Panjabi Hit Squad

Panjabi Hit Squad

Panjabi Hit Squad is a UK desi group based in West London. It forms in summer 2001 and begins as a DJ and producer collective made up of Rav, Dee, Markie and Amo, all of whom come from the UK urban music scene.

Music and style

The group helps establish a style it calls “Desi Beats”, blending bhangra with street music and wider urban sounds. Its work sits within desi music, and it builds a reputation for connecting British Asian music with mainstream club and radio circuits.

Albums, tracks and production work

Their self-titled debut album performs strongly on Asian charts for several weeks and includes guest singers Surinder Shinda, Dildar Preet and Kuldip Paras. The album also features “Dil Churaliya”, a track with Dee that is regarded as one of the early songs to combine R&B and Hindi vocals.

A second album, The Streets, includes Ranjit Mani, Satwinder Bitti and Manak-E, as well as a traditional version of “Hai Hai”. A 2003 mix album on Def Jam UK features “Hai Hai”, which becomes one of the more significant Asian crossover records after Panjabi MC’s “Beware of the Boys”. The same song is the first Asian video to reach number one on the MTV Base chart. Jay-Z also samples the group’s song on “Higher”.

After signing to Def Jam UK in early 2003, the group produces for Sway DaSafo, Mariah Carey, Ashanti, Bobby Valentino and Beanie Man. It also produces and releases Ladies First, the debut album by Ms Scandalous, whom the group discovers. The group later works in the United States with various rappers and artists for the album Not For Duplication.

Radio, awards and live appearances

Panjabi Hit Squad is part of the original launch line-up for BBC 1Xtra and builds a radio reputation for championing British Asian talent. The group later presents a second radio show on BBC Asian Network on Saturday afternoons. It wins Best Radio DJ and Commitment to the Scene at the UK Asian Music Awards after being nominated in three categories, and later wins Best Specialist Radio Show at the Asian Music Awards. It is also nominated for Best Club DJ at the MOBO Awards and for Best Urban Act and Best Remix at the EMMA Awards. Music Week names the group among the top 10 UK urban DJs.

The group also plays Glastonbury Festival.

Later line-up changes and projects

In 2006, Markie takes a position at BBC Asian Network and Amo leaves to pursue another career, leaving Dee and Rav as the remaining members. The pair then move into “BollyHood”, a fusion of Bollywood and urban beats, and sign Alyssia as the first artist in that direction. Her track “Pyar Hogiya” spends time in the BBC Asian Network Top 20, Club Asia’s T20 chart and the Sunrise Radio charts despite not being commercially released at the time.

In 2007, the group works on Alyssia’s debut album and continues recording in America. In 2008, Alyssia’s self-titled album is released, with singles including “Deewana” and “Tera Pyar”. Panjabi Hit Squad also remixes Jay Sean’s “Ride It” and “Maybe”, and Raghav’s “My Kinda Girl” featuring Redman.