Bishi releases debut album
Bishi (who started life as DJ Siren), a 19 year-old singer, DJ and musician was born in Earls Court to a Bengali musical family (her mother is a well-known singer of traditional Indian songs). A multinational multi-instrumentalist trained in both Eastern and Western classical music traditions, she has studied sitar at The Ravi Shankar School for Music. Her music fuses folk stylings (both English and East European) and contemporary composition with experimental electronic works, pop and electronica.
Never Seen Your Face is the preview single from the debut album Nights at The Circus. In contrast to the down-home feel of the album, the single has been clubbed to within an inch of its life. With meaty hooks and an intro of sweeping strings to pull you into her sound, Never Seen Your Face has the sort of neo-Timbaland production that is a signifier of modern, edgy pop. Available in a multitude of media, there is also a seven track remix CD. The upbeat and dancey approach to the single mixes reflect this part of Bishi's personality "l’ve always loved DJing and a good night out, I enjoy making music to party to!"
Nights at The Circus blends all of Bishi’s musical influences with a voice that delivers English whimsy (Grandmothers’ Floor is British folk with a twist), other literary references (the Angela Carter novel which gives the album its title, and Three Ravens, a little-known Robert Burns poem turned to song) and general musings on urban life (Nightbus) with equal aplomb: all with a unique, sometimes-spoken, vocal delivery that swoops and soars.
In contrast to Never Seen Your Face, the album’s folk laws are subtly augmented with electronics, and as such seem much more personal, with more of their own identity. The title track demonstrates this approach as well as any, but everywhere the tracks are treated with subtlety, the studio trickery used as accent rather than content. Namaste begins with a traditional sounding guitar figure, flute and soaring choral vocals. As the lead voice floats across the backing, it begins to distort, the processes effecting each bar more. Two sides of a coin, indeed, and beautifully balanced
Nights at The Circus is a truly London album. Whilst there are echoes of Moloko and other club stylings in Bishi’s set, contemporaries who spring immediately to mind are Lily Allen and The Streets. Not because of any exaggerated regional accent, but, like them, her voice sounds very much of and from its place. There is no attempt to ‘standardise’ her vocals, no internationalisation of her vowels and consonants. However, in contrast, there is also no exaggeration of this, it all sounds one hundred percent natural. And Bishi’s music has much more about it than those singular pop dimensions, and the narrowband Squeeze influences of the above.
Comparisons can also be drawn with another West London pop female of not-dissimilar heritage. No, not Kate Nash, but M.I.A. They both share the world as their oyster, but the differences between the two’s songs, instrumentation and world view are quite pronounced. M.I.A. travels the world sampling and enlisting African rappers, the Wilcannia Mob and assorted other folk; Bishi brings it all home to London, sings about nightbuses, and throws in a measure of East European folk for good measure. Contrast Nightbus to M.I.A.’s World Town agenda. As Bishi herself says, “I have based the album on being an outsider. The space between two cultures can be confusing, but it can also be very energetic”.
Bishi was previously well-known as a face (and contributor, as DJ) at London cult club Kash Point, and she has collaborated with Patrick Wolf. They (and others) recorded an ep, Bitpop, and have toured UK, Europe and Stateside together. As a consequence, her live following has grown rapidly. She has appeared at Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown, Bestival and recently performed three nights to celebrate the release of Nights at The Circus in St Leonard's Church, East London – collectively known as Bishi on Film.
Bishi on Film took place in November. Surrounded by candles, Bishi performed the tracks from Nights accompanied by thirteen films by thirteen artists. Each artist made a film to accompany one song from the album, which was performed by the singer and her merry band beneath a large cinema screen. Collaborators included: Luke Losey (grandson of director Joseph), who has previously worked on videos for Orbital, amongst others; Kate Garner - photographer and singer of ‘80s poppers of John Wayne Is Big Leggy notoriety, Haysi Fantayzee; and Tamara Tyler, maker of Whoopee and promoter of burlesque. Each night also featured all-singing, all-dancing ‘inspirational’ support from English folk singers, performance artists, poets and Indian dancers.
A stunning debut that already hints at so many directions for the future.
Nights at the Circus is released on Gryphon 12th November 2007.
Never Seen Your Face available now on 7" clear vinyl, four track CD or seven track remix CD, from Rough Trade or iTunes.
For more information, go to myspace.com/bishimusic
Photo by Kate Garner