In the D.I.Y. era of making records, real musical
                        talent has taken a back seat to equipment that near
                        enough does it all for you. Any Tom, Dick or Harry
                        can churn out a tune in no time at all, without
                        having to sacrifice years of strict dedication to
                        learning a particular instrument. In such a climate,
                        anyone capable of balancing a firm command of the
                        new technology with a similar understanding of more
                        traditional instruments undenibly holds an upper
                        hand. One such individual whose knowledge of
                        samplers, synths and sequencers is equated by a
                        mastery of strings, stylophones and sitars, is
                        Indian Ropeman.

                        Serving his apprenticeship through all manner of
                        guises, from playing bass guitar for an indie-rock
                        outfit to crafting the beats behind several British
                        hip hop excursions, Indian Ropeman has drawn from
                        these experiences to perfect his solitary effort.
                        Combining elements of his Anglo-Asian heritage, an
                        unhealthy obsession for all things Star Wars and 23
                        years of living by the sea, he has forged a sound
                        taking in musical influences from the past three
                        decades while essentially reflecting the
                        pre-millenial present.

                        The self titled Indian Ropeman was his first solo
                        outing, its slow drum hook and murky hip hop samples
                        adding another dimension to the cutting edge sound
                        already championed on the burgeoning Skint imprint.
                        Originally featured on the label's Brassic Beats 2
                        compilation, Indian Ropeman later received a rightly
                        -deserved single release, unleashing another sitar
                        fuelled strike on the flipside with Double Jedi and
                        Coke The One Palapatine Forgot paying sonic homage
                        to his beloved George Lucas trilogy.

                        The third installment of Brassic Beats released
                        earlier this year, saw Indian Ropeman's head-nodding
                        contribution Somebody Came Shooting poising itself
                        as calm before a storm forecast to hit Europe in
                        late May when the next single is due. Featuring a
                        remix from up an coming Skint label-mate Danielsan
                        and an exclusive B-side cut, Dog In The Piano looks
                        set to be a potential chart -stormer come summer
                        anthem with its infectious bassline and catchy vocal
                        samples.

                        The singles release will be supported by live
                        appearences at Creamfields, Universe 98 and other
                        major festivals throughout the summer as well as
                        some smaller venue dates yet to be confirmed.
                        Instead of an unentertaining one man and his rack of
                        equipment affair, Indian Ropeman has enlisted the
                        aid of a drummer, bass guitarist and a scratch DJ to
                        prove an exciting visual edge to his promising live
                        set. Somewhere in this hectic schedule, he will also
                        find time to undertake remix duties- The Levellers,
                        Vitro and Fundamental can already testify to the
                        benefits of an Indian Ropeman makeover.

                        Come the Autumn, another single will surface before
                        Indian Ropeman delivers his debut long player.
                        Currently nearing completion, it pledges an aural
                        journey transporting the listener around the world,
                        experiencing the musical delights of everywhere from
                        the Bronx, Bombay to his native Brighton.
                   Indian Ropeman Interview

         We caught up with Sanj, the sitar and keyboard
         player headman of Indian Ropeman at the
         FrontPage to hear his views on music, influences
         and sitar playing. "I first started making music when
         I was about eleven using an old Casio keyboard. I
         got into all sorts of music, dub, reggae, hip hop, I
         studied electronics at college but didn't think a 9-5
         job was for me."

         His first encounter with a sitar was five or six years
         ago, when he was seventeen, at a cousin's
         wedding in India. He picked it up, looked at it and
         when he got back home spent six months teaching
         himself. "It wasn't too hard to learn, it's similar to
         the guitar. Anyway I sent a demo to Skint and they
         signed me, that was about two years ago."
 
 

         Indian Ropeman are named after the Julie Driscoll,
         Brian Auger and the Trinity track of the same
         name. Julie Driscoll was an underground late
         sixties mod vocalist and this is one of her best
         tracks. The band consists of four members, Sanj,
         Danielsan (bass player and dj in his own right), Roy
         Basser (decks and scratching), and Speedy, the
         drummer.

         Of the locality Sanj forwarded " It's my first time in
         Belfast but unfortunately I didn't get to see much
         of it. The tour's been good, sometimes the crowds
         have been small but IÕd rather have a small crowd
         where everyoneÕs into it, sometimes its better." "I'm
         half Indian so my music has that subtle influence,
         but I've found a path I want to go down and over
         the next year I'll get my album "Elephant Sound"
         out of the way and work on and refine my sound."

         "My favorite sitar player is Ananda Shankar, I
         admired his irreverent, fuck it attitude, not as
         straightlaced and traditional as Ravi.
         "Metamorphosis", is a beauty of a track. "As for the
         future I don't even know if I'll be alive a year from
         now. Who knows the future? " But with three
         singles out and a debut album on the way his
         future will be busy.

Elephant Sounds
  Indian Ropeman
  Released: 31/05/1999
  Label: Skint
 

Well, he's on Skint records and he's not Fatboy Slim.
He is Indian Ropeman and he's just made an
impressive debut which fuses sitar, dub, funk, hip hop
and trip hop in an almost psychedelic dancefloor
explosion of cool. Bits of it sound like Asian Dub
Foundation, bits of it are like Cornershop's When I was
Born For The Seventh Time album and yet more bits of
it echo off-beat electro-weirdoes Transglobal
Underground and Future Sound of London. The result
sounds like Indian Ropeman, which is a very good and
groovy thing indeed. Tracks like Stand Clear, Dog In
The Piano (about a dog, er, getting stuck in a piano)
and 66 Meters have got the grooves, the moves and
the moogs you need for the summer and all time.