We catch up with Fusing Naked Beats' Asif, its been almost a full year since we last talked to him. With the release of his latest album, Outer Perspective, he is up to a lot of new ideas and experimenting. Let's find out exactly what he's been up to!

Rita Bhattacharya: How long did it take you and Martti to come up with the concept behind your latest album, "Outer Perspective?"
Asif: While we were working on Digital Asia we had definite ideas for the second album, for example, more vocal tracks, more experimentation with different musical styles and collaboration wih various different artists. We came up with around 30 tracks and we chose our top 14 tracks from the 30 at the time for Digital Asia. We then continued working on the rest of our tracks and fine-tuned them until we got exactly what we were looking for. The idea that Outer Perspective would be different from Digital Asia was a given right from the beginning. The name for the album also illustrated our concept, everybody has their own inner perspective through which they view the world but it is only when they take a different perspective, an outer perspective that change can happen.

So would you consider this album as a "Digital Asia" part two?
I would say Outer Perspective is completely different from Digital Asia. It is a lighter album than Digital Asia. Digital Asia was much more upbeat yet dark and edgy, a real dance album. Outer Perspective has it's own unique electronic landscape and blends many diverse elements into one cohesive and unifying experience. It has Eastern electronica to global house and Arabic and Indian beats fused with hip-hop, D&B rhythms and funky dance basslines. I would say Outer Perspective embraces the drumbeat of London fusing Arabic and Asian sounds to create a musical heartbeat firmly rooted in the here and now of London's alternative club scene.

"Everybody has competition! I would say my musical style is closer to..."

You have some great guest vocals on this CD from some of the best of the best in global music. Was it difficult getting people on board to contribute or was it an easy task to complete?
The album features many guest artists including Greek R&B singer Ms Kat, legendary Pakistani singer Najma Akhtar, Sonia Mehta and the dark conscious lyrics of Swami Baracus. The album also features Rowdy Brown aka Nihal from Radio 1 on the track 'Fusing Faces' and German MC Sulal Kool who is featured on the Asiatic remix track. Outer Perspective also reveals some lyrics from myself on tracks such as 'Saladins Empire' and 'Path of Pilgrims.' I was lucky in that many of the guest artists I worked with were just as motivated as us to create great music. They loved the beats and then layed down their own stamp. I have been making music for 9 years now and have built up good relationships with many different musicians and vocalists along the way. Once we were in the studio, it was easy. We were jamming and it all came together just right. I have no favourite track off the album really, I have a soft spot for all of them. They all mean something different to me.

What was it like working with Radio One's DJ Nihal, since you're often getting air play on his show?
Nihal is one of the nicest people I have met in the music industry, a real music lover. He was so easy to work with and has been very supportive of my work from day one. We had a laugh!

What is your next up and coming project? Are you going to be moving away from an electro dance sound to something more urban like Hip Hop or R&B?
That's an interesting question. I am working with a few hip hop, R&B artists at present. A few tracks from these artists will surface later in the year produced by FNB (Fusing Naked Beats). If I feel the reaction is positive I will move into an album direction for these artists. I have started work on the next Fusing Naked Beats for next year! I am excited about it already and will have some really cool collaborations on this album.

What's your opinion on the other UK bred artists such as Jay Sean and Juggy D and the like?
I respect what they do and it's great that they have had a measure of mainstream success, as ultimately it gives all Asian artists more of a profile. My musical style is different from their's but I do like what they do.

In putting together this type of music, who do you feel is your competition, or if you don't consider yourself to have any competition, who would you say reflects what you are doing most out of the other artists on the scene?
Everybody has competition! I would say my musical style is closer to artists such as TJ Rehmi and Nitin Sawhney, both whom I respect. I have always wanted my music to be a little dark, twisted and urban. The more you experiment the more your style evolves and I think this is reflected more so in "Outer Perspective."

Name 3 things that you do when you're absolutely alone.
Produce music, I know it's a cliché but I need to work on my music when I'm alone. Think, and read.

Any final thoughts for DesiClub readers?
Thanks to all our fans who have supported us and to any new readers who haven't heard our sound, you can get the album from our website www.fusingnakedbeats.co.uk. I hope you enjoy!

Want to contribute your own Music Features? E-mail us to find out more.