Shri (musician)

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Shri (born Shrikanth Sriram in Mumbai, India) is a leading light in the British Asian music scene. His work combines traditional Indian musical styles with Bhangra, Jazz, and Drum 'n' Bass.

Trained as a classical tabla player, Shri is multi-instrumentalist whose range also includes the Indian Bamboo flute and bass (in which he is largely self-taught). His trademark instrument is one he designed himself, a fretless bass played with a bow. He is also a successful composer for the stage.

Having previously played in a jazz fusion band, he moved to London in the 1990s and collaborated, as a bass player, with the London-based Asian acts like Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney and DJ Badmarsh. Shri toured for 5 years with Sawhney, which led in 1996 to Shri's first solo album, Drum the Bass, produced by Sawhney and released by London-based label "Outcaste".

Badmarsh & Shri produced two albums for Outcaste as a duo, Dancing Drums in 1998 and Signs in 2001. Shri released another solo album, East Rain, in 2005, on the "Drum the Bass" label. All of these albums mixed contemporary British Drum 'n' Bass with more traditional Indian styles.

In addition, he has also collaborated musically with theatrical productions - composing for Akademi's 2001 'Coming of Age' dance project at London's South Bank, the Builder's Association/Motiroti co-production 'Alladeen' in 2003, and Tamasha Theatre Company's 'Strictly Dandia' in 2005.