Apache Indian (musician)
| Apache Indian | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steven Kapur |
| Born | 11 May 1967 |
| Origin | Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Bhangramuffin. reggae fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician, actor, founder/director of Apache Indian Music Academy |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Island Records/PolyGram Records/Universal Music/Sunset Entertainment Group |
| Website | www.apacheindianmusic.com |
Steven Kapur (born 11 May 1967), better known by the stage name Apache Indian, is a British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ. He is noted for a distinctive vocal style that is a fusion of Indian, Jamaican and English cultural elements. Apache Indian was the earliest UK artist of Asian origin to make an impact on the UK charts with a series of hits during the nineties.
Born into a family of Indian origins, Kapur was raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, UK, a racially mixed area with large Black and Asian communities, home of reggae bands such as Steel Pulse and UB40, and by the early 1980s he was working with local sound systems and grew dreadlocks. By the mid-1980s he had trimmed his hair and began to make a name for himself as a dancehall deejay. Apache recorded his first single in 1990, "Movie Over India", initially a white-label pressing, until it was picked up by the reggae distributor Jet Star. The single mixed ragga and bhangra sounds and was hugely popular among audiences of both genres. Two further singles followed in a similar vein, "Chok There" and "Don Raja", bringing him to the attention of the major labels, and in 1992 he signed a recording contract with Island Records.
With the collaboration of his cousins Simon & Diamond (Diamond aka DJ Swami), he introduced the new hybrid sound of bhangra raggamuffin – also known as bhangramuffin – to the world with his first album No Reservations, recorded in Jamaica and produced by Simon & Diamond, Phil Chill, Robert Livingston, Bobby Digital and Sly Dunbar) in 1993. It was followed by Make Way for the Indian, (produced by Sly & Robbie, The Press, Mafia & Fluxy, Pandit Dineysh and Chris Lane), which featured rapper Tim Dog and spawned the hit, "Boom Shack-A-Lak". By 1997 he parted ways with Island and his next album, "Real People" (produced by Harjinder Boparai) was signed and released by Warner Bros. Sweden and proved to be his most experimental album, and also featured more Indian elements than the other albums. In his heyday, he also made an appearance in the Tamil film, Love Birds, dancing alongside Prabhu Deva. By 2000, Apache had parted ways with Warners and has since been signed to US management company, Sunset Entertainment Group, which would lead later on 2013 for Apache to collaborate on an album with hit producers Jim Beanz & Charlie Hype (both also signed to Sunset Entertainment Group).
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