The Judge
RAVES!
Date: 02/03/13
Holle Holle - "Holle Holle" [Peel Session, 1987]
Remember Bhangra? That mix of traditional Panjabi songs and modern instrumentation which was briefly the darling of the smart set in the second half of the Eighties?
Well, I must confess that for the most part it passed me by, except for the small amount played on his show by that legendary promoter of the interesting, John Peel.
I happened to be listening one night in September 1987 when he played a session by Holle Holle, one of the top Bhangra acts of the time. I didn't pay much attention to the first three tracks, but the fourth and final one came out of the radio and hit me right in the chuddies.
The track was called Holle Holle as well, and the sheer exuberance of it (what is, I wonder the Panjabi for joie de vivre?) carried me away. This was in the days (or, rather, nights) when I used to record the whole of Peelie's show and dub the most interesting pieces onto tape for future replaying, and so I listened to that track a few times over the next few years.
In any other format, however, it has never seen the light of day. Until the end of last year, that is, when someone put their recording of the entire Holle Holle session up on YouTube. Once again, I could revel in the enthusiasm of the playing, even though I'm still no nearer to understanding the words (except that, to an ignoramus, they appear to be rugby league fans, as they seem to mention "Hull K.R." a lot).
If I've got the link code to work properly, clicking on the video will take you to the point where Holle Holle (the track) begins. Enjoy!
