Bhangra

Bhangra is the popular music of the Punjabi diaspora, built on the folk dance music of Punjab and rebuilt with Western pop, reggae, hip hop and electronic production. Its foundation is the dhol, a double-headed barrel drum, answered by the one-stringed tumbi and by shouted calls that once accompanied the harvest dance. From the late 1970s, bands in Southall and Birmingham electrified the folk repertoire with synthesisers and drum machines, while solo singers and DJ-producers carried it into clubs and charts. Sung almost entirely in Punjabi, it remains the defining sound of Punjabi celebration at home and abroad.