Naya Beat - Volume 2 (South Asian Dance & Electronic Music 1988-1994) RSD 2025

Fakta Indie Exclusive - The follow-up to Naya Beat’s seminal Volume 1 release features a lovingly curated selection of deep cuts from an overlooked era of South Asian house, street soul and downtempo originally released between 1988 and 1994. A critics favorite with the likes of Pitchfork (8.0/10), DJ Mag, Mixmag and 4Columns, Volume 2 was a standout release of 2024. Repeating the success of Volume 1, it was The Vinyl Factory’s number one reissue of 2024 and featured on Best Of lists at Phonica Records, Juno, KCRW and In Sheep’s Clothing. It is now available in a spectacular package, exclusive to RSD Essentials, and features a beautiful x2LP gatefold cover with stunning limoncello and purple colored 180-gram eco-friendly vinyl.

While Volume 1 explored early 80s balearic, synth pop and disco, Volume 2 spotlights a unique era in the late 80s and early 90s in diasporic cities like London and New York when South Asian music was infused with acid house, New Beat and dub. There is a true wealth of sounds here, from The Jets Orkhestra’s organ-fuelled house romp ‘X-290’ to the downtempo splendour of the Asha Bhosle fronted West India Company. Lady M lends the Hindi house track and arpeggiated wonder of ‘Kali Raat’ and Mantra’s eponymously titled cut is a hypnotic gem. Featuring other scintillating balearic house, dub and street soul from the likes of Asha Puthli, Bappi Lahiri, Johnny Zee and Kuljit Bhamra, this double album is a treasure trove of never-before-reissued and previously impossible-to-?nd holy grails.