How to Write Asian Underground Songs

Want to make a banger that nods to tradition and breaks your listeners neck in the club You want to respect roots and still sound like the future. Asian Underground is a genre that comes from collision and curiosity. It puts South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian sounds into conversation with electronic music, hip hop, drum and bass, breakbeat, and experimental production. This guide gives you practical steps to write songs that are authentic creative and loud enough to wake your neighbors.

Everything here is written for busy artists who need real workflows not academic essays. I will explain terms and acronyms so you do not need a translator. You will get scales chords rhythm techniques sample advice lyrical strategies a production checklist a performance plan and exercises to get unstuck. Expect real life scenarios and blunt tips that actually help you finish songs.

What Is Asian Underground

Asian Underground started as a 1990s scene in the UK where South Asian artists mixed tabla, sitar and Bollywood samples with bass driven electronic music. Over time the label grew broader. Today the term refers to artists across the Asian diaspora who blend traditional musical elements with contemporary styles. Think sitar meets sub bass. Traditional vocal ornamentation meets trap hi hats. Folk melody sits on a breakbeat groove.

Important note about language. Asian is a large category. It includes South Asia like India Pakistan Bangladesh Sri Lanka. It includes East Asia like China Japan Korea. It includes Southeast Asia like Indonesia Philippines Vietnam Thailand. Each culture has different instruments scales and performance practices. Use the umbrella term carefully and always credit specific traditions you borrow from.

Core Characteristics of Asian Underground Songs

• Hybrid instrumentation Classical instruments such as tabla sarod guzheng shamisen or erhu are paired with synths and drum machines.
• Rhythmic complexity Traditional tala cycles or asymmetrical meters can appear alongside 4 4 electronic grooves.
• Modal and microtonal elements Scales from raga pentatonic modes and other systems color melodies in ways western major minor harmony does not.
• Sampling and collage Field recordings film dialogue archival songs and found sounds become texture and hook.
• Political and identity driven themes Many songs discuss migration identity generational friction and cultural memory.

Why Study Asian Underground as a Songwriter

Because it gives you access to huge rhythmic and melodic vocabularies. It teaches you to think beyond diatonic major minor and simple four on the floor beats. When done right you create music that feels rooted while still surprising modern listeners. You also build a sonic identity that can be distinct within crowded playlists.

Key Terms You Need to Know

• BPM means beats per minute. It tells you how fast the song moves.
• DAW means digital audio workstation. This is your software like Ableton Live FL Studio Logic Pro or Reaper where you arrange record and mix.
• EQ stands for equalization. It means boosting or cutting frequency bands to make instruments fit together.
• Tabla is a pair of South Asian hand drums that give complex rhythmic syllables and texture.
• Raga is a framework for melody in Indian classical music. It includes specific notes ornaments and typical phrases used to evoke a mood.
• Drone means a sustained pitch or chord that underpins the harmonic field. It is common in many Asian musics.

Start with a Clear Song Promise

Before you touch a sample or plug in a synth write one sentence that states what the song is for. Is it a dance floor anthem that references grandmother s kitchen at midnight Is it a slow-burning meditation about migration Is it a protest howl about land and belonging The promise guides both music and lyric.

Examples

• I want people to dance while remembering a grandfather who sang at train stations.
• This track should feel like walking into a neon temple at 3 a m.
• I need a song that says I belong in both cities and in the village.

Choose a Workshop Approach

Pick one of these workflows depending on whether you are producer first or songwriter first.

Producer First Workflow

1. Create a two bar loop with a kick and a sub bass at your target BPM.
2. Layer a percussive pattern influenced by a traditional rhythm for feel. Use sampled tabla or hand percussion or programming that mimics their syllables.
3. Drop a drone or pad under the loop to set a tonal center.
4. Improvise melodies on a lead instrument inspired by a scale you chose. Record multiple takes of nonsense syllables and melodic gestures.
5. Pick the best gesture and turn that into a topline lyric idea. Build verse and chorus around that.

Topline First Workflow

1. Write a short melodic phrase or chant that carries the emotional promise. Sing it on vowels and record five variations.
2. Decide on a rhythmic setting. Do you want syncopation like breakbeat or a steady four on the floor club groove
3. Choose a scale or ragic flavor that fits the vocal melody.
4. Bring in production elements that enhance the vocal like a sparse tabla pocket or a layered guzheng loop.
5. Arrange and refine lyrics using cultural details and memory images.

Rhythm and Groove: Make People Move and Think

Rhythm is the most obvious way Asian Underground stands apart from straight pop. You can use traditional tala cycles or approximate their feel in 4 4. Here is how to think about it.

Use traditional rhythmic syllables as groove guides

Tabla has a language called bols. These are syllables that correspond to strokes. For example the sequence Dha Dhin Dhin Dha can be a simple tinni pattern. You do not need to play tabla to use those rhythms. Program a drum rack that accents the kick and snare according to the bols. This gives authenticity and complexity while remaining danceable.

Layer breakbeat and sub bass

Asian Underground often blends breakbeat patterns with heavy low end. Put an old school break at the top of your kit for snap then add a mono sub bass to hold the chest. Make sure the sub and kick do not fight. Use sidechain compression from the kick to the sub if needed. Sidechain is an audio production technique where one signal controls a compressor on another signal to create space and movement.

Try odd meter but keep it accessible

Odd meters like 7 8 or 9 8 can give your track a distinctive sway. If you use them keep the main vocal or hook in a repeated phrase that aligns to a strong pulse. People will dance to irregular meters when the emotional center is steady. For example use a 7 8 pattern under a steady vocal phrase that phrases every 4 beats. That tension creates momentum.

Melody and Scales: Borrow, Learn, and Transform

Melodic language is where cultural identity speaks loudest. You can use full raga practice or borrow modal gestures that evoke the tradition.

Pentatonic scales as an entry point

Pentatonic scales are common across Asia and the west. Use them to create melodies that feel familiar and ancient at once. For instance the major pentatonic has notes that work over major tonal centers and sound natural on guitar or flute. It is an easy way to get cross cultural vibes without complex theory.

Use modal interchange and tilting notes

Mix a scale with another mode for color. For example take a natural minor and borrow the raised sixth or seventh for lift. Another option is to add microtonal bends. Microtonal means pitches smaller than a semitone. In practice you can mimic this with pitch bend on a synth or with vocal ornamentation. Do not overdo it. Tasteful slides and ornamentation are more powerful than technical showboating.

Respect raga rules when appropriate

If you are using an actual raga learn its arohana and avarohana. Those are the ascending and descending note orders. Ragas also include highlighted notes and typical phrases. Treat raga as more than a scale. It has rules about which notes create tension and which release. If you cannot study the raga with a teacher at least credit the tradition and avoid misusing sacred material.

Instrumentation and Sound Design

Choosing the right sounds is where personality shows. Here is a palette to build from.

• Percussion tabla frame drums dhol taiko small hand percussion and found objects like metal bowls
• Strings sitar sarod erhu guzheng shamisen bowed and plucked instruments
• Winds bansuri flute shakuhachi suona
• Electronic sub bass synth pads FM leads sampled vocals and granular textures
• Field recordings market noise temple bells trains street announcements and kitchen sounds

When choosing samples use high quality sources. If you record or sample from traditional musicians ask permission and offer credit. If you use publicly available sample packs still check licensing for commercial use. Ethical sampling reduces legal risk and builds community.

Lyrics and Language: Be Specific and Honest

Lyrics in Asian Underground can switch languages code switch and use vernacular. This is a powerful tool if used respectfully. Mixing languages can make lines hit harder and feel real. Always ask why you want a non native phrase in the song. Is it poetic Is it tokenistic Do you need cultural consultation

Write with memory and image

Instead of typing broad statements write concrete images. Use family objects food time stamps and locations. These images give universal listeners a window into specific lives. Example Instead of writing I miss home show a detail like the neighbor s radio at six a m playing the same song your father danced to.

Code switch for emotional effect

Switching languages can communicate intimacy distance humor or shame. Use one small phrase in the home language as an emotional anchor. Explain it in the following line if you believe listeners need translation. For example sing a one word chorus in Urdu and then follow with an English line that clarifies the feeling in plain speech.

Avoid cultural clichés and stereotypes

Do not write about exotic temples or mystical stereotypes unless you can speak to those details from lived experience. Instead find quieter real moments. Grandmother s hands making tea is better than a generic postcard image of rice fields.

Arrangement: Build Tension and Release

Structure your song to take listeners on a trip. Asian Underground thrives on dynamic contrast. Use contrast in density instrument choice register and rhythm.

Arrangement map you can steal

• Intro with field recording and a narrow melodic motif
• Verse one with sparse percussion and a drone
• Pre chorus that introduces rhythmic tension and a secondary motif
• Chorus that opens with full bass and a strong vocal hook
• Verse two that adds instrumentation and a new lyrical detail
• Bridge that strips back to a solo traditional instrument and voice
• Final chorus with extra harmonies counter melody and a rhythmic fill
• Outro that returns to the field recording closing the circle

Production Techniques That Work

Production is the glue that makes the collision feel intentional. Here are specific tricks used in the scene.

Granular sampling and pitch shifting

Take a vocal phrase and granulate it into a texture. Granular synthesis chops sound into tiny grains that you can stretch pitch and rearrange. Use it to make a vocal pad that hints at a language without being fully intelligible. Be careful with sacred chants. If you use them treat them with respect and ideally with community consent.

Sidechain and groove quantization

Sidechain the pad to the kick so the low end pumps. Use groove quantization to make your sample loops sit more human with swing. Groove quantization means shifting note timing slightly to mimic human feel. Most DAWs have groove templates or shuffle settings. Try sampling a tabla loop and extract its timing to humanize your drum programming.

Resampling live instruments

Record a live instrument like a bansuri or a guzheng. Chop a short phrase and resample it into your sampler. Play that sample as a new instrument with different pitches and envelopes. This creates unique textures that still feel rooted. It also avoids the sterile sound of stock loops.

Collaboration and Community

Asian Underground is a conversation. Collaborating with traditional musicians producers and community members will elevate your music. Here is how to do it right.

• Find collaborators through community events cultural centers music schools and local shows are better than random DMs.
• Pay fairly session fees mechanical royalties and clear credits matter. Treat collaborators like partners not samples.
• Document permission and usage get agreements in writing about how recordings will be used and credited.

Legal Stuff: Sampling and Credits

Do not get sued. The music industry likes to remind you of this fact. Here is practical advice.

• If you sample an archival recording clear the master rights and the publishing rights. Master rights are the actual recording. Publishing rights are the composition rights.
• When you record traditional musicians get a signed release that explains usage and payment.
• If you interpolate meaning you re perform a melody credit the original composer when possible. That avoids messy claims later.

Live Performance Tips

Asian Underground songs can be subtle or massive live. Decide what you want early. Do you want to DJ perform with a laptop or bring a live ensemble

• Laptop sets use stems and a performance template in your DAW. Trigger drums bass vox and effects with a controller.
• Hybrid sets include one or two live instrumentalists like a tabla player and a vocalist. Route their inputs and include click tracks for timing. Click track means a metronome feed for performers so live elements stay in time with electronic elements.
• Make space allow breathing moments where the live instrument is exposed. Those moments create intimacy even in clubs.

Promotion and Cultural Positioning

How you talk about your music matters. Avoid lazy tropes like calling everything fusion. Use specific language.

• Describe the song with the specific instruments and the city or tradition that inspired it.
• Share behind the scenes with footage of the recording location the collaborator and the food. Real people relate to real lives.
• Create short video clips that show the performer teaching a line or explaining a sample. Those are great for social platforms.

Songwriting Exercises

The One Object Rule

Pick one small object from your culture that has emotional weight. Spend ten minutes writing four lines where the object appears and performs an action. This forces imagery over abstraction.

The Code Switch Chorus

Write a chorus where the first line is in your home language and the rest is in English or another language you use. Keep the first line simple and repeatable. Then write two verses that explain that line through small scenes.

The Drone Experiment

Make a drone on one pitch and write a melody that uses only three notes. Limit breeds creativity. See how many distinct phrases you can write with those three notes and rhythmic variety.

Real Life Scenarios and Examples

Example one

Scenario You want a club track that honors your grandmother s folk singing. You start with a field recording of her singing a two line phrase. You pitch shift parts of it and granularize to make a pad. You program a breakbeat that follows tabla bols. You write a chorus in English with one line in the original language. You credit your grandmother and pay her a session fee. The result is a track that makes people dance and cry at the same time.

Example two

Scenario You are an experimental songwriter inspired by Japanese enka music but you also love vaporwave. You record an erhu like line and run it through tape saturation and heavy reverb. You place a plodding kick at low BPM and add a processed vocal that sings a simple repeating phrase. The track folds tradition into a slow meditative piece that sits between club and gallery.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Using cultural tropes If your song reads like a postcard you are using clichés. Fix it by adding personal memory and risk. Replace a stock image with a household detail.
• Overproducing traditional instruments If you bury a beautiful acoustic performance under heavy processing you lose nuance. Try a single tasteful effect and let dynamics breathe.
• Token language use If a single word in another language does only decorative work remove it. Use code switch to advance meaning.
• Poor mixing between low end and traditional percussion If the kick and tabla fight use transient shaping low cut filters and sidechain to create space.

Finish Songs Faster With a Checklist

1. Write the one sentence song promise and title.
2. Create a two bar loop that captures the mood.
3. Add one traditional element recorded live or sampled ethically.
4. Write a topline on vowels then convert into lyrics with specific images.
5. Arrange a clear map with a first chorus by one minute.
6. Mix the stems with attention to low end and percussion clarity.
7. Get feedback from one cultural insider and two producers. Ask one focused question. Does this feel authentic and original
8. Polish and release with credits and sample clearances in place.

FAQ

Can I use traditional chants in my songs

You can use them but you must do it respectfully. Learn the cultural meaning of the chant get permission when possible and credit the source. If the material is sacred ask community elders or cultural custodians about appropriate use. When in doubt create an original chant inspired by the tradition rather than sampling sacred material directly.

How do I make my music sound modern while using old instruments

Combine a clean modern low end sub bass with authentic high frequency details from acoustic instruments. Use contemporary effects like saturation sidechain compression and tasteful autotune or pitch correction as creative tools. The goal is to let the old instruments speak while the production gives the track a current pulse.

Should I sing in my heritage language or in English

There is no rule. Singing in your heritage language can be powerful and specific. Singing in English can broaden audience. Code switch for the best of both worlds. Keep the chorus simple and repeatable so non native speakers can latch on. The language choice should serve the emotional truth of the song not a market strategy alone.

What BPMs are common

There is no single BPM. Club friendly tracks often sit between 120 and 140 beats per minute. Breakbeat and drum and bass influenced songs may go faster. Slower experimental tracks can be 70 or even slower. Choose BPM based on the groove you want to create and where you expect the track to play live or online.

How do I learn traditional instruments quickly

Take lessons with a local teacher. Even a few sessions will give you vocabulary that improves authenticity. If that is not possible use high quality sample libraries and hire a session musician for key parts. Learning basic phrasing and ornamentation goes a long way for convincing results.

Is Asian Underground only about South Asian sounds

No. The term began with South Asian scenes but now includes artists who draw from East and Southeast Asian traditions. Always be specific about the tradition you reference and credit the sources. The scene is broad and grows as artists from many cultures bring their voices into the mix.

How do I avoid appropriation when borrowing from another culture

Appropriation means taking cultural elements without understanding or credit and without benefit to the communities where those elements come from. To avoid it reach out to cultural practitioners collaborate fairly and credit sources. Offer payment and make space for voices from those communities in your work and promotion. Transparency and relationship building matter more than a single line in a credit roll.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Write one sentence that states the song s promise and pick a working title.
2. Find one traditional sound whether a sample a recorded instrument or a field recording and decide how it will be used structurally.
3. Create a two bar loop at a BPM that fits the vibe.
4. Improvise a topline for five minutes on vowels. Pick the best gesture and turn it into a chorus line with one memorable phrase.
5. Build a verse with three concrete images and one time stamp.
6. Arrange for a first chorus before the one minute mark and create a map for instrumentation changes.
7. Share a draft with one cultural insider and one producer. Ask them what needs more context and what can be stronger.
8. Polish the mix low end and percussion clarity. Add credits and finalize sample clearances if needed.

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