Nitin Sawhney (raised in Rochester, Kent, England) is a London-based compos… Read Full Bio ↴Nitin Sawhney (raised in Rochester, Kent, England) is a London-based composer and DJ of various styles of music, including jazz, drum and bass, hip-hop, flamenco and modern orchestral compositions. His major works include Beyond Skin, Prophesy, Human, and Philtre. He is considered one of the pioneers of what is known as the Asian Underground music scene, defining a music genre that mixes south-Asian musical influences with western electronica and breakbeat style. He does however dislike the tag of "world" music, describing it as musical apartheid.

Nitin attended Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and studied law at Liverpool University for a short time. He then went to London, where he met Sanjeev Bhaskar. The pair became friends and created a comedy double act, The Secret Asians, together. The show sought to turn absurdly dated Asian stereotypes on their heads. It led to a contract with BBC radio and eventually grew into the award-winning BBC TV sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.

During that time he met up with an old school friend, acid jazz keyboards-player James Taylor. He joined Taylor for a 40-date tour in as part of The James Taylor Quartet. It introduced him to the jazz club scene and provoked him into forming his own band, The Jazztones. He moved on to join forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio and, after that collaboration ended in 1993, released his debut album, Spirit Dance on his own label. Shortly afterwards, he signed with Outcaste Records.

Sawhney's music is intensely political, commonly approaching themes of multiculturalism, empowerment, identity, immigration, poverty, and spirituality. He is active as an artist in residence for five different performing arts organisations in Europe and Asia, and along with George Martin is a patron for the British Governments Access-to-Music Program which brings music education to the inner-city students.

Sawhney's skills include classical and jazz piano and flamenco guitar. He has released six studio albums, as well as countless remixes and collaborations. After releasing Beyond Skin on London's Outcaste Records in 1999, he was signed by V2 to do six albums. His first album with the Virgin subsidiary, the millennial/apocalyptical Prophesy, in 2001 won a MOBO Award and a BBC Radio 3 Music Award.

Sawhney's music is influenced by his roots in India, utilising and featuring Urdu and Hindi lyrics, Qawwali singing, tablas and other instruments from the subcontinent, and Raga phrasings in music which is often primarily meant for the dance floor.

Sawhney's work in production and arrangement has led to his working in film and television scores. He has scored television ads for Sephora and Nike, as well as more than 25 films from his London-based Spirit Dance Studios. He was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Film and TV Composition in 2004 for his music on Channel Four's film, Second Generation. From there, he has begun to see acceptance from the "classical" community, and in 2004 he was commissioned by the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Symphonia to compose new performance works. London's Royal National Theatre invited him to write, direct, and score a work to be opened in 2005.

For photographs and additional information visit Nitin's official site, www.NitinSawhney.com

Street Guru Pt. 1
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics

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They've incorporated their culture and their values into the city and they've enriched the city
both like, from uh, you know work ethic and you know the restaurants and the music and it's really a diverse city.
I mean you walk through the Vany Avenue, you know you go through Korean neighborhoods,
Old Jewish neighborhoods, Arabic neighborhoods, uh, Pakistani-Indian neighborhoods.
It's incredible. The intensity... I think yeah, development has pushed us away from other people.
You know a lot of times people are rude because they want like immediate access or immediate information.
You know some things in life can't be immediate, sometimes you gotta wait and let things happen...
People are like, are increasingly rude. Like I'll say somebody will get in a cab, we'll say "I'll get em there in 5 minutes."

And they'll say, "Well, It should only take 3." Now who gives a shit if it takes 5 minutes or 3 minutes, who cares?
At the end of your life nobody's gonna put at your tomb stone "shit I got in a cab in five, in seven minutes instead of three".
You know, It doesn't matter, and technology has made us slaves to time.
Naw, a lot of people that are really have technical jobs, they're slaves to time.
And time is the essence of life it seems like. And they're basically like losing it
They're losing the essence of their life because, you know, their life is like just going away and,
They're not enjoying it because their so engrossed in efficiency and productivity and shit like that.
That it's almost sad. They all come here from somewhere else like seeking their fame and fortune or,
The top jobs and they're and career-you know, in their, in their industries.
They get very engrossed, and they into these you know these cell phones and computers and...
I think the real important things in life are you know, people and your family.

I think you don't realize that, a lot of people don't realize that until they're older.
I think there's going to be a backlash against technology.

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics from Nitin Sawhney's song Street Guru Pt. 1 shed light on the culture and values that are incorporated into the city which enriches it tremendously. People from different backgrounds and ethnicities bring their unique work ethic, music, restaurants, and values to create a diverse city. However, development seems to have pushed people away from each other. People are becoming increasingly rude and are losing the essence of their lives because of their obsession with efficiency and productivity. It seems like time has become the essence of life, and people have become slaves to it.

The song highlights the fact that people are losing sight of the important things in life, such as family and relationships, because they are obsessed with technology and productivity. People come to the city seeking fame, fortune, and top job positions, but they forget to enjoy life and spend time with the people that matter. There seems to be a growing backlash against technology, which may lead people to realize that the important things in life are not material possessions or job titles but the relationships they have with others.

Line by Line Meaning

They've incorporated their culture and their values into the city and they've enriched the city
The inhabitants of the city have brought their cultural heritage and customs to the city, which has enhanced its diversity and contributed to its growth.

both like, from uh, you know work ethic and you know the restaurants and the music and it's really a diverse city.
These contributions have come in the form of hard work, diverse cuisine, and music, which make the city so vibrant and diverse.

I mean you walk through the Vany Avenue, you know you go through Korean neighborhoods, Old Jewish neighborhoods, Arabic neighborhoods, uh, Pakistani-Indian neighborhoods. It's incredible.
The city boasts a multitude of neighborhoods, including a Korean district, a Jewish district, an Arabic district, and a Pakistani-Indian district, which is truly awe-inspiring.

The intensity... I think yeah, development has pushed us away from other people.
The intensity of development has resulted in alienation from others.

You know a lot of times people are rude because they want like immediate access or immediate information.
Many people display rudeness as they demand immediate access to information.

You know some things in life can't be immediate, sometimes you gotta wait and let things happen...
Some aspects of life cannot be rushed, and one must learn to let things unfold in their own time.

People are like, are increasingly rude. Like I'll say somebody will get in a cab, we'll say "I'll get em there in 5 minutes." And they'll say, "Well, It should only take 3." Now who gives a shit if it takes 5 minutes or 3 minutes, who cares?
People are becoming increasingly impolite, and some even express dissatisfaction when a cab ride takes two minutes longer than expected.

At the end of your life nobody's gonna put at your tomb stone "shit I got in a cab in five, in seven minutes instead of three". You know, It doesn't matter, and technology has made us slaves to time.
When one's life ends, no one will be talking about how one took a cab ride five or seven minutes faster than expected. Technology has enslaved us to time, making us obsess over every second.

Naw, a lot of people that are really have technical jobs, they're slaves to time. And time is the essence of life it seems like. And they're basically like losing it
Many people with technical jobs are enslaved to time, which is the essence of life, and they lose sight of what's really important.

They're losing the essence of their life because, you know, their life is like just going away and, They're not enjoying it because their so engrossed in efficiency and productivity and shit like that.
They are missing out on the essence of life because they are so focused on efficiency and productivity that they are not enjoying life.

They all come here from somewhere else like seeking their fame and fortune or, The top jobs and they're and career-you know, in their, in their industries.
Many come to this city seeking success, fame, and a top career in their respective industries.

They get very engrossed, and they into these you know these cell phones and computers and...
They often become consumed by their cell phones and computers.

I think the real important things in life are you know, people and your family.
The truly important things in life are the people in your life and your family.

I think you don't realize that, a lot of people don't realize that until they're older.
Many people do not appreciate this until they are older and wiser.

I think there's going to be a backlash against technology.
It is likely that there will be a backlash against technology.

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