Dhamaal – Core was a high-energy collaboration of South Asian, jazz and electronic traditions, creating an exhilarating and dynamic celebration of musical diversity. Created by Indian-born British composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Shri Sriram, it drew out the up-tempo sounds from the genres to create a celebratory and joyous performance.

Dhamaal – Core was commissioned by Serious Trust.

Genre: Indian classical, jazz, electronic

All events across New Music Biennial 2025 were free.

Events included two performances of the same work and a short interview with the creative team in between the two. This enabled audiences to experience the second performance with greater insight into the creative process.

Sriram and his company Drum the Bass bring together musicians from South Asian classical traditions, as well as leading jazz and electronic names, to create a new
crossover musical performance that is inspiring in its cultural, artistic and dynamic diversity.

Shri Sriram is an award-winning composer, musician and producer, initially trained on tablas before developing a unique style of playing his self-made fretless bass. He is one of the pioneers of the Asian Underground scene with Outcaste Records, developing his ground-breaking electro-acoustic sound with Badmarsh&Shri.

New Music Biennial is a three-day festival celebrating the best new music across all genres from the country’s most exciting composers – and in 2025, for the first time, it came to venues around Bradford.