Joi are Farook and Haroon, two young Bengalis raised in London's East End, whose musical careers started in the pioneering Joi Bangla sound system which grew out of the Bangladesh youth movement. They have since progressed to DJ'ing and writing and recording their own music, developing one of the most exciting new musical styles of recent years. Their unique fusion of western dance and hip hop with traditional Asian forms produces tracks which vary from sublime break-beat workouts to experimental techno numbers and mystical instrumentals. This talent for original fusion was powerfully demonstrated on their first major vinyl outing 'Desert Storm'. It earned them Single Of The Week status in the NME where the reviewer described it as "one of the most inventive dance records ever made." The world of Joi could originally be experienced at the club night which Farook and Haroon ran weekly at London's Bass Clef (now the Blue Note). Attracting loads of attention and attendance from the media and from Joi's contemporaries in the world of dance music, the club pulled a crowd as diverse as the elements in their sound. Since completing their last stint at The Blue Note, Joi have spent a lot of time in the studio working on new material and they've been doing various DAT/DJ sessions at clubs and parties around London. These sound system sets allow Joi to mix up DATs with vinyl and feature on-line sampling and live percussion from Bongo Paul. All the DATs played are exclusives of their own stuff - the sound system format allowing them to mix up established Joi tunes with new ones hot out of the studio. The Joi Sound System has torn it up at clubs and gigs like The End, Megatripolis, The Complex, Return To The Source, Whirl-Y-Gig and the Ministry of Sound. They currently run a monthly system party at the Dog Star in Brixton (which has people dancing on the tables every time!), and their own weekly, 'Mela', with special guests including Spring Heel Jack and DJ Mimi from XFM as well as award winning regular, DJ Clifford. In addition to these system sets Joi also put on a full live show, incorporating sitar, guitar, tablas and vocals, which they've done with great success at events such as Womad, Lambeth Mela and their recent club night at the 333 club on Hoxton Square. Recordings wise, their most recent single, the 'Bangladesh EP', was released on Nation Records to a wealth of critical acclaim. It's the sound of Joi seeking inspiration from their homeland - an ongoing search which lends a unique Eastern feel to their acid-tinged, tabla-led break-beats. The EP helped to earn them sessions with both Andy Kershaw (Radio 1) and GLR . They've followed these sessions with kicking live sets recently at the likes of Athletico (at the Blue Note) and a storming live show at Tribal Gathering '97. Joi have just done a rocking mix of a classic Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan track, 'Sweet Pain'. which is the lead track on the tribute album, 'Star Rise' (released 20/10/97 on Real World Records). They have also recently remixed a Trickbaby single, 'Milky' (on Logic Records), and have got a tune out on the Sony 'Eastern Uprising' compilation. Other plans for the near future include releasing a new single, completing tracks for their debut album and organizing more club nights in the near future. No rest for the wicked! 'Set yourself free with the spirit of Joi'