| State of Bengal | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Saifullah Zaman |
| Also known as | Sam Zaman |
| Born | 1972 (age 39–40) Karachi, Pakistan |
| Origin | (Stepney, Whitechapel, Brixton, Tottenham) London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Hip-Hop, Indian classical, electronica, breakbeat, house, drum 'n' bass, dub |
| Occupations | DJ, music producer, musician |
| Instruments | Turntables, bass, electronic drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | EMI, Virgin, Realworld, Six Degrees, Betelnut Records London U.K |
| Associated acts | Deedar Zaman |
| Website | http://stateofbengal.com/ |
| Notable instruments | |
| Frequency and Bass | |
Sam Zaman (born 1972), recording as State of Bengal, is a British DJ and Music producer associated with the UK and Asian Underground movement.
Contents |
Sam is of Bangladeshi descent, he was born in Karachi and lived in Ankara, Amman, and Dhaka before arriving in London at the age of eight. Sam Zaman set up the "State of Bengal" group in London after a visit to Noakhali, Bangladesh in 1987, where he interacted with traditional folk musicians and dancers. Original members of the group included his brother Deedar Zaman (later associated with the Asian Dub Foundation), and MC Mustaq (lead rapper for Fun-Da-Mental). Outside of the State of Bengal project, Zaman also worked with British Asian youth groups, setting up music training workshops.[1]
State of Bengal was a DJ at the influential Anokha club in London's East End during the mid-1990s. His tracks "Flight IC408" and "Chittagong Chill" - written and produced with Matt Mars - were featured on Anokha Soundz of the Asian Underground compilation, and helped him gain prominence. Singer Björk discovered his work at Anokha; he opened with the homeogenic world tour, and remix her track "Hunter" after hearing the original "Hunter" by SOB In September 1996, thereby signing to the One Little Indian record label.
After Anokha, State of Bengal took up residency at the Off Centre club nights.[2] He produced his debut album Visual Audio toured solo and at several international festivals, and did extensive remix work.
After the release of Visual Audio, State of Bengal worked on two significant projects with musicians from Bengal, collaborating with Indian sitar innovator Ananda Shankar, a long-time hero, on the 2000 album Walking On,[3] and with Baul singer Paban Das Baul on the 2004 album Tana Tani (Push & Pull).[4] 2007 has seen State of Bengal bring out his latest album, Skip Ij. featuring Deeder Zaman, Nexmanz, Rosina Kazi, Johanna Marin, Marque Innamost Gilmore, Coco Varma, Pundit Dinesh, Poet ME, Ram Nagi, Kevin Davy, Renu Hossain and Susmita Bannerjee. Also a track written by the revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, sung by British Bengali artist Suzana Ansar,
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Visual Audio | One Little Indian Records, Virgin Records, Six Degrees Records |
| 2007 | Skip-IJ (Compact Disc) | Betelnut Records |
| 2008 | Skip-IJ (Digital) | Betelnut Records |
| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ananda Shankar Experience & State of Bengal | Walking On | Realworld Records, Virgin Records |
| 2004 | State of Bengal vs. Paban Das Baul | Tana Tani | Realworld Records, EMI Records |
| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Various artists | Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground | Omni/Island Records |
| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Album/Single | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Björk | Hunter remix | Hunter (single) | One Little Indian Records |
| 1998 | Massive Attack | Inertia Creeps | Mezzanine - The Remixes (album) | Virgin Records |
| 1998 | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan | Shadow | Star Rise: Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and Michael Brook Remixed | Realworld Records |
| 1998 | Ronnie Jordon | New Delhi Island | Unreleased | |
| 1999 | Amar | Day By Day, If You Say That You Love Me & Sometimes It Snows In April | Unreleased | Warner Bros. Records |
| 1999 | Euphoria | Delirium 'Delhi Rias Mix' | Delirium Remixes (single) | Six Degrees Records |
| 1999 | Cheb i Sabbah | Shri Durga | Tantra Lounge (album) | Six Degrees Records |
| 2000 | Jolly Mukherjee | Madhuvanthi, Jhinjoti, Sarang | Fusebox (album) | Palm Pictures |
| 2000 | Mindless Self Indulgence | Bitches remix | Bitches/Molly (single) | Elektra Records |
| 2000 | Solar Twins | Rock The Casbah remix | Rock The Casbah (single) | Maverick Records |
| 2001 | Khaled | Mal Habibti | Barclay Records | |
| 2001 | Amar & Khaled | El Harba Wine | Barclay Records |