#1. A Look at an Artist: Specialist 'n' Tru-Skool

Hello All,

America can't seem to get enough of Slumdog Millionaire culture lately. It won numerous awards and became a critically-acclaimed film. I agree the film was phenomenal and the music was something special. A.R. Rahman is a fantastic composer and it was clearly shown in the movie. I thought in light of the fascination with this culture and music, I would start off with an artist in the same genre. So without further ado, I give you the first entry into “A Look at an Artist”.

#1. A Look at an Artist: Specialist 'n' Tru-Skool

Specialist 'n' Tru-Skool reside in no where near Mumbai and have nothing to do with Slumdog Millionaire other than a similarity in music. They reside in the UK as part of the bhangra dance scene. Now for those of you that aren't familiar with the term bhangra, head your way over to this wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhangra, or listen to my brief explanation. Bhangra is a form of folk music found in India and Pakistan. A traditional form of music that has evolved into something more than it used to be. Bhangra can now be mixed with hip-hop and various forms of dance music. It is generally an upbeat and lively type of music, no matter what form it is in.

Now let's get back to Specialist 'n' Tru-Skool. They are a duo group consisting of The Specialist and Tru-Skool. It seems to be rather hard to find that much information on them, but I'm not looking for a bio of their life. If you feel you would like to know more about them, do a search and see what you can find or comment below and I'll tell you more about them. Their music has this “old school” hip-hop feeling to it. Their songs range in instrumentation from electronic samples/synths and drum beats to organic stringed instruments all blended into one.

The albums they have out so far are:

Word is Bord Repazent; and their latest album together is yet to be released. If you have listened to both of these albums and feel you want more, than listen to In Tha House by Tru-Skool and Kaos Productions.

Top Songs: Eshareh, Nach Ke, and Dhuallah.

If you want to hear some samples than check out http://www.viprecords.co.uk/releases_wordisborn.htm. Also check out this video below for more of their music.

You can find their albums on iTunes, Rhapsody, the website posted above, and some other online stores. I hope you'll enjoy this selection as I have. If you feel that I don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to call me on it. I don't endorse any of the things I've mentioned in this post. If you like what I find let me know and if you absolutely can't stand it, well you can let me know that too.

Until next time,

Jason (The Mental Instrumentalist)

What Will This Be?

Hello everyone,

If you are one of those people that are always looking for new artists but don't always know where to look, than you have come to the right place. I'm always trying to find something different and unique to listen to. This blog will be an introspective look into the world of obscure and unknown music. This will be a search for those artists that rarely have been heard of in mainstream music. Now when I say “rarely heard of”, I'm not talking about any specific genre. I'm not talking about the underground indie bands or artists. This exploration of unknown music will range from folk to bhangra dance music, as well as everything in between and beyond.

I will try to find and review those artists that are underrated and those that bring something unique to music. I understand that some artists will be known to some, but I'm not looking for the musician that no one has heard of. I'm looking for the unadvertised and those not known to your average listener. I hope you will find this blog informative and that it will help to broaden your musical interests.

- Jason (The Mental Instrumentalist)