Seen by many as the original band come sound system that kick started London's Asian Underground scene and paved the way for acts such as Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney and the whole Outcaste tribe, Joi consisted of brothers Farook and Haroon Shamsher.
Beginning life in and around Brick Lane, the brothers ran a regular club at the Bass Clef, later to become the Blue Note, in the early Nineties. Combining the Asian heritage of artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali with the contemporary sounds of London they had grown up with, they mixed DATs and records with live instrumentation, pointing the way for later crossover artists.
Recognition was a long time coming, despite early critical acclaim for 1991's 'Desert Storm', and their 'Everybody Say Yeah' becoming an anthem at clubs such as Whirly Gig, the Big Chill and Megatripolis. It wasn't until 1999's debut album that the brothers started to receive the respect they were long overdue.
Sadly Haroon died last July and this album is dedicated to his memory and based on the last recordings he made in a return trip to Bangladesh. Structured around recreating Haroon's last journey to record local artists, Farook has designed 'We Are Three' to be listened to in one sitting. The result is a subtle, lushly recorded and in places simply beautiful record that celebrates Haroon's life and the fusionist music he and Farook inspired.
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by Ben Osborne