Sat 20th & Sun 21st July 2024 | Wardown Park | Luton
Presenting our rich and diverse musical heritage
South Asian music comprises a range of prominent musical genres that are unique to the
countries in and around the Indian subcontinent. This subregion of Asia includes countries
such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, , India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, with each one possessing
its own distinct musical traditions. South Asian styles of music reflect a diverse range of local
customs, regional languages and historical traditions, that have shaped the musical practices
which are still seen today through events such as ours
Throughout history, South Asian musicians have emulated religious / spiritual beliefs as well
as every day folk and rural culture into their compositions, resulting in the creation of musical
styles such as Qawwali, Ghazal, Hindustani classical music and Folk (Bhangra, Baul,
Potowari Sher etc The development of forms of mass media in the 1980s and 1990s
contributed to a new type of South Asian musical culture, as the rise of cinema and television
resulted in the popularity of genres such as Bollywood and Lollywood. As a result of social
media and modern streaming networks, folk and ritual music styles are still widely
appreciated today, with many modern artists taking inspiration from the classical traditions
that defined the history of South Asian music, thus the heritage informs the contemporary
with a rich and unbroken on going connection which has been continued by diaspora
communities here in the UK
At Desi Fest, audiences are presented with dynamic live performances and presentations of
all these diverse and rich musical genres with artists such as The Khan Brothers Qawwali
Ensemble, The AK Potowari Sher folk Group, the originators of UK Bhangra Channi Singh
OBE of the Alaap group and Kumar & Dhami of Heera, Dhol drummers and Baul singers
Desi Fest is proud to keep our musical heritage alive and relevant to current audiences and as
an inspiration to our future generations.