More rare South Asian gems to reignite club & crate-digging culture from Naya Beat

Naya Beat Records returns with ‘Naya Beat Volume 2: South Asian Dance And Electronic Music 1988-1994’, an anticipated follow-up to their acclaimed Naya Beat Volume 1, which was named Vinyl Factory's top reissue of 2021.

Launching digitally and on vinyl today (November 1), ‘Naya Beat Volume 2’ dives into an era of bold experimentation, capturing "lost classics" from the South Asian underground music scene that fused house, street soul, and downtempo sounds in cities like London and New York during the late '80s and early '90s.

Founders Filip Nikolic (aka Turbotito) and Raghav Mani (aka Ragz) spent four years uncovering tracks from this overlooked era, scouring dusty records, cassettes, and unreleased tapes to curate what they call "a treasure trove of never-before-reissued holy grails".

This double album, with each track meticulously cut to vinyl by Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt is considered a historical homage to pioneers whose "music was too Asian for Western audiences, yet too Western for Asian ones".

"Acid house, dub, dancehall, street soul, and so on had an outsize influence on many South Asian musicians and producers back then who were finding their own voice by weaving their musical traditions with what was happening around them. So much of the music they made was groundbreaking but because there was no platform back then that focused on promoting South Asian music that was “outside the box” so much of it was also lost to obscurity," they explain.

The overall sound is both groove-driven and atmospheric, with pulsing basslines, shimmering synths, and occasional Hindi or Punjabi vocal samples that give the 14 tracks an unmistakably South Asian identity.

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Turbotito and Ragz contribute their more modern take on classic soundscapes on four of the tracks. For Asha Puthli’s ‘Bass Fire (On and On)’, for example, which layers Eurodance with a bass-heavy house groove, and on Sangeeta’s ‘Calling’, creating an ethereal Balearic anthem that transports listeners to dreamy, sun-drenched landscapes.

"Our hope with Volume 2 is to get new ears to dig this incredible music and for it to finally get the audience it deserves," mention the Naya Beat label heads.

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Each track is a testament to fearless experimentation, bridging cultures and genres with a raw authenticity that transcends time.

It's music for crate diggers, club-goers, and anyone who loves bold soundscapes—celebrating a legacy that's finally in the spotlight as even more cross-cultural sounds take over modern dancefloors.

Purchase here.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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