Drumming/Percussion, Instrumentalists
When you listen to a Bhangra track from the 1980s, chances are that the percussion, dhol, drums or dholak that you hear in the song are the works of Bindi Sagoo.
Bindi Sagoo, a household name, is a UK born percussion artiste who learnt how to play the tabla at the tender age of 7 with the late Ustad Gurmeet Singh Virdee. By the age of 10, Bindi was playing the table at Gurudwaras (Sikh temples) with the great legend Ustad Sital Singh Sitara.
By 12, Bindi played the dholak at the request of Balbir with Sangeet Kala. The breakthrough of being in a band came in 1985 when Bindi and his friends got together to form a band called Premi. Soon after that, Bindi was noticed by the band Heera and was offered to play with them.
In 1986, Bindi made a career move that reaped him many rewards in the professional world. He joined one of the most successful Bhangra bands of the 80s, Alaap, and is with them to date.
He also toured the world at large leaving a trail of his talent scattered across the globe, enough for him to be noticed by international artistes outside the Bhangra genre and being requested to play with them. Blancmange is one such band that Bindi has worked with extensively. Not only that, The Dhol Foundation has also enjoyed having Bindi on board as a touring band member.
At present, Bindi also indulges in educational workshops of Indian drumming in schools, universities, prisons and detention centres. His latest adventure was being a part of a west end End musical Bend It Like Beckham playing all the Indian percussion.
