BMG in India going platinum within weeks..

S-Endz: When we last went to India to release the “So Who Am I” album, we got there, arrived at the hotel, I fell asleep with the TV on, and was woken up by the sound of “DesiRock” playing on the TV and an interview we did, both of them rotating a few times an hour……..the reaction was crazy. We even saw Akshay Kumar on TV dancing to the song at the Star Screen Awards. DesiRock has had an incredible response everywhere from the UK, to India, to Brazil. Movies, TV shows, video games….that song continues to pop up everywhere. It’s definitely taken on a life of its own…

The original Swami days where hits included Pure Garage, do you miss those days?

DJ Swami - Not really…but it was enjoyable at the time…

What was it like working so closely with Stin & Zeus?

DJ Swami - They are both good friends of mine…very down to earth people.

Stin is very knowledgeable and hooked me up with some interesting contacts in Punjab during the making of this album. We used to play football together too. Zeus called me when Equalize came out because he really likes the production sound and is really feeling Electro Jugni.

What made you leave the record label Envy Entertainment?

DJ Swami - I was never actually signed to them so I didn’t have anything to leave. It was more of an amicable relationship that was to eventually get a bit restricting and go a bit sour…I once joked to Viv (a director of the label) at an MTV Awards party in Mumbai that I was the ‘bastard’ son of Envy Entertainment…lol

A hot topic in the past, which you all seem to have gotten over, was the partition of MC Sarpanch from the group. Do you have any message for him?

DJ Swami - Stick to selling fireworks…

S-Endz: It has become clear to me that there are those who frantically search for the keys to the doors locked by their own actions, sinking deeper into a pit of bitterness, envy and hatred. The nature of ego makes it easier to place the blame on others rather than admit to one’s own failings. Postivity and strength will never succumb to hate and malice.

Where did you get the inspiration for the idea of going down the Rock vibe?

DJ Swami - I have played guitar since I was 8 years old and it was an interesting direction to pursue..it seems to work better for the non-desi fans..

S-Endz: We all grew up listening to rock. Obviously Diamond has been playing guitar his whole life. It was organic, in that when we got our live act together, the way we played the songs naturally had a more of a rock feel to them. That’s why we re-recorded the album with the live instruments for the major label release.

Do you feel that your new album is an improvement on DesiRock & So-Who-Am-I?

DJ Swami - It is different and definitely more pop. I suppose it is a lot more female friendly...I was getting away from the macho male alternative sound, so Equalize is probably more accessible and dare I say an improvement.

Which would you choose if you were marooned on an island and only had enough life in your iPod battery for 1 album...DesiRock or Equalize?

DJ Swami - I suppose I would choose Equalize right now as it has a lot of variety to it…

S-Endz: Come on, man, that’s like asking you to choose between children! DesiRock is special to me for sure as it was my breakthrough into the industry. From a musical standpoint though, Equalize is a stronger album for sure. I can’t choose. I would have a playlist on the iPod with my favorite tracks from each and then I wouldn’t have to choose, haha!

The Album – Equalize

How did you come across Cigale Entertainment and which other artists feature on the label?

DJ Swami - We have been working with Luc Vergier from Cigale for the past three years after meeting him through a collab I did with Apache Indian and Pras. He has helped me a great deal in branching out my sound and collaborations. He works with the Fugees, Calvin Harris and Jozi from South Africa also.

A few years back whilst you were working on the album, you were worried that it wouldn't cater for the Desi heads; do you feel you have achieved this?

S-Endz: The material we were working on at that time has now evolved into a different project entirely, and it is not a Desi album at all. It it for a different market and you will hear about it in the New Year. Stay tuned…..

Your selection of vocalists is peculiar in the current environment. What made you pick the likes of Romesh Chohan over established vocalists such as Lehmber & Kaka Bhaniawala?

DJ Swami - I don’t need the flavor of the month vocalist to make a great record..it is that simple…there are many great talents among Punjabi people worldwide..you just gotta know how to utilize those talents..I have heard some weird comments made by Lehmber about producers who have built his fame, but I am yet to hear him make a great record without an established producer.

What was it like with working with such a variety of artists from all over the globe such as Pras from the legendary Fugees group?

DJ Swami - It is great to get legendary artists like Pras involved because they are really feeling the music...that is the most important thing to me..

You’ve rammed the album with nearly every music style available under the rainbow. What genre would you like to adapt next? A suggestion from a user was classical music, can you see that working?

DJ Swami - That is a cool idea and I will definitely give it a go at some point..!..I like to push the boundaries unlike any other producer or artist would dare to…that is the challenge I set myself..

The fact that the Hey Hey track got rave reviews from my mum amazed me! Do you target a set audience type?

DJ Swami - That is good to hear…to make a pop record that is credible but still has mass appeal was the objective of the new album…It is a much tougher challenge than making a traditional bhangra or bad-boy rap record…

S-Endz: We set an audience type of people that like good, original music, real music and are open-minded. That’s all.

A personal favourite of mine is "Break" which gives me the feeling of being high! Did you leave any tracks out from the album as many producers narrow it down to the best 10 or so?

DJ Swami - I like the ‘Break’ track too! It is like a latin bhangra party high! There are other tracks that did not make the CD release but I am sure they will surface as exclusives over the coming months…

S-Endz: There’s many alternate mixes and different versions of the songs we’ve done….if you bought the album, you can check ‘em out at http://www.swamimusic.com/53431

The question I would most like to ask is what made you choose the album version of Cant Let Go over the unplugged mix?

DJ Swami - The unplugged mix actually came after the album release as a bonus mix so did not feature on the CD..

Some listeners have suggested that you have used Dhol samples from the likes of Dr Zeus. Can you verify this claim?

DJ Swami - We both have access to the same library of dhol samples that we both prefer..they actually come from a particular sample CD…can’t remember the name right now…I remember discussing favorite dhol samples with Zeus when we were in Mumbai a while back…

How many secret codes do you have hidden on the album inlets? What exclusives do you have in store that album purchasers can look forward to?

S-Endz: All the copies of “Equalize” pressed so far have a hidden code on the inlet. This code redirects you to a site, at which point you will have to answer a question, the answer can be found somewhere on the album sleeve, and for all intents and purposes there are an infinite amount of questions, so the question will change regularly. Once you know the answer you will be able to access new mixes and exclusives. This is our way of rewarding the people that purchased the album instead of illegally downloading it. So far there’s some great stuff within the zone, like the excellent Tigerstyle remix of “Hey Hey”, our own “Demixify” Mix of “Break”, and much more. 

Another question in by a member on the same topic asks, "With the purchase of the album, people get a password, it’s an ace idea! Will you be doing more things like that in future?

S-Endz: The state of the music industry right now calls for artists to be creative with the marketing of their music. It’s not enough to simply have music available – as most will illegally download it anyway. We aim to have bonuses that cater to the real music fans who support the artists.

Do you plan to release the album worldwide and do you have any dates set for this?

DJ Swami - We can confirm we have just signed a deal with EMI for the India release…...The USA release is a more intricate affair involving other hybrid mixes and English versions..

S-Endz: The album will be out in India in December. We are working on a couple of other projects for a US release sometime next year, but can’t really say too much about those right now.

What was it like recording at the heavily acclaimed and exclusive BBC venue Maida Vale?

DJ Swami – Its just got this vibe about it that you cannot explain…recording in the same room as The Beatles, Rolling Stones..etc..what can you say?..I heard they are gonna close it down next year so it is a real honour to play there…

S-Endz: Inspirational.

A member of the site asks what or who is the inspiration behind your work?

DJ Swami - There are many inspiring things…great artists past and present…look at our MySpace influences to see who they are..honesty and a thirst to progress as a UK Asian…

Video – Hey Hey

You teamed up with X1X Film & Design for the production of your first video. Do you think they are being overused in the market?

DJ Swami - Nothing is overused as long as it is original…

S-Endz: We knew of them through the videos they did for Lady Ru. I can’t say I’ve seen a great deal of their other videos, so as for them being overused, I’ve no idea. We had a great time working with them and they did a great job on the video, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

How did you manage to create a video for Hey Hey in such a small time limit?

DJ Swami - By being extremely focused on the requirements and deciding to make the video more of a performance video rather than involving loads of extras..

Why did you choose to have Sups on the vocals of the Video version of Hey Hey instead of Romesh Chohan himself?

S-Endz. It was a last minute decision to do a video for ‘Hey Hey’ based upon the incredible reaction the song was getting on radio and online. It wasn’t in our original plan to do a video for that song but it took off in an incredible way, so we had no choice! It wasn’t possible to get Romesh over at such short notice, and we don’t agree with that bullshit miming that so many people do, so Sups re-sang it for the video.

Do you have any other videos planned to coincide with the release of Equalize?

S-Endz: Yes, we are going to do another video imminently…..and of course will let you guys know when we have news on it! I’ll let you keep guessing which song it’s going to be, for the moment.....

Other Questions

This one’s for Dj Swami. Have you been approached by any major artists to produce for them or from any film directors to create soundtracks?

DJ Swami - Yes I have but I cannot give you details to works that are still in scripting stages…

You have produced a few mixes here and there for artists such as Lady Ru. Do you have any other excursions planned in this route?

DJ Swami - You will hear a few different things I am doing with Tigerstyle, Taz, Sonia Panesar and a few other secrets…

Your album release was parallel with that of Zeus'. Even though they are completely different musically, what did you make of his challenge?

DJ Swami - I like his style..he does some quirky stuff in his tracks that I really like..He is much more trad than me so he appeals to a slightly different market.

A poll that Chakdey.Com carried out to find out which album users prefer puts the albums completely neck and neck. If I was on the Dragons Den panel and you had to sell your album to me what would you say?

DJ Swami - The Swami album has a much more international appeal because it goes beyond the boundaries of tradition!

S-Endz, when can we hear some solo pieces from yourself and what type of vibe do you feel most comfortable on?

S-Endz: Actually, just recently my new solo track “Electric Man” was in Bobby Friction’s Top Five Tracks on his BBC Asian Network show and I also just did a “Future Friction” session where I premiered another new track that features Sups called “She’s Like My Shadow”. I’m very excited as I produced both these tunes myself.  They are part of an album I’m working on titled “Emanate” which I hope to release early next year. I’ve produced the majority of the album myself, but it will also have production by Diamond (DJ Swami), and his brother Subs. My vibe as a solo artist is very much like the bands’ in its eclectic array of styles, but mostly a mix of funk, rock, electro and hip-hop that I call “neofunk”…..check out turimusic.com to hear some of the solo stuff I’m working on…

We have recently had a section on our site where we ask artists what they are listening to on their music players. So what’s playing on ur mp3 player?

DJ Swami – Best of Stevie Wonder, Raw as Folk, Bookashade…

S-Endz: Recently I’ve been listening to Joni Mitchell’s album “Hejira”, Prince’s new release “Planet Earth”, will.i.am’s “Songs About Girls”, Nine Inch Nails’ new album “Year Zero”, the Shaanti compilation “Mighty Asian Beats”, some dirty underground electro stuff that Diamond gave me, and of course the new Swami stuff we are already working on that sounds absolutely insane!!

If you had one opportunity or one way, how would you stop piracy in the Asian industry?

DJ Swami - Firstly by tracking down this Captain Balwant geezer…

What is your view on Dj's that jump on the production line and pop out with there own albums?

DJ Swami - If you put the effort in then good luck to you…

Many artists have decided that the best way of finding new talent is through the internet using sites such as Myspace & Facebook. Who has been your biggest music find through your use of the internet?

DJ Swami - To be honest I have not found anything in this manner as there seems to be an overload of very amateur music on MySpace and Facebook…where is the quality control?

We don’t ask many artists about their production tools, so we thought why not wait till the best! What computer equipment & software to you use whilst in the production process?

DJ Swami - This is some top secret information I am telling you here….I use Reason and Pro Tools with a Mac with a whole bunch of plugins…mainly Waves…I use an Akai MPC3000, the same as Dre, for all my drum programming and MIDI sequencing…I use a bunch of customized pre-MIDI old Moog and Roland modular synths too for serious bass sounds!

Guess what? It’s the last question! Heres something different. How do you think we can improve our website and what’s your favourite feature?

DJ Swami - I think you got it running real good….you seem to be honest and unbiased which is the most important thing…that was one long interview…!

S-Endz: The site that successfully walks the line between quality and quantity is the one that will always come out on top! You guys are doing a great job.