PHOTO
BIOGRAPHY
Joi were brothers Farook (born 24 October 1968) and Haroon Shamsher (14 November 1965 – 8 July 1999), born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England and brought up in the East End of London. to a Bangladeshi father and an Indian mother. Their passion for music developed at a young age as their father was a professional flautist who had a shop in Brick Lane selling saris and musical instruments he imported from India. He also had Hindi, Indian classical and traditional Bengali music records, and ran a traditional music shop. Their father would organise sessions and record with Baul artists, and sell the tapes.
HISTORY
Farook and Haroon grew up watching Indian musicians record in a makeshift studio in their father's retails store. They grew up listening to people such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and were influenced by reggae, hip hop and soul. They fused Indian and Pakistani rhythms with modern dance grooves.
Joi was formed, originally working under the banners 'League Of Joi Bangla Youth Organisation' and 'Joi Bangla', a collective set up in 1983 to promote Bengali culture to children in their local East London area. They started out in the context of community work and events and subsequently became active members of a growing Asian dance scene in England. Out of this a Bengali youth movement came the Joi Bangla sound system formed by Farook and Haroon Shamsher, fusing Asian influences with Western beats were fusing the sounds of traditional Bengali music with hip hop and contemporary dance styles. The spun records in local youth clubs around the Brick Lane area of London.
In 1983, they mixed these elements together and began Djing at clubs as the Joi Bangla Sound System, before becoming the more dance-oriented Joi six years later. Bolstered by Arts Council funding and aiming to promote Bengali youth culture. After 10 years as club DJs, the pair began recording their own material in their father's studio. In July 1999, Farook told The Independent, "We're about politics, race, religion, and music all-in-one".
DISCOGRAPHY
Albums:
One And One Is One 1999
We Are Three 2000
Without Zero 2006
Singles, EP's:
A Desert Storm 1991
Everybody Say Yeah 1994
Spiritual Get-Together 1996
Bangladesh EP 1996
Fingers 1998
Asian Vibes 1999
Butterfly 1999
Deep Asian Vibes 2001
MORE INFO https://www.discogs.com/artist/575-Joi
