BOILER ROOM SOUTHALL Announces Programme Lineup

Boiler Room announces the programme for its historic Boiler Room Southall event on 16th August. The multi-generational lineup pays tribute to the West London suburb's rich heritage of sound system culture, bhangra and rave. The event will see performances by Raf-Saperra, Panjabi Hit Squad, Manara, manj, Vedic Roots Sound System, and DJ Ritu - hosted by NAINA. 

The show is curated by Boiler Room's Creative Director, Amar Ediriwira, who grew up near to Southall and says:

“Boiler Room Southall aims to celebrate Southhall's remarkable legacy of music, migration, and mobilisation across generations. Following the partition of India, many South Asian immigrants found a home in the West London suburb thanks to its local factories and proximity to Heathrow Airport. It eventually grew to have the largest Panjabi community outside of the subcontinent, dubbed 'Little India' or 'Little Panjab'. In the 1970s, Southhall became a key battleground for the anti-racist movement following a series of murders by white racists and the police. Reggae dances were integral to this struggle, building ties between South Asian and Black populations, and imprinting sound system culture on to the suburb's DNA. Simultaneously, Southall emerged as a key site for the growth of bhangra as well as the day time raves that enabled rebellious South Asian kids to listen to club music unbeknownst to their parents. This soundtrack of dub, bhangra, rave, and the beats in between still runs through the town and the many classic BMWs that cruise its streets.

For this very special Boiler Room, we're taking over a legendary venue that in the past has hosted nights with sound systems including Jah Shaka and Aba Shanti-I. To honour this history, we've invited Southall's Vedic Roots Sound System to open the night as well as power the space with sound. We wanted to tell an intergenerational story so we also asked DJ Ritu––who has been DJing in Southall since the 80s––to be part of the programme alongside Manara and manj who represent new waves of DJ/producers coming out of the British Asian Underground. It was crucial to involve Raf-Saperra, one of the most talked-about Panjabi artists working today whose seamless blend of bhangra, garage, folk, and London rap is just sublime. And last but by no means least, this wouldn't be Boiler Room Southall without local legends Panjabi Hit Squad, the undeniable pioneers of the UK desi sound, who've spent decades driving the culture forward while blessing us with timeless classics like 'Hai Hai'.

It's set to be a historic night in Southall; a mashup of sound system culture, bhangra, bootlegs, modified cars, fashion, community pride, and the diaspora in all of its beauty.”

LINEUP

RAF-SAPERRA

PANJABI HIT SQUAD 

MANARA

MANJ 

VEDIC ROOTS SOUND SYSTEM 

DJ RITU 

HOSTED BY NAINA 

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