STATE OF BENGAL Records and CDs

A cutting edge dj and producer, State of Bengal (aka Sam Zaman) got his start teaching music to kids in London. After a few trips to his native Bengal to study folk traditions, Zaman started making his own music and mentoring older artists -- including his brother MC Deedar, who went on to found the Dub Foundation vinyl records and CDs" class=tt >Asian Dub Foundation. Zaman was also breathing new life into drum 'n' bass with his club appearances, where he mixed Indian and Bengal influences with technical trickery and appealed to a young, urbane generation of British Asians. He caught Talvin Singh's attention, and appeared on Singh's Anokha: Sounds of the Asian Underground compilation (named for the famed British club night). His 1999 debut Visual Audio garnered critical praise, and he came back a year later with Walking On, a collaboration with Ananda Shankar recorded just before Shankar's death. 2004's Tana Tani saw Zaman matching wits with Paris-based singer Paban Das Baul. Find State Of Bengal vinyl records and State Of Bengal cds on One Little Records.